Why am I an unschooler? I think because of my crazes and passions.
I learn via current crazes. I get interested in something and before long, it is a passion - I follow up, find little rabbit trails to explore, read/talk about the interest, share with others, collect more stuff to add to the craze...I see connections...
And, since I see how learning is connected and see how my fitness passion, for example, has lead to reading about fitness and nutrition and body image, to sharing my passion with family members and friends and friends online, how I read and research and learn more - well, I can see how my children can learn through unschooling. Not necessarily through subjects but through passions, crazes, connections.
Of course, some things may not come up in a craze or passion. Some things need to be strewed, need to be shared, in order to provide exposure to skills and to concepts. Some things need to be modelled - I am thinking of virtues here. And we need to allow opportunites to arise for kids to develop and apply these virtues, for example. Apply them to their learning. Their life.
Finally, some things may be have tos.
But, in unschooly fashion, the list of have tos becomes less when life is strewn, is connected wth learning, is lived via interests. Passions. Crazes. Addictions.
Yes, I am guilty of addictions. My current addiction is the old Battlestar Galactica. I have watched the TV series with the fam, we have talked about acting, plot, language, sci fi, genre, characters, concepts of space travel, sets and props, TV then and now. We have researched BG on the web. I am hoping to buy BG 1980 on DVD. I see Starbuck and Apollo lookalikes everywhere..I've formed a Get Rid of Muffet Club.. We have talked about sexism, about life in the 1970s, and about connotations and colloquial language ( Holy frack, as Starbuck would say).
So, I have added BG to my Numbers and Dr Who and fitness and Singstar and celebrating-the-liturgical-year and Life On Mars and reading-about-education addictions.
Could be worse.
8 comments:
Yes, yes! I think I see why we continue to have a connection all these years (other than I just love you... :)
But it is the 'passions' that keep life so facinating.
I am now into my business and part of it (a big part) is to research and learn and I love it. Part of teh assignment I gave myself is to read the Wall Street Journal every day. Talk about rabbit trails! History, science, culture, economics... it is all there. And leads to great discussion.
Like you, I have also found a passion for fitness and learning about nutrition (which often means knowing that what I am eating is NOT good for me) And it naturally is shared with my family... and friends.
I love passion. The rabbit trails.
Recently my son and I were having yet another conversation about learning, etc. He is questioning why he needs credits or a transcript. He is an out of the box thinker. As we talked I realized he really 'got it' -the transcript is just for showing teh outside world.
He knew and articulated that his 'passions' was how he learned. And I told him that is the key to being successful (financaily, career or just in life) is to always be ready to learn new things. (of course this is tied with the spiritual side, too--)
But no matter what he does in college, learning, etc-- be looking for new trails. Those are the people who really seem to end up doing something they love, either for vocation or avocation.
(and listen to the Holy Spirit.. he WILL guide you in your passions and give you stop and go signs!)
This was disjointed, Leonie as I am late for my workout. Hope it made sense!
love
Cindy
btw - I wathced Numbers for the first time last night, thought of you and Beate. Not surprisingly, it is a good show! LOL
Oh that is me too! I seem to skip from one craze to another but not before totally absorbing myself in every bit of information and rabbit trail that I can find! I can honestly say that I am never bored because there is always something else that I want to look in to.........My husband just shakes his head and calls me "faddy" but he hasn't discovered the fun of living this way just yet!
Battlestar Galactica...hmmmm, I am into Worzel Gummidge at the moment, same era though!
Very interesting - it seems we can all relate to the crazes thing, maybe that's why we get on together....
Oh my Leonie. One strong memory I have of childhood is sitting beside my older while he watched Dr. Who so I could watch the TV when he was done. As a little one I thought it was the dullest show on the planet (great scarf though). Now that I am older (much!) I bet you I would enjoy it.
My big passions right now are knitting and gardening and my children have caught them!!
(That was supposed to read older 'BROTHER'- must get to bed now!)
Somewhere, back in the 80s, an article was published in the Journal of Popular Culture [pretty sure that's the name] comparing Battlestar Galactica to Mormon theology......WHY do I, an avid avoider of all things sci-fi know thiis?? I used to waste time on my first ever job as the library bindery clerk by READING stuff like that!! That article was so looney and my best friend is a sci-fi addict, so naturally it stuck with me and we still laugh over it all these years later!
Too funny - I'd like to see that article!
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