Comments for Seeing With New Eyes

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Clare

Clare — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:42:56 +0000

When you work out how to create a ‘totally relaxed, stress-free way of life’ can you let me know? In fact, I think you’ll probably earn quite a lot of money by writing a book about it! LOL! I don’t think it’s possible to be totally relaxed and stress-free, but I think it’s very possible to feel far more relaxed and stress-free than the average family

Thanks for your comments Katherine

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Katherine

Katherine — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:39:54 +0000

Hi Clare,

I agree with you and Sandra that peaceful choices are the secret to truly happy, relaxed families, and that peaceful choices are often the unconventional, non-mainstream ones. In fact, it is knowing that you are not bound by mainstream convention but have the freedom to make these choices that removes stress.

However, to a previously mainstream family, the decision to HE alone may remove an enormous amount of stress immediately. Therefore it may be true that HE can make a family more relaxed than they were before.

As you know, I don’t have struggles with messy hair and odd clothes but I do have plenty of others!!! I haven’t achieved a totally relaxed, stress-free way of life yet but I am working on it!

Best wishes,
Katherine

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Katherine

Katherine — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:05:45 +0000

Sandra Dodd said,

‘This question doesn’t translate straight to American terminology. If a family does school at home, it will add more stress to a family, not less.’

In the UK we tend to use the term HE for both ’school-at-home’ and ‘unschooling’. When we want to make it clear what type of HE we are talking about we tend to stick an adjective in front such as ’structured’ or ‘formal’ to describe ’school-at-home’ or ‘autonomous’ to indicate an unschooling approach. Usually when a family HE autonomously, they live autonomously too in much the same way as American Unschoolers.

I disagree that ’school-at-home’ necessarily adds to the stress of family life. If the child has been removed from school due to bullying it is likely that this sort of HE is less stressful and more peaceful than school. I agree that completely unschooling would be even better. In the UK new HEers often start out very structured and schooly but gradually become more child-led as they go on - sometimes, totally autonomous within a year or two!

As any regular reader of Clare’s blog will know, Clare firmly believes in autonomous HE and children having autonomy in their lives. Therefore, sometimes she may assume that when she refers to HE the reader will know that she is talking about her kind of HE, that is the equivalent to American Unschooling.

Best wishes,
Katherine

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Hazel

Hazel — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:49:23 +0000

Interesting that you make the observation that you think you are a ’stressy’ family, yet you seem so relaxed! after just a day and a half of my children not being back at school when we otherwise would have been, the toddler is still ahving paddywhacks, the big three are still yelling at each other every now and then, I felt fraught with PMT last night and went ‘blurrgghhhh I can’t get anything done round here’, ds went ballistic because he wanted new shoes and the shop ahd run out of his size … a normal couple of days for us in other words. Yet I have this huge sense of peace underneath it all, like a huge heavy ball and chain round my neck has gone, rolled away and sunk into the depths of the sea.
Interesting … the idea of soemone coming to see us in a couple of years and perceiving us as relaxed is hilarious, yet it may happen, you never know. I can see the same relief in my kids’ eyes too, and DH is strutting around proudly like he used to do when we had a homebirth, loudly extolling all the virtues of home ed, he even told his boss.

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Clare

Clare — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:06:10 +0000

I agree, which is why I posed the question. It’s not HE that makes the family peaceful, but making decisions that are right for the children/whole family, regardless of what other people are doing. Making decisions that are only right for the adults in the family wouldn’t make a peaceful family - it’s got to be good for everyone.

Comment on Does HE make families more relaxed? by Sandra Dodd

Sandra Dodd — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:36:13 +0000

This question doesn’t translate straight to American terminology. If a family does school at home, it will add more stress to a family, not less. When a child is in school, he can look forward to going home, but if home becomes school, where can he go to get away from it?

But if home become a peaceful place filled with fun, music, toys, games, art and sweetness, how can he help but learn?

If a family wants to live with less stress, they need to make more peaceful choices, and that can be done. I don’t think home education alone ensures peace.

Comment on Protected: Photos by Hazel

Hazel — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:35:07 +0000

Comment on The beginning of the end… by emma

emma — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:57:54 +0000

I’m guessing you got past the bank holiday without having a baby?

Thinking of you!

Comment on The beginning of the end… by Monica

Monica — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:44:02 +0000

I’m excited for you!
Enjoy!

Comment on Age-banding children’s books by tribeofautodidacts

tribeofautodidacts — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:18:12 +0000

When my daughter was in public school, the teachers would sometimes FORBID them to read books that weren’t considered on their reading level. She once saw a teacher take away a book a child had chosen saying “That’s too hard for you.”

Why do book publishers and educators feel such a need for control? Daft idea, indeed.