Growing Without Schooling 96
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Parents often ask us what they should do when their child finds a particular academic subject diJficult or uninteresting or perhaps just hasn't gotten around to pursuing it yet. Should they just stay out of the way and not push thechild to do it? Should they try to find creative ways of introducing the subject or working on it together? Should they try to find someone else, outside the family, to work with their child? Should they wait until the child says, "I'm ready to deal with this now,"
Vallie Raymond is among those who write for this issue's Focus, "When a Subject is Diflicult," p. 14- 16.
Inside this Issue: News & Reports p. 2
in School p. 3 A Homeschooler Goes to School -
Advocating for Kids
for a Day p. 4-5
Apprenticeship
in Belize p. 6-7
Homeschoolers
in
College p.
Young Homeschoolers p. Announcements
&
8-9
l0-ll
Requests p.
11
Watching Children Learn p. r2-r3 Marine Biologr, Electronics, Older Reader, Museum & Libra4r Volunteer, Computers
Subject
FOCUS: llrhen
Book Reviews
p.
is Difflcult p. 14-16
t7-20
f994 Directory of Families & Organizatlons p. 2l-38
and asks for help? The answer, probably, is all of the above. When, for this issue's Focus, we asked several young people to tell us what they wanted their parents to do in such situations, they mentioned all of these options, sometimes saying that different ones had worked for them at different times. This kind of answer can be just as frustrating to parents as the math or writing or geography is to their kids. It would be easier for adults if we could simply know, without a doubt, what to do in every situation. But the more I work with young people the more I feel that trying to be a helpful adult means hovering, constantly, in the balance between too much and not enough. I strll worry whether I should have said something when I didn't, or whether the suggestion I made was too intrusive. I still wonder about whether the help I offer will be welcomed, or resented, or not the right kind, or too late. One thing I do feel sure of, though, is that kids and adults can work this kind of thing out, if a few essential elements are in place: if the kids know that they can say no when they need to, if the adults are willing to try something different when the old way didn't work, and, most important, if the kids have a chance to develop, in their own minds, a genuine desire to work on the difficult or frustrating thing. Many of the writers in this issue talk about needing help or reminders or encouragement. They are not, contrary to a misconception about self-directed learning, working all by themselves in a vacuum. And they speak as often about truly wanting to get better at whatever it is they find difficult or distasteful. That's tuhy theywant help. This discussion, like so marry discussions in GWS, comes back to the distinction between helping kids achieve their own goals and tryrng to make them achieve someone else's goal. Vallie Raymond writes that she often needs her mother to tell her to do math before she goes out with her friends. But Vallie explains that by the time that happens, "IVe already confirmed, with myself, what I have to do." That's the point because Vallie has already confirmed it with herself, her mother's insistence works. It comes across as helpful
rather than irritating because Vallie really knows that she wants that kind of reminder from her mother. The balance, the sense of what it is appropriate for an adult to do, is still difficult to maintain, but with these distinctions clear in our minds, things get a lot easier.
-
Susannah Sheffer
2
Office News & Announcements
News & Reports
[SS:l This fall we've taken advantage
of our larger office space by holding seminars on one Saturday morning a month. The seminars were (or will be): Introduction to Homeschooling, The Journey from School to Homeschooling, Irarning Without a Curriculum, and Adapting to Students'Changing Needs. We plan to repeat the introductory semina-r on January 15, 1994, and we're considering other topics for later in the season. In mid-October I went to Columbus, Ohio to be part ofa panel at the Association of Science-Technologr Centers annual conference. The panel was about why museums should take care to be different from schools, and I spoke about what is lost if museums or museum programs become too much like schools. It was fun to speak to a new audience full of many allies and interested people. Asyou can see, this issue of GWS contains our 1994 Directory, and what a big Directory it is, with the most names we've ever had. Remember that if a person's name in GWS is followed by their state abbreviation in parentheses, that person is in the Directory. If the person's name is followed by the state name written out in full, the person is not in the Directory, and we will forward letters if you include a stamped envelope. Thanks to all the people who wrote to answer Daphne Slocombe's question about how parents arrange their lives in order to be able to homeschool. We're saving those letters for the next issue, so look for them there. When your next issue, #97, arrives in the mail, you'll see that we will have made some major changes in the design of the magazine - for example, the type will be bigger, and we will have a larger photo on the cover, with no text except headlines. We'll be increasing to 4O pages instead of the usual 32. at no further cost to our subscribers, so the amount of material in each issue will remain about the same as it is now. We know that when a familiar magazine arrives looking very different, readers sometimes wonder whether ttre change signifies a change in philosophy or attitude. Is the magazine selling out? no longer as concemed with its long-time readers? no longer committed to the same goals? That's why we're letting you know, ahead of time, that what we're changing is the design, not our philosophy or attitude or deep respect for you, our regular readers and writers. We do indeed hope that the new design will attract more newcomers to the magazine, as well as making it easier for our regular readers to enjoy the material, but we don't want you to think that we're changing the informal, reader-based style of the magazirre or the underlying
philosophy about children and learning that you have always associated with us. We're not! So don't worqr about that, but please do let us know what you think of the new design, and if you like it, do tell others about it. Thanks from all of us.
Report to District [SS:] In our last issue we printed excerpts from the proposal that Phoebe Wells and Tadek Gaj (MA) sent to their school district before their son Eoin's first year of homeschooling (in the eyes of the law). A couple of readers have asked whether all such written plans have to be as lengthy or detailed. The answer is no, they don't; in states that require written proposals in the first place (and not all do), the actual wording of the law, the requirements or preferences of the particular school district, and the inclinations of the
family itself will all influence what kind of proposal the family actually writes. Some people believe it's better to write a great deal so that the files are thick and the family appears thorough; others believe it's better to give only the minimum required by law and to let the school officials ask for more if they want more. Both approaches are valid. Some families see the fact that they must write a proposal as an opportunity to articulate their own philosophy and goals for the year Jor tlrcmselues as well as for the district; others view the proposal only as something they must do to satis$r legal require-
ments and would rather keep it as short as possible. Again, both approaches are valid. If we print excerpts from a lengthy, detailed proposal, it's often as much because the content is interesting to readersjust as a description ofwhat a family does or how a child learns as it is because we want readers to see what a sample proposal looks like. But again, to be absolutely clear: depending on the state and the district, short proposals can work quite well, too. Here's a sample of an effective, shorter proposal that Jane Dwinell [Vt) wrote for her daughter Dana's first year of homeschooling (again, in the legal sense):
Course of Study for Dana DwinellYardley: l Basic Communication Skills Language Arts
Topics may include but shall not be
2. Citizenship, History, and Government in Vermont and the U.S. Topics may include but shall not be limited to the following: Current events; Town Meeting; travel throughout New
England and to Florida; national holidays; map reading: World - name and ftnd oceans, continents, our country, our state; U.S. - name and find New England states; VT - find Irasburg, Montpelier, Burlington, Newport, Lake Memphremagog, Lake Champlain, Lake Willoughby, Iake Morey, Connecticut River, Black River, Barton River. 3. Physical Education and Comprehensive Health Education Topics may include but shall not be limited to the following: Sports - cross country skiing, down-
hill skiing, sliding, biking, hiking,
tree
climbing, swimming, grmnastics, badminton, croquet, canoeing. Health Education - basic first aid for cuts, splinters, bums, sprains and strains; treatment of common cold; care of teeth and regular dental visits; traffic safety; family meal planning and food preparation. 4. English, American, and Other Literature Topics may include but shall not be limited to the following: Novels by l9th and 20th century British and American authors; American poetry; Greek mytholos/. 5. The Natural Sciences Topics may include but shall not be
limited to the following: Seeds, bulbs, plants and flowers; common birds; sun, moon, stars and basic constellations; seasons, weather, clouds; fire and tem-
perature; farm animals - care from infancy to adulthood, slaughtering; maple sugaring. 6. The Fine Arts Topics may include but shall not be limited to the following: Drawing;
painting; computer graphics; making clothes and handkerchiefs for dolls and dress-up; attending concerts and plays; Iistening to music at home (live and taped); singing.
limited to the following: Silent and oral reading; listening skills; telling stories; spelling; homonl'rnsl s1'non5rms and anton5rms; writing letters, stories, and poems by hand, dictation, or tlping;
dictionary use for meaning and spelling; encyclopedia use; library skills, use of basic punctuation; use of table of contents and index; and computer skills. Basic Communication Skills - Math Topics may include but shall not be limited to the following: Count and write by ls, lOs, lOos, l0o0s; additionand subtraction w'ith single and double digits; telling time and using the calendar; value of coins and making change; and meaning of inch, foot, yard.
Calendar February 26. 1994: Delaware Home Education Association conference at St. Marks High School off Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE. Ke1'note speaker Gayle Graham, author of Hous to Homeschool; workshops, vendors. For info: Jennifer L5rman, 136 Netherlands Dr. Middletown DE 197 09 -967 7 : 302-836-494 l. February 25 & 26: Pat Farenga will conduct workshops about homeschooling and the library in Wellston and Zanesville, Ohio. For info: Gail Zachariah, 614384-2r03.
Growing Without Schooling #96
Advocating for Kids in School Alison McKee NVIJ u.;rites: I am a teacher of the visually impaired. My students are all in mainstream classes, and they come to me for instruction in Braille and other "special skills." Sometimes they come to me when a lesson needs adaptation so that they can do it. Much of my work is adapting classroom teachers' lessons so that these kids can do them, advocating for the kids and trying to educate classroom teachers about the special educadonal needs of low-vision and blind kids. My work with the children is pretty much one-on-one. My work as a vision teacher is much like my homeschooling work: not many people understand what a vision teacher does, which, in turn, frees me to do things as I deem they should be done. (The other day my principal told me he was glad one ofmy students had gone to the state school for the visually impaired because "they will be able to teach him sign language there." This comment comes from a man who has seven visually impaired students attending school under his roof! I almost laughed but it was too sad a comment on his understanding of my work: none.) When I came into vision work I stumbled around for a while trying to find my niche and get my feet on the ground. Nobody could tell me what it was I was to do. Aside from the need to teach basic skills like Braille, typing/keyboarding, tape reading skills, and computer, I was on my own to develop programs for my students. As I tried to discern just what it was I should be doing and howbest to go about teaching skills that were important to my students, I found the answer sitting in front of me. The answer lay within each student. If I could find ways to listen with empathy, I could teach anything. My students do need to learn particular skills, and yet how to teach those skills comes directly from the students. I try to teach in a manner which they seem to dictate. The best example of this is my seventh grade student, a girl who is much like my own daughter. Jasmine is the most difficult of my students to work with because she knows so well what she wants to do. She sees, so clearly, the stupidity of school. I am \dlling to confirm her observations and try to work from there. I do what I can to change the system to better fit her needs. Jasmine has been removed from classes (like art) where an adult has had to sit with her and show her what to do each step of the way. Her need to be with her peers is paramount, yet it is thwarted each time an adult needs to sit with her and help her with the lesson. I have found it best for Jasmine to be out of these classes and doing things that have more meaning
Growing Without Schooling #96
for her. Weeks of sitting in art class with an assistant next to her only isolates her from her peers and reinforces her sense of being different and unable. Jasmine desperately wants to be free of having to depend on adults so that she can attempt to make it on her own, even if that means failing. Since any child deserves this chance, I try to provide it for her by removing classes from her schedule which. in essence. cause her to be more dependent than she would otherwise be. This is a simple example of how I go to
No teacher had ever considered the possibility of removing a child from a class that was of no use to her.
bat for the children, and yet I was surprised to hear teachers' reactions to my notions of getting Jasmine removed from unnecessary classes. No teacher had ever considered the possibility of removing a child from a class that was of no use to her. It was as though I was speaking some foreign language or suggesting that we do the impossible. I only saw the simple side, the homeschooling side, if you will: when things don't work, change them. When I found myself up against those who did not understand Jasmine's need for a suitable schedule, I would pull out excuses like, "She needs more time to learn skills specifically related to the needs of a blind child," and everyone would nod approval. I was astounded to find that so many people had no notion of making education meaningful to the child. I was sure that if I had tried to remove a sighted child from an art class because the child hated art, I would not have been as successful. I would not have been able to make a case for the child because no one understands the concept of individual differences. I am not always able to remove children from useless classes. Sometimes the best I can do is provide them with the skills needed to survive in such classes. Jasmine is the student who is least compliant when she sees the futility of it all. Her strong rebellion against the system frustrates everyone (even me at times) and puts me in the position of having to think of ways to create a win-win environment for both Jasmine and the "regular ed" teaching staff. As a result of this, I am constantly modiffing "regular ed" lessons to fit Jasmine's needs. When the teacher had the class study
highway maps in order to learn to read a
map and plan an intinerary for a fictional vacation, I suggested modifications in the lesson that would meet Jasmine's real-life need. I had Jasmine work with her mobility teacher (the teacher who teaches cane travel) on planning a trip across the U.S. using greyhound busses. Jasmine, as part of her mobility lesson, takes a city bus to the greyhound bus terminal, gets route information for her fictional trip and, with the assistance ofa reader, plans a trip according to the actual bus timetables.
This lesson becomes something that the
classroom teacher recognizes as a "valuable learning tool." Jasmine gets real-life experience planning a trip that she might be able, someday, to take. In this instance everyone wlns. I have always attempted to show teachers that they can be much more flexible than they think and still teach the skills they deem important. Many teachers cannot understand that the teaching of concepts is the important issue. I work with them to help them understand that whether a child learns to plan a trip on a print map or by using bus timetables should not make any difference. I try to stress the notion that they should free themselves to think in terms of their fina-l goals, not the means by which the child reaches those goals. I believe that this is one of the significant differences between the unschooling approach to learning and the traditional approach to leaming.
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Lorio
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Growing Without Schooling #96, Vol. I6, No. 5. ISSN #0475-5305. Published bimonthly by Holt Associates, 2269 Mass. Ave. Cambridge MA O2laO.$25/yr. Dateofissue: December I, 1993. Second-class postage paid at Boston, MA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 2269 Mass. Ave, Cambridge MA02l4O. AD\,'EKIISERS: Deadlines are the l5th of oddnumbered months. Write for rates.