I am re-reading a book I first read so long ago, it was actually another life... John Holt's books regarding Unschooling are at the same time inspiring yet scary. Inspiring because of the possibilities, scary when it comes to actually applying these ideas... which after all are just someone else's opinion of how education should be.
After all these years of teaching my own kids (coming up on our 19th anniversary) I am still soooo leary of letting kids direct their own learning. I don't want them to be stuck in the mold of what society or the government thinks is best for them. I DO want them to love learning and learn what they love.... HOWEVER, I have seen enough to know that they might not pick to learn much math without some serious "suggesting" that they do so (i.e. "You are not going out to check your traps until and unless this algebra is done.") And as much as I do not want to buckle to cultural pressure to make the almighty buck, it is good to have the skills that enable gainful employment, which in turn puts food on the table...always a nice thing. It is a constant juggling act, trade off, keep me up at night wondering what the best thing to do is, kind of deal....
On the other hand, if everyone here was busy directing their own learning (oh my... the images that conjures up) I would be able to spend my time reading (for instance Redwall...recommended to me by Kat) or doing basically whatever I want... Oh wait, I think I am supposed to be learning WITH the kids... nuts.
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