Re: [Discuss-sudbury-model] Introverts

Hi Sheila,

I don't know about what's "natural". I'm talking about what "is". In this
case my maternal urges and the environment at the school my son attends.

It's true that at home I do the lions share of the cleaning up and at school
he cleans up after himself (usually). I like it that he's expected and
(usually) cleans up after himself at school but that's not the reason he's
at SVS. It's for the freedom to explore, play, make decisions, succeed and
fail on his terms. He's learning HIS lessons at school, HIS way.

If I was up half the night cleaning up his messes doubtless it would figure
higher in my reasons to send him to SVS.

Hilary

From: "Sheila" <sheran_at_ptd.net>
Reply-To: discuss-sudbury-model_at_sudval.org
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 10:41:05 -0500
To: <discuss-sudbury-model_at_sudval.org>
Subject: Re: [Discuss-sudbury-model] Introverts

But isn't it "natural" for parents to help their kids? Surely that maternal
instinct couldn't be wrong? I would say that neither unschooling or sudbury
isn't completely natural, because while it's not natural to be at home
separated from your "village" (other interested people of differing ages) as
is often the case with unschooling, it's also not natural to be separated
from parents and family all day.
 
Yet one advantage to a Sudbury school I'm thinking we could use some help
with is the issue of housework in the home. As unschoolers, my kids play
freely and creatively all day and make HUGE messes. I don't know how to get
them to clean up without being an authoritarian parent, so I just clean up
for them and hope that they will eventually desire to pitch in of their own
free will. But the messes are huge and sometimes I end up staying up half
the night cleaning up and sometimes I feel resentful about that. If they
were at a Sudbury, the huge messes would be less. They'd still play
creatively at the Sudbury but they would learn the responsibility of clean
up in a less authoritarian way.
 
Another thing I'm thinking it would help with is that my daughter has become
pretty upset about her little brothers lately. They've really been getting
under her skin and she never gets a break from them. At the Sudbury she'd
get a break from them.
 
Sheila
----- Original Message -----
From: Hilary Tuttle <mailto:hilary_at_binteractive.com>
To: discuss-sudbury-model_at_sudval.org
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 9:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Discuss-sudbury-model] Introverts

Hi Jesse,

I question if it's possible to have an SVS school that is "cooperative", one
that is staffed completely by parents. My son is in his third year at SVS in
Framingham and as far as I can see one of the most astonishing aspects to
recommend this type of school is the fact of each student's individual and
complete self responsibility. I know my maternal desire to help and protect
my child would be at direct cross purposes with this precious freedom.

Hilary Tuttle

From: Jesse Gallagher <fomajes_at_yahoo.com>
Reply-To: discuss-sudbury-model_at_sudval.org
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 05:29:00 -0800 (PST)
To: discuss-sudbury-model_at_sudval.org
Subject: Re: [Discuss-sudbury-model] Introverts

Hello all, My name is Jesse Gallagher. I unschool my 9 year-old daughter
and my 6 year-old son, and I'm not certain that unschooling is the best of
all possible worlds.

Our unschooling is emininently successful, but I have come to believe that
my children would be best served by a cooperative unschooling arrangement
that merges the best of the Sudbury model with the best of unschooling. In
other words, the children would not lose freedom but would gain fellowship
and the opportunities for synergistic learning that only time spent with
friends and peers can provide.

I'm not yet certain how to make this a reality, but I am in the beginning
stages of organizing a cooperative unschooling group that, as best as I can
envision, would resemble a part-time Sudbury school with volunteer parents
supplanting staff.

That is the best solution to these issues that I have been able to come up
with.

Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and
the last fish has been caught will we realize that we can't eat money.

Cree proverb
Received on Wed Oct 29 2003 - 11:35:42 EST