Growing Without Schooling 84
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Inside this Issue News & Reports p.2-4 Homeschooltng tn lreland, Supportlve Superlntendent
Slngte-Parent Eoneschoolers p. 5-6 Challenges & Concerns p. Z-9 When Young People Leave Home, Mother's Work Helps Klds Meet People, Respecttng
Hvacy, LMng With Llttle Ones
Ilomeschoolers ln College p. l0-lr Watchlng Chlldren Learn p. I l-13 Iâ‚Źarntng Together, Tlustlng "Dreamtng Stages, Outdoor Apprenttceshtp, Ietter Reversals, Computer Games FOCUS: Worklng Toward a Goal p.
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Llberattng Teenagere: Intervlew wtth Grace Llewell5rn p. l8-2o Resources & Recommendatlons p. zo
Book Revlews p.2t-24 1992 Dlreetory of Fa'nllles & Organlzatlons p. 25-38
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In the "Common ObJectlons to Homeschoollng- chapter of TeachYqtr Own" John Holt lncludes a serles of challengfng questlons that a mother once asked hlm, and hls answers. One questlon ls, "\illll [homeschooled chtldrenl have the opportuntty to ovelcome or do thlngs that they thlnk they don't want to do?'In hls reply, John says, 'If the questlon meâ‚Źrnsl, wlll unschooled chlldren knowwhat lt ls to have to do dlftcult and demandrng thhgs tn order to reach goals they have set for themselves, I would s:ryyes, llfe ls frrll of such requlrements. But thls ls not at all the same thlng as dolng somettrlng, and tn the case of schml usuall5r somethlng stupld and borlng, slrnply because someone else tells you pu'll be punlshed tfyou dont." So many of our soclet5/s notlons about the nature of work and of chlldren, are wrapped up ln that mother's questlon that It's no wonder we contlnue to hear the same concern ln one form or another from people who ask about homeschoollng. School tdes to lmpress upon chlldren the value of dotng what theydon't want to do, but lt nerrcr sleerxr to dl,sttngulsh between the demands of the task ttself and the arbltrary demands of another person, or between goals that cttlldren have set for themselves and goals that someone else has set for them. School doesn't operate as though these dlstlncUons are tmportant, but they are. For thts lssue's Focus, we asked several young GWS readers to wrlte about worklng to meet goals that they have set for themselves, and to tell us about dlftcult or unpleasant tasks that they may have to do as part of achtevtng those goals. Thefr letters show that, tJgfintttw chrrnc, cttlldren can respond to the demands of the work ltself, and notJust to the threat of punlshment or hope of reward. -The pronunclatlon ls dlfrcult,'Apdl Johnson wrltes about learnlng Spanlsh. But because she really wants to learn the language, she keeps pracUctng. 'All of the work ls worth lt," concludes Gtnny Hood after descrlbtng what goes lnto audtttonlng for theatrtcal roles and rehearstng the plays. Her brother Sam wrltes, aboutJolntng a swlm team that turned out to be more difrcult than he had ecpected, 'Although lt would have been eaqr to qutt, I declded not to." Why nof? Because Sam ls determlned to become a llfeguard, and he ls wllltng to do what that task demands of hlm. He doesnt need someone else to prerrent hlm ftom qultflng: ttts own deslre to achleve hts goal does that. After descdbtng how hard she had to work to learn to slght read muslc, KIm Kopel concludes, 'I do thlngs that are dlfrcull or that I really don't lllre, for the sarne reason I do anythlng else: because IVe declded they're lmportant.' If only schools could understand thlst Young people are capable of decldlng what ls tmportant or neceesarlr, and crce tltq ttalue decldd" they are capable of worklng much harder than we tmagtne. Schmls, after falltng to glve chlldren the chancc to declde what ts tmportant to them and to understand the relattonshtp between thelr chosen goal and spectllc tasks. then conclude that chlldren arelazy, no good, unmotlrrated. Llsten to the young people ln thls lssue and you'll see that thls assumpilon couldn't be more unong. Susannah Shefrer
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