Monthly Archives: September 2011

That’s what I meant to say…

I’m a big believer that things often come to you when you really need them.  In my life this has happened repeatedly.  I might toy around with an idea for a long time, but when I finally get serious and … Continue reading

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At the beginning of another great read

In A Life Worth Living, (John Holt’s selected letters)  Holt mentions a lot of other books;  books by George Dennison and James Herndon and Ivan Illich.    I’d read Illich’s Deschooling Society years ago, but other than that, the authors and … Continue reading

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Death by humidity or the Grumpy song revisited, but first….

Before we jump into the events of the past few days, I must send a big thank you to Pat Farenga.  In case you are unfamiliar with him, Pat worked closely with John Holt until his death in 1985, and … Continue reading

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By two girls named Maya (or Maya x2)

Last Saturday Maya spent the afternoon learning how to use Final Cut Pro – the video editing software used by most professionals.   Since then she’s been stepping up her editing – she has better tools and is using them to … Continue reading

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If I had a hammer

Scene:   Our living room Time:  Yesterday afternoon at around 5pm. Participants:  Maya, Ben and Maya’s friend Greta Activity:   Using a rubber hammer to break open a toy from a McDonald’s Happy Meal (one that made sounds). Most people accept the … Continue reading

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Conflict Resolution

I was just reading an article on a student blog titled “Helicopter Parents:  Is Hovering Harmful to Career Goals?” .   Before reading it I was able to supply the answer – “Yes”!    The thing I like about the article is … Continue reading

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Who can do it? Anyone.

Anonymous person:   Where do your kids go to school? Me:   We homeschool. There are generally about 3 responses to this: AP:    Really?  Wow, you must be very patient. Or: AP:  Really?   Wow, you must be really dedicated.  That would be … Continue reading

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My poor socially deprived children

The mother of all myths regarding children who do not attend school is that they will be socially backward.   Deprived of the opportunity to spend 7 hours every day in a room with 25-30 other children who are exactly the … Continue reading

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Of a friend

John Holt wrote that he didn’t think it necessary for children to constantly be surrounded by other children and to have a large circle of friends.  In fact he thought it was far better to have one or two close … Continue reading

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Naturally

Even though I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about learning, one of the good things about life learning is that it happens almost without the kids knowing it, in many cases.    Which makes it a more … Continue reading

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