Guest post by Wendy Priesnitz. Classic not-back-to-school question: “But what if a child doesn’t choose to learn math?” But that’s the issue, see. A child who lives and learns without schooling doesn’t have to choose to learn math! Learning math is a notion created and perpetuated by a group of adult experts who think that…
Tag: learning
School is Bad for Children
Guest post by John Holt. Almost every child, on the first day he sets foot in a school building, is smarter, more curious, less afraid of what he doesn’t know, better at finding and figuring things out, and more confident, resourceful, persistent and independent than he will ever be again in his schooling – or,…
Freedom or Control
Guest post by Wendy Priesnitz. Life learners trust kids to learn. We believe that learning is innate and doesn’t require teaching, texts or tests. We know that children are not blank slates or raw clay, to be written on or molded into shape by adults. We allow kids to learn by living. And our trust…
What is Unschooling?
Guest post by Nicole Olson. Asking, “What is unschooling?” is a little bit like asking, “What is love?” or “What is happiness?”. It means different things to different people. But within its broad framework, there are some fairly consistent themes and basic beliefs that most unschoolers embrace.What is unschooling… Belief #1: Children are hard-wired to…
Do You Shame Your Child?
Guest post by Laura Markham. “Children learn to regulate their behaviors by developing an emotional ‘clutch,’ located in the prefrontal cortex, that can turn the accelerator off when the brakes are applied and redirect their interest in more acceptable directions….An activated accelerator followed by the application of brakes leads to a nervous system response with…
Discipline, Respect and Obedience
Guest post by Ted Olson. Many of us parents have a traditional view of discipline, respect, and obedience. That is, children must be taught to obey and to respect their elders. Discipline measures vary, but range from time-outs to spanking. Many of us grew up in homes where kids were to be seen and not…
A Man of Few Words
Guest post by Nicole, Unschoolers.org. My husband Ted did not come to the unschooling life as quickly or as easily as I did. It was kind of a long road for him, with some serious doubts and struggles along the way. So it’s been very cool to watch as he has become increasingly confident in…
Chapter 29 – Raising Children Compassionately
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Five – Chapter 28 – “10 Ways We Misunderstand Children” by Jan Hunt 29 Raising Children Compassionately by Marshall B. Rosenberg I’ve been teaching Nonviolent Communication (SM) to parents for 30 years. I would like to share some of the things that have been helpful to both myself and to…
Chapter 28 – 10 Ways We Misunderstand Children
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Five – Chapter 27 – “On Seeing Children as ‘Cute’” by John Holt 28 10 Ways We Misunderstand Children by Jan Hunt 1. We expect children to be able to do things before they are ready. We ask an infant to keep quiet. We ask a 2-year-old to sit still.…
Chapter 27 – On Seeing Children as “Cute”
Table of ContentsPrevious – Section Five – Chapter 26 – “Why Do We Hurt Our Children?” by James Kimmell 27 On Seeing Children as “Cute” by John Holt We should try to get out of the habit of seeing little children as cute. By this I mean that we should try to be more aware…