planning, planning, planning…

Posted by lapazfarm on August 8th, 2008 filed in Random Ramblings

everyone’s doing it!

Except me, of course.

Since we are moseying along in our us-schooling kind of way I have been feeling kind of out-of-the loop in homeschooling circles lately as nearly everyone’s thoughts turn to planning, curricula, schedules and such. That shouldn’t come as such a surprise to me as I find myself the odd one out more often than not.

But sometimes, of course, the doubt creeps in. I am only human, after all. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing by my kiddos by taking a more relaxed, life-learning approach to their education.

Shouldn’t I be poring over the homeschooling catalogs, making spreadsheets, weighing the pros and cons of each and every piece of educational material that I present to my children in hopes of finding that perfect fit? That magic bullet? That one piece of perfectly planned and printed nirvana that will work it’s magical wonders on our educational endeavors, making my children not only love learning but leave them BEGGING FOR MORE????

I know, I know, dream on, right?

Well…just in case you think it might be some kind of homeschool pipe dream, I present to you what I found on the kitchen table upon awakening yesterday morning:

What is this scribbled scroll? This messy missive?

This is none other than Superboy’s plans for his school year.

!!!!!!!!!!!??????!!!!!!

This is what he was up doing late at night when I thought he was reading comics or his survival books. When I was snoozing away, dreaming of how I had possibly failed my children by not assigning read chapter 3, pages 27-34 and complete comprehension questions and definitions at the end…Superboy was making his own plans. Taking charge of his own education. Making lists of the things he wants to learn, the books he wants to read, and the activities he wants to try! Good things! Fascinating things! Well-thought-out and balanced things ranging from art and religion to history and science, with a healthy dose of nature study thrown in to boot!

Now… someone pick my jaw up off the floor and tell me… What was it I was afraid of?

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18 Responses to “planning, planning, planning…”

  1. maya Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

    it’s all so interesting (and - yay! good for him!), but i just don’t understand how unschoolers learn the science and math they need to learn.

    how do i find this part out??

  2. jove Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    Well, you are clearly doing something right. Homeschooled or not, I dare you to find me more than a few 13 year old boys who would do that. Just keep feeding him whatever it is you are feeding him. It is clearly doing an awful lot of good. :-)

  3. tribeofautodidacts Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    That is awesome. And I am terribly jealous (kid motivation envy) :-D

    I think all home schoolers and unschoolers have anxiety and doubt at times, especially after making the switch from a more mom-directed way of learning to unschooling. It’s perfectly natural, though unfounded. Still, I am glad you got a hefty dose of reassurance — that’s always nice.

    Are you going to post his plans? :-)

    http://tribeof3feistykids.blogspot.com/

  4. The Mommy Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    I’m so jealous of your methods! My mother-in-law is a public school teacher, and she want’s to “split” the homeschooling with me. I want to have a more relaxed approach to learning, but my family ties prohibit that.

  5. Diane Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    That boy is SUPER and absolutely amazing! And I think I know where he gets it. I’m so inspired by both of you.

    Maybe Jove is on to something…does moose increase brain power and self-initiative? Please send some soon so we can test it!

    Much love!

  6. Rhonda Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 8:37 am

    This, my dear, is how you know that you are a wonderful mom/teacher! *Picks Theresa’s jaw off the floor and pats her on the back*

  7. Meredith Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 10:07 am

    Well, you don’t call him Superboy for nothin’ :) How cool is that!!!

  8. mrs darling Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    I think that unschooling really can work with some kids. It wouldnt work at all with mine. They are not self motivated. But i am convinced taht when I was a child I would have excelled at unschooling. There is one huge parent factor in unschooling and that is that you have to have your shelves well stocked with material they can get their hands on to learn with; books, crafts, etc. I see super boy has algebra, world religion and hungry planet listed. None of those can be found on my shelves. I would be a miserable unschooling mom.

  9. Chelita Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 10:20 pm

    Unschooling or not…I believe that older children should be in charge of what they learn. Congrat’s to you for getting him to this wonderful growth in his schooling. :)

  10. childsplay Says:
    August 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

    You’ve taken such a huge leap of faith to do the unschooling route, and I’m so happy to see that Superboy is working things out for you. :)

    It’s like the movie…’if you build it, they will come”, only it’s “if you let them, they will learn”.

    Cheers!

  11. Angela, MotherCrone Says:
    August 11th, 2008 at 4:56 am

    Holy Cow! This is so amazing, and such an affirmation that you are indeed doing the right things for Superboy. Don’t feel guilty for one more second, okay? (I am sure there is enough guilt about unpacked boxes, etc in other areas after such a move…who needs to add to that?)

    I am going to have to have Reagan read this post when she wakes up…as she is one to follow a good example. We are planning on doing some of this as a team this week…maybe I’ll get off the hook??:)

  12. Karen Edmisten Says:
    August 11th, 2008 at 7:49 am

    He’s indeed a Super boy. :-) I haven’t done any planning either, Theresa. I’m not sure how much I’m going to do this year. I really enjoy planning things, but this year I feel drawn to plan for unplanned things. :-)

  13. Mary Ellen Barrett Says:
    August 11th, 2008 at 11:06 am

    Superboy definitely, Supermom absolutely. You must have instilled a great love of learning and curiosity for him to want to plan his own year like that.

    God bless you. You are the uber homeschool mama!

  14. liese4 Says:
    August 12th, 2008 at 10:58 am

    Isn’t homeschooling fun! We use a mix of actual curriculum, unit studies, lap-books and adventures for our school.

    We just got back from Fl where we saw Winter the famous dolphin, citrus tower, homemade citrus candies, a nature sanctuary, art centers, oceans, springs and more. If we weren’t HS’ing, we couldn’t have done it (and we learned a lot from hands on activities.)

    http://highlandshomeschool.homeschooljournal.net/

  15. familyonbikes Says:
    August 13th, 2008 at 12:43 am

    Yep - kids are naturally curious! Good for you for allowing their curiousity to drive their education!

    I will freely admit to having all those same thoughts. Are we doing the right thing by having our kids ride their bikes around the world rather than being in a classroom? Is it a good thing that our kids learn more from Mother Nature than a teacher? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

    But then they pull some brilliant statement out of their hat (or bicycle helmet, as the case may be) and I know. I KNOW we’re doing the right thing. You’ve just had your moment - you know.

    www.familyonbikes.org

  16. Nerrida Says:
    August 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm

    How great. I am not an unschooler YET, but it certainly encourages me. You will probably get a lot of encouragement from this article written bya teacher who won Teacher of the Year Award - this is his speech and it will knock your socks off. Its called “why schools don’t educate’ and its a real case for unschooling.
    http://naturalchild.org/guest/john_gatto.html

  17. lapazfarm Says:
    August 21st, 2008 at 7:13 pm

    Thanks, Nerrida.
    John Gatto has been one of my favorites for some time now. He is so inspirational.

  18. Amy Says:
    September 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 am

    I really enjoyed picturing your jaw hitting the floor - all your worries for naught, so to speak. How excellent that you recognized the moment for what it was, an answer to prayer, to hoped for yearnings. Don’t we all have them for our children, and wonder how it will work out for them, or if it will ever work out for them…some are quite a bit older than your Superboy.

    I was really really inspired to leave a comment though, because of your About Us page which has the lengthy quote - or an entire letter - from Fr. Rutler, about his views on education, and on his own very interesting education. That letter, and your remarks about us-schooling are inspiring, and have helped me in my journey.

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