Unschooling NYC

Today we went to downtown San Jose, and immediately my outlook improved.  It is gritty, a little shabby, and thoroughly entertaining.   No thieves in sight, but lots of regular people going about their days.   We bought postcards, I took photos (not enough, as I didn’t get to go to the Mercado, but maybe I’ll talk everyone in to a second trip on Thursday), and we ate lunch at Pizza Hut.   Ok, so it wasn’t a completely local experience, but still.    If ever I am in San Jose for more than a day again, I will insist on staying at one … Read more

Yay!  Volcano Day!  I am soooo excited.   I, however, am the only one.   We wake up and launch into a debate about Maya’s footwear.  Kinyu and Inga (Joshua’s friends) told us to wear long pants, bring a jacket, and wear tennis shoes because it is colder on the mountain near the volcano and the terrain is rocky.   Long pants?  Check.  Jacket?  Check.  Tennis shoes?  Well, no.  Maya brought Crocs and slouchy boots made of fabric, I’ll wear my Danskos and only Ben has tennis shoes.   Should she go in Crocs or boots?  Crocs have holes in them and she’d sooner … Read more

Over the past few years, I’ve traveled a lot with the kids.  Due to the nature of our business, Joshua has not accompanied us on our big trips, flying in separately when he does join us.   So the three of us have gotten really good at, and used to, traveling on our own.

Enter yesterday, when suddenly we had three extra people with us, who clearly did NOT know our rules of travel.  They chatted after  checking in and strolled instead of walking at a semi-fast pace to security.   Heellooo, do you not get that we are waiting on you … Read more

Just a quick note tonight.  It’s the dreaded day before traveling, which means I am cranky and generally out of sorts.   This is when I dream of a personal assistant who will run out to buy the paper plates I forgot to get (which we use to put Cosmo’s food on), and the sunscreen, and pick up the gifts from Make, and book our car service, and confirm the flights and oh yeah, see if you can get me in to the chiropractor in the morning, will you?    Alas, there is only me, and the day before we fly I … Read more

I’ve maintained for a while now that unschooling is something that comes naturally to kids, but parents have to learn it.  Or re-learn it after years of school brain programming.    Here are some things unschooling has taught me, in no particular order:

1) Sometimes the best thing a parent can do for a child is to be quiet and leave them alone.

2)   The best lessons are never found in a classroom.

3)  Children learn from everything, including bad sit-coms, Spongebob, Cityville, and the Wii.

4)  “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd and “The Logical Song” by Supertramp … Read more

Maya has been shooting videos since she was about…5 years old, I think.   Most of them were done with my little Canon Powershot camera, which makes decent video unless you want to watch it on a larger format.     Then, last week, we got a Flip video camera and oh my!   This thing shoots up to two hours of high def video, is amazingly easy to handle being only about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and has a built in usb that ‘flips’ out, hooks into the computer and offloads automatically into iPhoto.

Of course, shooting the video is … Read more

I had a kind of epiphany yesterday evening.   Maya was up at her friend Greta’s, after having an overnight here at our place.   Two nights before that was her overnight at Marcella’s.  (cat poop day)   When we picked her up from Greta’s on our way to dinner, she looked kind of out of sorts.   We got in to the elevator and I said something inane like, “Are you annoyed about anything?”  Seriously, don’t you hate it when people ask you that?   I always feel like responding, “Not until just now.”

The words left my mouth at the split second my … Read more

This is an excerpt from the speech Mr. Gatto made upon being named NYC Teacher of the Year in 1991.   If you’d like to read it in its’ entirety, you can either go to http://www.preservenet.com/theory/Gatto.html    and click on the link, or directly to the speech at http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html     Mr. Gatto and I do not agree on everything – only about 98% of things regarding learning – but this speech always amazes me.  I wish I had been in the audience when he gave it originally.   The audience was full of teachers, administrators and local politicians.  They got more than they bargained … Read more

You know those times when something happens and it’s fairly horrifying, but makes for a great story later?    This would definitely fall into that category…

It happened during Maya’s overnight at her friend Marcella’s house.  I got the story (via a very apologetic voice mail) from Marcella’s Mom, but Maya’s first hand version is better, so I’ll do my best to tell it as she did.

Marcella’s family has two cats, both about 12 years old, both quiet as ghosts.   One of them, named Sophie, was apparently sleeping in Marcella’s room without the girls’ knowledge, and when Marcella came back … Read more

Maya’s at an overnight tonight with her friend Marcella.  I have no doubt they are on the Wii right now, fighting their way through bad guys as Indiana Jones, or dancing to Just Dance II.   This will be followed by an attempt to stay up all night, which in the past has lasted as late as 2:30am.   Maya prepared herself this time with things to keep them occupied, so we’ll see.

With an evening of me all to himself, Ben had a list of things we ‘needed’ to do.  First we went to the small stationary and toy store on … Read more