"One of the tragedies of our system of schooling is that it teaches students that life is a series of hoops that one must get through, by one means or another, and that success lies in others' judgments rather than in real, self-satisfying accomplishments. Many people manage to get off that track, or partly off it, once they leave school and begin to experience more freedom. But too many others never get off it; they are perpetually like students, constantly more interested in impressing others than in real achievement."
"The school curriculum represents a tiny subset of the skills and knowledge that are important to our society. In this day and age, nobody can learn more than a sliver of all there is to know. Why force everyone to learn the same sliver? When children are free to follow their interests, they take diverse and unpredicted paths. They develop passionate interests, work diligently to become experts in the realms that fascinate them, and then find ways to use their skills, knowledge, and passions to make a living. Students forced through the standard curriculum have much less time to pursue their own interests, and many learn altogether too well the lesson that their own interests don't count."
I am almost positive that if I had been unschooled I would have grabbed onto something passionately and would not have done so many drugs. Because there was nothing interesting going on in school (where I spent nearly all of my waking hours), I became passionate about rebelling. I may have loved learning about hiking and backpacking, playing sports regardless of if my grades were good and without coaches, agriculture, journaling, etc. But schools do not care about these things. If I could have used my time working toward something that actually excited me, I would have given up drugs as a hindrance and a waste of time. Now I am passionate about family and home life and that is very fulfilling for me. I hope that my kids have the space and freedom and calm to find their calling. That's the goal.
Something to remember: "If nobody's telling you to do things that you want to rebel against, there's no more point in rebelling."
Speaking of drugs, ...
In the modern school classroom, "those whose personalities don't fit are seen as failures, or as suffering from a 'mental disorder.' Instead of adjusting to the diversity of personalities, schools try to mold personalities to fit the school, often with drugs. Think of it! Twelve percent of boys-one out of every eight-have been labeled as mentally disordered because of inability or unwillingness to attend for long periods to schoolwork that they find boring."
It's not the kids! The kids are fine! Set them free!
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This lovely mother was spotted in Wyoming on our way to Grand Teton. We had about an 8 hour drive I think. They always take much longer. We had originally planned to have DVD players for the kids but it turned into a hassle and we gave them up after our first drive to Raton. However, the kids quickly became used to the long rides and they were not too bad...for the most part.
My friend Laci and I went on a road trip back in our early 20's and we stopped at this same exact gas station and rode this same exact "giant jackalope!" I saw the sign out front and immediately turned in. I think Laci and I were stopping at various places to steal condiments such as coffee creamer and ketchup when we happened upon this beauty.
We bought the kids journals and scrapbooking supplies which they were very good about keeping up with at first. They worked on them a little less as the trip went on though.
Everything you see in the background of these pictures was our campsite. We had a group site with multiple tables, bear bins, and parking areas. There was a little wooden teepee someone had made that the kids enjoyed. The only downside of this site was the mosquitoes. They were pretty weak though and therefore manageable.
We were only able to spend two nights in Teton. We stayed three nights in the other parks, but since Yellowstone is so close this was the one we cut a night from. We spent our full day driving around to catch all of the sights. There were no really long hikes.
We had to take my Dad to get his rental car and decided to hang out at this park in Jackson Hole and people watch for a while.
In the evening, we went to Colter Bay and then to a ranger program nearby. After the ranger program we went back to Colter Bay.
It was only an hour and a half drive or so to our campsite in Yellowstone. The sites were small and close together. The kids did make some friends though.
The first night we checked out Old Faithful, the hotel, and Shina got his fishing license.
These two drink everything by taking a chug, then the other person grabs whatever it is and takes a chug, back and forth, over and over, until it is gone.
The next day we checked out the springs. My Dad drove to Bozeman for his flight home.
Next we decided to head over to the Lamar Valley which was incredible. There is wildlife everywhere, and because it is far from everything else, very few people.
We encountered a wildlife jam.
In the valley, Shina was finally able to fly fish. It was a little frustrating for him because he did not have waders and therefore had to stand on the bank. His fly kept getting hooked on little plants. Because he is a perfectionist and very serious about fishing, this upset him quite a bit.
There were bison everywhere in the valley! You can see them in the background of all of these pictures.
The kids wanted to stay and play forever, but we had to leave. It was past 7pm and we had over an hour drive on a sketchy road back to the campsite.
We left at the perfect time! Another wildlife jam! This time it was a mama black bear and her two cubs. You can see the Ranger's shadow in the picture holding up traffic for them to cross the street. It was awesome!
On our last day in Yellowstone, Jamie and I rested. We hung out at the campsite for most of the day. Later we cleaned the van. Seun wrote in her journal "We are packing. Well we are playing. Kids like playing and adults like cleaning."
There were elk hanging out right near our site the entire day.
In the afternoon we took a short drive to a picnic area near a river. The kids bathed. The water was actually pretty comfortable, not so cold that it is painful. At this point, we had been gone eight or nine days with no shower, so this was needed.
Next up: Thoughts on Unschooling Part 3 ~ Glacier and Olympic
Your blog is my favorite! As a homeschooling unschooling mom to a special needs teen Girl, I re read it for motivation quite often. Your honesty and writing style are the best. I love the fact that you often reflect and come in born again with new ideas based on what works for your kids and yourself. Best wishes for a tremendous unschooling start....although to me the kids journaling at the picnic table at a National park shows how this is going to be a continuation of what you instilled in them for years already. Thank you for sharing your life a bit! Andrea in Arizona
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