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NYCitymom
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Joined: Feb 06 2006
Location: New York
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Posts: 4
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| Posted: March 10 2006 at 9:28pm | IP Logged
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...I can actually see the learning taking place. As an unschooler, it's not uncommon to have periods of doubt when the learning is not so overt. But, truthfully, we have more days like this than not (I think I have become more tuned in!):
Yesterday, J (9) came to me out of the blue and said, "I want to know how tax works". She had been counting her money ($2.24) and decided to spend it on some Chinese food for lunch. I told her that on take-out menus tax is usually included in the price and we went on to discuss sales tax, what never gets taxed, what always gets taxed, and the different percentages rates. This led to how much tip to leave at restaurants and she played with different totals and figured 20% of each. She said, "That's pretty cool! So, today I'm going to get a shrimp eggroll ($1.10) and a small wonton soup ($1.25). That comes out to $2.35, so I'll need another $.11, ok?".
While watching Tom and Jerry, she asked me what "truce" meant. At the Chinese restaurant, she pointed to the tax on the receipt to excitedly show me it was the same percentage as the tax on the Toys R Us receipt from yesterday. She said she felt bad for her friends who are in school because they have to sit there and get told what to learn. Then she put in our new Schoolhouse Rock DVD (which has every SR cartoon ever made on it!!) and asked me questions throughout about a dozen of them (about gravity, prepositions, women's rights, inventions, etc).
I get so excited at how J's love of learning returned over the year since she's been out of school. Dd (12) has no desire whatsoever to be homeschooled. She likes school, does well, is popular, and happy. She knows she has the option and I would never demand she leave school (even though I think about it sometimes!  )Ds (5) goes to public PreK, and this will be his last year of school - he will be a homeschooler (unschooler) as soon as this school year is over! I can't wait!
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~Angelina
http://homeschoolinginnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/
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Rachel May
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Joined: June 24 2005
Location: Kansas
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| Posted: March 11 2006 at 2:52pm | IP Logged
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Angelina,
I have the same reaction! Here's an excerpt from an email I recently sent to my friends who all thought I had a terminal illness since I never write anymore. I told them we were busy with REAL LEARNING.
" An example would be the other day as I was getting dressed, everyone piled on my bed and Anthony started asking about adjectives, nouns, pronouns, and prepositions. We don't teach grammar formally at this point; the boys are still working hard on their reading skills. This conversation was inspired by watching School House Rock for a long time on Fat Tuesday before the TV was turned off for Lent.
Well, we were all so cozy talking on the bed that the boys ran off for their math books (their favorite subject) and sat there and did their work. As we came to the story problems, they started picking out the parts of speech, so we diagrammed the sentences. The grammar conversation continued on and off throughout the day, getting deeper at meal times which my attention is undivided so we can talk about making nouns into adjectives or what ALL the pronouns are or how to spell certain words. It sounds funny to write it all, but it has been such a joy to school this way and I wanted to share it. Grammar isn't the focus of every day, but whatever that day's focus is we try to explore to its fullest extent through as many "subjects" as possible. And since we are always together, it has been easy to say, "Let's run to the library and find some books on that." or "Let's go play a song about that on the piano." and have everyone join in."
I am contantly awed by the way that real learning happends at home, but even better, my husband, who has been lukewarm about homeschooling at best, is really impressed with how learning is happening now. 
__________________
Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Leonie
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Joined: Jan 28 2005
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| Posted: March 13 2006 at 8:20pm | IP Logged
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Angelina,
I just have to say that I love your blog - read it every now and then. 
I, too, am awed at the connections our dc make. Just yesterday, the kids spent time at a local gaming shop. The sales assistant was very passionate about gaming and didn't even try to make a sale. We spent the drive time talking about customer service, small busineses, franchises, royalty percentages, careers....
I just love it!
__________________
Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: It still amazes me when...
