Homeschooling Is Life! - Unschooling and Christian

• Feb. 20, 2008 - Unschooling and Christian

Can you be an unschooler and a Christian at the same time? Can you be a radical unschooler and a Christian? This is a question posed over on my friend Dana's blog recently. There is some great discussion. Go take a peek! (I don't consider myself to be a radical unschooler.)

Dana asked me to put my .02 in, but I am still thinking about it. I believe that as an unschooler (in the sense of non-institutional type learning experience) I am still a Christian first, unschooler second. Or third, or whatever.

I believe that the Lord expects us to direct our children in the way they should go (their aptitudes) by what He has put in them (their talents) and through HIM, (the Theology without which any of this would have any validity.) So to raise them without any input, direction or guidance of any form would be no less than neglectful. How can you have a relationship with your children without having a................relation-ship with them?

God designed it, I didn't, I can't and I won't try to re-invent it. I think I will just do my best to enjoy it, learn from it and trust Him for the outcome.

Nancy

Comments

• Feb. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

Thank you for your thoughts, Nancy! When I talk to "you guys" who consider themselves Christian unschoolers, the philosophy sounds very similar to my own. When I talk to "radical unschoolers" it sounds like something wholly different. Some are willing to put the philosophy on a sort of spectrum and others are not. It gets confusing!

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• Feb. 21, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

Oops...that was me.

Dana
http://principleddiscovery.com

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• Feb. 21, 2008 - I went over to read the discussion

Posted by tn3jcarter

Seems like a lot of it is about symantics, perceptions, and assumptions about other people's motives/habits. When I teach/parent, I do it for the Audience of One and I trust that other Christians are doing the same too. Just as I don't need their approval, they don't need mine. Maybe that's just because I'm so relaxed though! ha!

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• Feb. 24, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by SandBetweenMyToes

I agree. I don't teach like a school, therefore I am an unschooler. I do lead my children and engage with them, read to them, and learn with them, and am first and foremost a Christian. My goal, like you said, is to train them in the way they should go~first in their relationship to the Lord, then others, their giftings, then knowledge. Our "way they should go" may not look like the next person's "way they should go" when it comes to gifts, talents, interests, and knowledge. Even an identical subject may not be approached in the same way. I can still be a Christian. I agree with you that to totally leave a child to themselves~radical unschooling~would seem to be neglect. However, that, too, I am saying without a thorough knowledge of what "radicals" do or don't do.
Thanks for the post.
Our homeschool freedoms in Tenn are being threatened by a bill. You can read about it on my blog. Please say a prayer for us as we try to defend our rights to homeschool the way God leads. Our family will be traveling to the sub-committee meeting this week to be a part of the homeschool presence.
Letitia

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• Feb. 24, 2008 - Hi

Posted by tn3jcarter

I tried to email you back, but it said that my email was rejected. It was from my personal email acct at Wildblue and I was just replying to you so I thought it could bob & weave through the spam filter, but alas.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I tried and I'm thinking of you!

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• Feb. 27, 2008 - Christian First and Foremost

Posted by buffalorock

Can't you be anything and Christian (within reason of course, like you can NOT be a Christian satanist...duh)? We have a friend who talks about leaving his christianity outside the ballot box. I do NOT get that! Christ goes EVERYWHERE with me.

Can you stop by and visit some new blogs?
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/buffalorock/488711/
Thanks

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About Me

Hi There!

Welcome to my blog.
How nice of you to drop in. What is this all about you say? Well, take a look and see.

Just like the plants springing forth we are following the Son, soaking up the living water and pulling the weeds. We can't wait to see what will bloom THIS growing season!

Oh, and just for fun, I will tell you a little about me, since that is what this space is for. :)

I am a mother of four lovely kids who are perfectly human in every way. They are sinful, selfish, loving, happy, grumpy, excited, capable, frustratable, (I know, that isn't a word but sometimes I make up my own) and sometimes contrite, and just like their parents. But they are ours and we think they are all keepers!

We have homeschooled them all since birth with the trial and error method. I think they all have "made the grade" and they are now 16, 13, 11 and 9 years old.

We're not experts, except in the area of making mistakes and living to tell about them and hopefully learn from them! We hope you will find some encouragement here as you read about the seasons of our life as a homeschooling family.