How Many of You Are Considered Relaxed,Eclectic or Unschoolers?

[Maria/ME]

Per one of the threads on the High School forum concerning "rigorous" WTMers and perhaps those that follow TWTM as a spine for a more relaxed approach, how many of you consider yourselves "eclectic" or "relaxed" in your homeschooling approach? I found a blog that considered themselves Classical Unschoolers (wish I could remember who you are!) and thought that was an interesting take.

 

I find it interesting that when I am on an unschooling forum I don't quite fit in with their hard definition of unschooling. When I am on a classical board I don't quite fit that definition either. So I choose eclectic to describe myself.

 

That's a hard road to follow. It's always morphing. I wish I could be one way or another sometimes, but I have recently come to terms with not fitting any particular category but enjoying a wide variety of thoughts and approaches. That's not always comfortable, but it works!

 

How many of you are in the same boat? How did you start your homeschool journey? Were you always relaxed/eclectic (insert description of your choice) homeschoolers or did you become more that way due to necessity or desire? What parts of various methods resonate with you most?

 

Looking forward to hearing the answers!

[mrscopterdoc]

I think I would call myself relaxed eclectic. :p

 

I started out as a hard core WTMer. As dd came out of public school and I had no idea what I was doing, it was very hard to maintain. I stumbled across the old boards one day and it was like a lightbulb. It was okay to do different things!:eek: I began to branch out and try new things and by trial and error {and lots of searching on the forums!} we have figured out that for core subjects a more traditional textbook approach works best for us. But in other things we are very much fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I guess you would call us eclectic, more relaxed than some not as relaxed as others. :-)

After 15 years, I've got my own pattern and pretty much use the same stuff with each kid.

We focus a lot on history and historical fiction.

[SnowWhite]

I'm intentionally eclectic. I'm too much of a rebel to follow anybody's prescription. I love the smart folks on this board though, so I refuse to leave.:p

[Osaubi]

I would say I am eclectic in my approach as well. Our school has some of this, a little of that and what ever else I feel like adding. I found that a lot of things my ds liked like ETC and SOTW were also used by TWTM. I like this board for ideas, and reviews.

[Night Elf]

We're unschoolers. We were relaxed homeschoolers for over a year after unschooling for a while, and now we've returned to unschooling. Even during our relaxed year, I never forced the kids into doing school work. I've always preferred them to want to do it as I believe the learning is more meaningful to them. Our parenting style is more like radical unschoolers. We don't do discipline, punishment, limits, etc. We call it mindful parenting and it's just been natural for us to be that way since our children were born. Occasionally I get caught up in the schooly stuff because I have a passion for educational stuff. The kids play along with me because I don't insist that programs be followed to the letter, even though I highly prefer complete homeschool programs like K12 and Sonlight.

 

Just call us 'go with the flow' type people.

[Bess]

We use the Robinson Curriculum (strict like), so I don't know what that makes us. :) I see all the three descriptions in our "style". We love it by the way!

[Karen sn]

OMGoodness! I call myself a classical unschooler. I have NEVER heard it before used by anyone.

If you ever find their blog let me know.

[Tutor]

We follow the chronological history and teach science around that same basic schedule. We focus on teaching the Latin and Greek roots as a foundation for spelling and vocabulary. We read the Great Books. We generally follow a trivium model, but we're not married to it since not all of our kids (or their tutors, mainly me) are wired as trivium people.

[Faith]

Per one of the threads on the High School forum concerning "rigorous" WTMers and perhaps those that follow TWTM as a spine for a more relaxed approach, how many of you consider yourselves "eclectic" or "relaxed" in your homeschooling approach? I found a blog that considered themselves Classical Unschoolers (wish I could remember who you are!) and thought that was an interesting take.

 

I find it interesting that when I am on an unschooling forum I don't quite fit in with their hard definition of unschooling. When I am on a classical board I don't quite fit that definition either. So I choose eclectic to describe myself.

 

That's a hard road to follow. It's always morphing. I wish I could be one way or another sometimes, but I have recently come to terms with not fitting any particular category but enjoying a wide variety of thoughts and approaches. That's not always comfortable, but it works!

 

How many of you are in the same boat? How did you start your homeschool journey? Were you always relaxed/eclectic (insert description of your choice) homeschoolers or did you become more that way due to necessity or desire? What parts of various methods resonate with you most?

 

Looking forward to hearing the answers!

 

After trying everything from unschooling to textbook school at home stuff... we finally found our confortable spot. Eclectic very relaxed homeschoolers. We use some textbooks, some workbooks, library, and just whatever I find I like no matter what it is. Some things the kids learn totally on their own, we rarely finish a schoolbook completely. We stop and go as we please. Very loose schedule. Just move to the next thing when we are ready. Love it this way!

[Janet in WA]

We were eclectic with a leaning toward relaxed.

[Tutor]

OMGoodness! I call myself a classical unschooler. I have NEVER heard it before used by anyone.

If you ever find their blog let me know.

 

It might be Bruggie Tales?

[Amy in Orlando]

I'm pretty rigid here. I'd call us classical. The only thing I don't do is have the kids study Greek - I just can't keep up with another subject. For the most part, though, we keep the notebooks, follow the recommendations. It's served us well, thus far. I can see as the boys are in/heading in to high school, though, that I need to start easing up and letting them set their pace and their own studies (to a degree).

[Kris]

We follow the chronological history and teach science around that same basic schedule. We focus on teaching the Latin and Greek roots as a foundation for spelling and vocabulary. We read the Great Books. We generally follow a trivium model, but we're not married to it since not all of our kids (or their tutors, mainly me) are wired as trivium people.

 

This sounds like what we're doing. Thanks for doing the work for my post. :D

[asher]

I would say we're relaxed and eclectic with a classical lean :p

[Mama Lynx]

... but really, we're very relaxed about things.

 

We study math, we study Latin, we do Classical Writing, we read good literature, we will study Greek ... but our days are very flexible. I don't use *any* program/curriculum/whatever as written. Most of our science and probably half of our history is unschooled/interest-led.

 

So, LCC, relaxed classical ... something like that.

[Jill- OK]

"Relaxed Classical". I've always liked the term "Classical Unschoolers" (someone used it on this forum quite some time ago), but we're probably just 'relaxed', if you're looking at a spectrum.

 

Ways That I'm 'Classical':

 

I believe in 'The Classics'; time-tested methods and materials.

 

I strongly believe in studying Latin, and Greek, if possible.

 

I like having an old-fashioned, and/or pretty rigorous math program.

 

I try to emphasize clear writing, and classic literature.

 

I consider art and music important.

 

Ways I'm 'Relaxed':

 

We don't spend a lot of time each day on formal academics, even in later grades (but I do try to get the most 'bang' for our 'buck', so to speak).

 

I don't believe in lots of sit-down 'school time' when kids are really young. Formal grammar and history start at around 8yo (unless there's a younger sibling being folded in), and I won't worry if my youngest group doesn't do anything but nature study and library book reading about science until middle school.

 

It doesn't worry me when we go for lengths of time without doing any sit-down work, at all.

 

Every once in a while...I toy with the thought of full-blown unschooling. :-) It usually passes, and I remind myself that my kids need my influence, but the principle of encouraging, rather than micromanaging, is attractive to me. I can't say that I hit the mark completely, in that regard, but it is a goal of mine.

[angela in ohio]

We are rigorous, but when my friends describe how they unschool, it sounds just like our family life. :confused:

 

Everyone I know that unschools does so at the far end of it, so the concept of mixing unschooling with anything else is odd to me, though, as they are very protective of their term. :)

[mellifera]

I think of us as eclectic. We use a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a whole lot of the other. We aren't particularly relaxed as I find my dc do better when we have a definite schedule and expectations.

[Closeacademy]

When I first read about homeschooling I was drawn to three different methods--Charlotte Mason, Waldorf and Classical. I wanted an education for my children that was rich in literature, languages and history. That started discussions and expanded the mind. But I also wanted the beauty of art and music and found math and science to be important as well.

 

As we have traveled down the road of actual homeschooling we are a mix of what I would call Classically Waldorf.

 

Each method gives us something different:

 

Charlotte Mason--good books, short lessons.

Montessori--hands-on learning

Waldorf--art, hand-crafts, visual tools for learning and age appropriate ideas for stories

Classical--math, science, grammar, composition and Latin

 

It is a mix that works well for us. One dd is VSL and would probably be considered ADHD by the Public School but is quite gifted in math and science. My other dd is a dreamy child who loves stories and books.

 

:)

[elegantlion]

I am new and love gleaning wisdom from these boards. We started off very traditional and have morphed into a relaxed eclectic mode, with leanings toward TJed.

[CLHCO]

I'm relaxed in the younger years, doing some unschooling type activities, more like delight directed. I'm still there with my 2nd grade son. He has to read and do some math but most of the rest is simple. Even with Story of the World he doesn't notebook yet, just answers questions and we look at a world map. He does copy work/handwriting based on topics of interest.

 

I start to up the expectations through later elementary and more so by middle school. My 8th graders are doing a full day of assigned curriculum and will at this point through high school.

 

I'm careful to find work that will challenge them but be within their needs while learning what they must. They set their own schedule but they must account for what they've done on a checklist I've set up.

[Deeke]

It took me awhile to get out of "TWTM, do everything in the book mode" but we have. I actually started a Yahoo Group called Classically Unschoolers awhile back, we have a few members, but it is quiet now. I actually haven't posted in awhile either. You can find the link on my blog sidebar to join if you like.

 

I have such a different outlook on education now than when we started home schooling years ago. Days I wish I could go back in time and not have made my children work so hard.

 

:)

[Maria/ME]

Well, it's nice to meet you all!

 

We started out really hardcore WTM. The book inspired me, motivated me, the boards told me I could do it. I don't know what I would've done w/out all that. But we burnt out very early as I was trying to do too much. I lightened up a lot and it worked better. Due to circumstances I started to "unschool". Feeling panicky I started reading more books on unschooling and relaxed schooling that really helped me understand the method better. However, too much relaxation was making me waste a lot of time, I couldn't focus, neither could my daughter. So we have found a a middle ground.

 

I agree with the poster who listed what was valuable to her about the classical method. "Ditto"

 

I will try to find the blog of the person who said they were Classical Unschoolers! I have a list of blogs (one bazillion to be exact) and will try to find it.

 

Meanwhile, what led all of you to start homeschooling? On the other thread I was noticing a difference between those who were classical and more eclectically inclined. It seems to me (and maybe this is totally wrong) that those who follow TWTM in a more "by the book" fashion seemed to want more academic rigor from the public schools, couldn't find it, so homeschool classically. That did enter into the equation for me, but I started to homeschool because I didn't agree with school as institution to make carbon copies of kids. I didn't believe that there should be a "standardized model" for each child. I wanted more individual growth and exploration than the public schools could give. And that led me to a more relaxed approach. I also didn't necessarily equate a successful life for my daughter as one that gave her the best job with the best pay. And that was the end "successful result" for a public school. But I DO believe in the classical model as set out in TWTM.

 

What are the reasons YOU started homeschooling? How does this fit in with where you are at now and how you've grown as homeschoolers?

[Maria/ME]

It took me awhile to get out of "TWTM, do everything in the book mode" but we have. I actually started a Yahoo Group called Classically Unschoolers awhile back, we have a few members, but it is quiet now. I actually haven't posted in awhile either. You can find the link on my blog sidebar to join if you like.

 

I have such a different outlook on education now than when we started home schooling years ago. Days I wish I could go back in time and not have made my children work so hard.

 

:)

 

Oh Carol, I believe you're IT!!! I think you are the person I was thinking of...I recalled this group, but could'nt remember that was unschooling classically!! Wow....thanks for chiming in.

[Maria/ME]

with leanings toward TJed.

 

Okay. This will be in the realm of stupid question and I probably should know this, but what is TJed??

 

(I once heard the definition of an eclectical homeschooler is one that asks question to all other homeschoolers like "Why do you do that? Do you like it? What's it do? How could this work for me?" and I guess this thread proves that definition correct in my case!)

[JennifersLost]

are now classical unschoolers.

 

We started off very rigorous TWTM people, but I always loved the idea of unschooling. I just kept finding myself drawn back into the classical stuff. Then, a few months ago I had a revelation: if, as a child, I had been unschooled I would have ended up reading/doing everything in TWTM. Classical studies is MY passion and what I love doing.

 

That doesn't mean it has to be my children's passion, and it doesn't mean I have to stop pursuing the parts I love. Realizing that made it okay for me finally to drop it. Now my oldest son is pursuing his passions, but the kids still read history with me because I love it and that passion makes it interesting to them, and we are studying Latin together because my son wants to do it.

[Deeke]

Do I win a prize lol?

 

Glad you joined, it's a pretty nice group of ladies, even though we don't post enough lol. They have some great blogs!!

 

:)

[elegantlion]

" A Thomas Jefferson Education" a book on that style of educating. Here's the link at amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Jefferson-Education-Generation-Twenty-first/dp/096712462X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204394394&sr=8-1

[Maria/ME]

duh..of course. I have heard to the book, read reviews and so forth, but have never read it...I'll order from the library, thanks!

[JennW in SoCal]

We're relaxed, ecclectic, classical unschoolers.

 

I started homeschooling 8 years ago because my ds seemed to learn more and thrive more outside of school. I read up on styles of homeschooling and realized that what we were doing -- the environment in which he was actually learning and thriving -- would be considered unschooling. So he left school in the middle of 2nd grade and we continued unschooling.

 

I read and dismissed the WTM back then, but gave it a second chance before the middle school years. It is my touchstone, my ideal of middle school and high school, and yet our homeschool looks very little like those of people who see themselves as rigorous classical homeschoolers. And yet my goals are best met by the WTM -- giving my kids the skills they need to be able to think about the material they are exposed to, to be able to analyze it, and articulate their opinions about it. And to have been exposed to the broad spectrum of world history and literature and art. (And to know not to start sentences with "and"!)

 

BTW, I first saw the phrase "classical unschooling" being used years and years ago by Regina in St. Louis, who doesn't post around here much anymore. She was on the secular WTM yahoo group as well as here.

[Frontier Mom]

So, I guess I'm eclectic also. When the dc's are doing OK, I relax and give them directions and they fly with it. Also, when we have 4-H type things due, we are relaxed schoolers pretty much all week as they learn as much as they can about their particular presentation or project.

 

However, at other times we get more exact about what must be done. When the dc's are motivated, I let them run with it. When they want to watch TV and play videos all day, we do school by a direct schedule.

 

Not sure what that makes us, but it seems to work OK. Some things like Latin and math are non-negotiable though.

[Storm Bay]

I call us a mix of classical and eclectic. This is because we're not purely according to WTM and there are a few things that just don't work for us. I wouldn't say we're less rigourous, but in some areas, differently rigourous. And each of my children needs to be challenged in different areas according to their needs, and I'm not just thinking academics here! I didn't plan on being this mix, but one of the main reasons we're homeschooling is so that each of our kids learns what and how they need to.

[prairiegirl]

When we started hsing 4 yrs ago, I was an over-eager classical ed. mom. I burnt my kid out. As a result, we went to the other end of the pendulum. I have been trying to find our groove for the last two years. I think I have found it. We do a mix of Classical, CM and Waldorf. This is working very well with us right now.

 

I want to be more Classical as my children get older. I think rigorous is important when they get to jr. high and sr. high. But for right now, we are enjoying relaxed.

 

 

Julia

mom of 3 (8,7,5)

[AKshanmar]

Hmmm...I think I must be a "classical unschooler". Not entirely by intention, but that is where we are at. This is actually a bit of a shock.

 

I am a very academic person. I have always loved learning and reading and writing. Researching things is my favorite activity in the world. On the other hand, my dh and my 3 older children are not academic. They just aren't. They don't have time for things that have no apparent purpose. They are all auditory kinesthetic learners, when they do learn, so the classical mode doesn't fit them, no matter how much I love it.

 

My youngest, is a bit more like me. She LOVES to write reports. But the patterns established by the other kids, kind of override our day, and she suffers a bit because of it.

 

We are very diligent with our history studies, and sometimes that is all we do. We do pretty well with science. And math gets a lot of attention. But writing suffers and reading (except that I read a lot to them) is abysmal.

 

So, in other words, I have no idea how my kids are related to me, but they are mine, so we do what works for them.

[AKshanmar]

As you can see in my avatar....they can fake learning really well!!!:rolleyes:

[Maria/ME]

Shanmar, that is so funny...about your avatar...about your being shocked at where you are in this homeschool journey. I'd say you're faking it pretty well!

 

I've really enjoyed seeing how many of you 'translate' relaxed/eclectic and unschooling. It's been very helpful! I've also appreciated discovering some new blogs and websites.

 

Any more of you out there?

[6packofun]

I'm intentionally eclectic. I'm too much of a rebel to follow anybody's prescription. I love the smart folks on this board though, so I refuse to leave.:p

 

This describes us (me!) to a "T". Ditto.

[Maria/ME]

 

I think at heart I fall more with the OP of the thread on the high-school board - I left these boards for a while b/c I felt many of the things she articulated & it was very jarring... I felt very out of place.

 

Eliana, I"m so glad you made that comment. I don't know if you caught Nan's anti thread, but it's interesting how so many of us felt a bit on the "outs" with the boards,but really NEED them. That feeling of being out of place. But it's because of that feeling we need you. For the variety and viewpoints offered.

 

 

Unschooling gets a bad rap sometimes, especially in classical circles, but it I've found that in a rich educational environment with high standards being modeled, and lots of discussions, encouragement and support, that unschooling doesn't mean lower standards at all... it was when my son was unschooling in math that he jumped several levels and straight into algebra...

 

I think this is a good point!! This is what I think of when I hear the definition of "classical unschooling".

[IsabelC]

We call ourselves classically inspired unschoolers (I don't get too hung up on definitions, and I recognize that different people define things differently, but it can be useful just as a form of shorthand to give someone a quick idea of what we're doing).

 

We don't do radical unschooling where everything is child directed: we place boundaries around things like when/whether they can have screen time, when they go to bed, and what choices are available in food. But as far as education is concerned, we go as close to unschooling as we feel comfortable with.

 

Anyone who knows a bit about unschooling would be familiar with the concept of 'strewing', which basically means offering interesting things to your children, whether that is taking them on trips or simply putting an interesting object in the house where they will see it. We use TWTM as a guide to what to strew.

 

So for example, my 6yo ds loves being read to, so sometimes I will let him choose books, but other times I will choose SOTW or other selections from TWTM. We are offering a lot of the learning in the classical curriculum, but we generally don't make the children do it if they aren't interested at that time, and we don't do is as a formal lesson. So with my example, where a 'real' classical parent would read chapter 16 of SOTW and then ask the child to narrate what she has learned, create a page in her history folder and perhaps find some extra books or activities to complement that, I just read the chapter and see where it takes us. We might simply chat about what we've read, or he might want to hear lots more about that topic, or we might do a practical activity. He decided to make an Assyrian style siege engine out of Lego and try breaking city walls with it. With his dad's help, he tried this with several different styles of wall, thus also learning something about the technique for building strong walls. They wandered outside to check how the walls of our house are constructed, and a bit of conversation about practical vs artistic architectural features ensued.

 

We started off wanting to avoid requiring him to do anything, however I was not comfortable with his lack of interest in reading. As an earlier reader myself (I'm not sure when or how I began reading, but I know I could read chapter books before starting school), I was getting stressed that he didn't seem that inspired. Of course, I know that some unschooled children don't read until they are, say, 10, and then they spontaneously learn in a couple of weeks. And I understand that, outside of the school structure, it is possible to teach almost everything else without the child reading. However, I still thought he was missing out on a lot, so after talking it over with my husband we decided that we would try short daily reading lessons. This has worked well so far, and we are planning to add another couple of more structured activities, but I'd still say it's more unschooling than anything else.

Edited September 8, 2009 by Hotdrink

[LibraryLover]

We are very relaxed, but quite serious. Especially about our love of law, government, science, mathematics, truth, history, and literature.

 

I find my kids pick up scads of everything without pressure or strict schedules.

[sarahf.]

This is only are second year but I would have to classify us as eclectic very relaxed homeschoolers. I lean towards unschooling except in reading instruction and math...these two subjects are a must do in our house everything else is interest based.

[Lovedtodeath]

Classical Unschoolers

 

Here is the social group!

[KidsHappen]

We are eclectic in every way, shape and form and mostly wierd too.

[tex-mex]

Definitely relaxed and electic... when I taught full time, our schools used a wide variety of methods or spines to educate. Every child is different -- one curriculum or methodology should not be for all learners. My son is Aspergery with ADD/LD issues (and a host of labels) that our HS journey has to be relaxed to make it enjoyable for him. If I were anal and uptight about keeping to a schedule and forcing piles of work on him... he'd crumble into a mess of tears. His self-esteem has grown so much since we began HSing, I am amazed at him!

 

When he was in private school, his sensory integration issues were being accomodated by one teacher... but the following year's teacher made it VERY clear our son would not be welcome in her class. So sad. We were not going to put him in ps... they'd put him in an Resource Classroom/Special Ed despite how intelligent he was. When we asked, the ps would not pay for a shadow (aide) to help him... so, despite having an IEP on file and hiring a lawyer... we chose to homeschool. Loved getting to know him better via HSing. Tried to teach him Greek/Latin rigorously and he fell apart on me. I realized how idiotic that was. Learning should be enjoyable. Stuff like SOTW was fun... but the use of a notebook was too fatiguing for his dysgraphia and expressive writing disorder. We taught SOTW a bit differently... loved the hands on projects! I never could stand textbooks when I taught.

 

Now that he is a 9th grader, I am keeping track of hours taught for the official transcript in a large 3 ring binder... reminds me much of doing cumulative records on students when I taught. Portfolio work. Not as difficult as thought. But honestly, I too am a rebel who simply veers down a different path, ya know?

 

I understand for a new homeschooler to have the need to follow a methodology rote for rote, line by line, and so on. But that just isn't my style. There are so many methods out there it CAN be mind boggling... LOL Maybe the moderator should create a "Relaxed, electic, & Unschooling" folder on the WTM boards?

Edited September 8, 2009 by tex-mex

[IsabelC]

Classical Unschoolers

 

Here is the social group!

 

Ooh, going to check it out :)

[Lovedtodeath]

Ooh, going to check it out :)

It is quiet, but I'll talk to you, if no one else does.:tongue_smilie:

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

As you can see in my avatar....they can fake learning really well!!!:rolleyes:

 

I was just going to tell you how much I loved your avatar even though it looks a bit surreal.

 

:)

[Sara Mac]

I'm feeling lazy tonight so I'm doing a cut & paste from my blog which kind of sums up our learning philosophy.

 

"I would describe our homeschooling style as Naturally Classical Eclectic ;) I know it seems to be a bit of a juxtaposition to be Classically educating and Natural Learning but that’s how we are.

 

I love the classical concept of the trivium, or the three stages of learning. It makes perfect sense not to ask a young child to apply logic and reason to abstract concepts when their knowledge, experience, maturity and intellectual need require concrete knowledge . In the early years they thrive on information and ideas but don’t have the necessary skills to make abstract connections and reasonings. As children mature they reach a point where they can apply logic to their learning and start to make those connections between things, to see how historical events were linked, to extend scientific hypotheses based on results of an experiment, to write creative fictional pieces that are also believable – all these things require logical reasoning. Of course the final stage builds on those previous skills of knowledge and logic and leads to questioning and reasoning.

 

Working within my ideas of a Classical Education it is actually very easy to allow rabbit-trails to follow interests and passions as they arise (hence the Natural Learning angle). We don’t work to a rigid schedule. I have a loose plan of which resources I will utilise for the year but I don’t expect to complete all of them this year and we don’t need to; learning is constant, it’s not defined by age or grade so why try to box everything in so that it is begun and completed between February and December every year?

 

My general educational goals are for my children to enjoy learning, to introduce to them the widest variety of ideas and experiences that we can, to allow them the freedom and the knowledge to form their own opinions and ideologies. It doesn’t matter what educational philosophies or methodologies I use as long as I can see us progressing towards those goals."

 

I love what KidsHappen said

We are eclectic in every way, shape and form and mostly weird too.

 

I think that fits my family to a T :lol:

[phathui5]

We're definitely relaxed as far as I would think classical homeschoolers do. We're eclectic in the sense that we will fit the program to the child, rather than the child to the program; if something has to change, we change it.