Home learning/Unschooling MUST READS?

[Ayla]

Saved from old forum


Hiya...
So I figure I should do some reading on the subject and hopefully that way I will work out why I am feeling so unsure about whether or not this gig is for us.
So what's on the MUST READ list??? Suggestions? Recommendations? (I know we have a list of resources on here... just wanting some personal recommendations)
Thanks,
Kiri


I like anything by Holt. They are fast reads and it's nice if you can read them in order. The first ones (I think)are How Children Learn and How Children Fail (these two books you can now buy as one combined now) and the one Escape From Childhood is best read after some of the others - it's more about older kids, drugs, peer pressure etc.
I find there are all kind of books that I can relate to as a unschooler that aren't actually homeschooling books.
There are books that are anti school. Good if you are still stuck with a schoolie mind and concerned about your child missing out. Anything by holt, John Taylor Gatto, The Teenage Liberation Handbook etc.
Then there are books on the topic of homeschooling - manuals or anecdotal style books - nice for newbie homeschoolers. I like Pareningn a Free Child - An Unschooled Life by Rue Kream
My favourite unschooling books are books more like The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff, Parenting From The Heart by Jan Hunt, Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille, Parenting from Your Heart - Sharing the Gifts of Compassion, Connection, and Choice by Inbal Kashtan. These aren't schooling books at all but unschooling would be the continuum of natural parenting if you follow what these books say.
John Taoylor Gatto wrote:
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling (1992).
The Exhausted School (1993).
A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling (2000).
The Underground History of American Education (2001). (you can download the complete text online from his site for free)
John Taoylor Gatto and John Hold ar both ex school teachers.

HTH
Sam


Otherways magazines (from Home Education Association) and Grace Llewellyn's 'The Teenage Liberation Handbook' - no matter how old your child/ren are. I can't recommend her book enough.
I sooooo wish I'd read it in the beginning. It would have saved us a number of stresses and struggles - and my children (who did go to school) never would have gone to school under the irrelevent circumstances/reasoning we took on when we did send them!
Thumbs up for John (Holt) and John (Taylor Gatto) too.
The DVD of last years Australian 'Home Education Conference' with over 9 hours of footage inc heaps of John TG and some lovely stuff by Eleanor Sparkes is priceless at $40 (from Home Education Association).
Are they anti-school or just prepared to be honest???


old thread but i could not resist posting my two biggest recommendations:
- for unschooling my absolutely favourite book ever is:
Rue Kreams Parenting A Free Child. This is outlines a radical unschooling approach and outlines it in a easy to read Q&A format. Even if you dont do the radical unschooling thing this book will probably leave a lasting impression. It made a major impact in what i do as a parent to this day.
- for general compassionate parenting my top recommend is:
Pam Leo's Connected Parenting. Ive read a lot of alternative parenting books out there (believe me, i need to!) and the reason i recommend this one is that it summarises and distills a lot of approaches from a varied sources. Some might find it superficial as a result, i think its a powerful way to get a sense of alternative parenting fast. I also love Leo's practical & compassionate approach.
It depends what you are looking for but my top recommendations are:
for people who are slightly open minded and want to be convinced of alternative parenting merits read Alfie Kohn's Unconditional Parenting
for people who are convinced but want tools & techniques about alternative parenting read Pam Leo's Connected Parenting
for people who are interested in unschooling and want to gain confidence in natural learning and trusting a child in an 'academic' sense read John Holt stuff or Jan Hunt's Unschooling Unmanual
for people who are interested in applying unschooling principles holistically and want to be challenged around 'normal parenting expectations' and potentially experience a major paradigm shift around everthing from screen, food, cleaning up etc, then read Rue Kream's Parenting a Free Child.

ive done full reviews of most of these on my site
there are other books id recommend also: Playful Parenting, NVC etc.. but those four are the basic "starters pack" i wish i had when i realised i wanted a different relationship with my kids several years ago
arun

[Aurora]

pomegranate May 14, 2008, 11:39am

Hiya...
So I figure I should do some reading on the subject and hopefully that way I will work out why I am feeling so unsure about whether or not this gig is for us.

So what's on the MUST READ list??? Suggestions? Recommendations? (I know we have a list of resources on here... just wanting some personal recommendations)

Thanks,
Kiri


Sam May 14, 2008, 10:51pm

I like anything by Holt. They are fast reads and it's nice if you can read them in order. The first ones (I think)are How Children Learn and How Children Fail (these two books you can now buy as one combined now) and the one Escape From Childhood is best read after some of the others - it's more about older kids, drugs, peer pressure etc.

I find there are all kind of books that I can relate to as a unschooler that aren't actually homeschooling books.

There are books that are anti school. Good if you are still stuck with a schoolie mind and concerned about your child missing out. Anything by holt, John Taylor Gatto, The Teenage Liberation Handbook etc.

Then there are books on the topic of homeschooling - manuals or anecdotal style books - nice for newbie homeschoolers. I like Pareningn a Free Child - An Unschooled Life by Rue Kream

My favourite unschooling books are books more like The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff, Parenting From The Heart by Jan Hunt, Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille, Parenting from Your Heart - Sharing the Gifts of Compassion, Connection, and Choice by Inbal Kashtan. These aren't schooling books at all but unschooling would be the continuum of natural parenting if you follow what these books say.

HTH
Sam


Sam May 14, 2008, 11:03pm

John Taoylor Gatto wrote:

Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling (1992).
The Exhausted School (1993).
A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling (2000).
The Underground History of American Education (2001). (you can download the complete text online from his site for free)

John Taoylor Gatto and John Hold ar both ex school teachers.

Sam


pomegranate May 15, 2008, 10:15am

Thanks Sam, will definitely look them up.

If anyone has any great homeschooling/unschooling books/articles/mags they can afford to loan out I would LOVE to read them. And I read quick so you'll have them back in no time! PM me please.


Sam May 16, 2008, 12:49am

I can give you 4 back copies of Education Choices to keep and some that I'd want back. I also have a few Otherways Magazines. I can post them to you if you aren't local to me. Sam



ThirdArmBabySlingProject May 17, 2008, 8:19am

Otherways magazines (from Home Education Association) and Grace Llewellyn's 'The Teenage Liberation Handbook' - no matter how old your child/ren are. I can't recommend her book enough.

I sooooo wish I'd read it in the beginning. It would have saved us a number of stresses and struggles - and my children (who did go to school) never would have gone to school under the irrelevent circumstances/reasoning we took on when we did send them!

Thumbs up for John (Holt) and John (Taylor Gatto) too.

The DVD of last years Australian 'Home Education Conference' with over 9 hours of footage inc heaps of John TG and some lovely stuff by Eleanor Sparkes is priceless at $40 (from Home Education Association).

Are they anti-school or just prepared to be honest???



'Just A Mother': Birth & Earth Activist, Lactivist & Mother/Baby Intactivist - & We'Moon Life Learning Alongside 8 Children & DP & You


Sam May 17, 2008, 8:33am

Quoted from ThirdArmBabySlingProject
Otherways magazines (from Home Education Association) and Grace Llewellyn's 'The Teenage Liberation Handbook' - no matter how old your child/ren are. I can't recommend her book enough.




I think this was a very important book for me when I read it and I was in my 30's.


Quoted from ThirdArmBabySlingProject

Are they anti-school or just prepared to be honest???

I know what you mean. I would say that both John Holt and John Taylor Gatto are anti school in that they are not actually believers in homeschool as such but in school reform. Actually, they both started out that way but John Taylor Gatto has now become pro unschooling the past few years and even outright says so at his website now.

Sam


Honesty May 19, 2008, 10:18pm

Teach your own and Free range education have been the most inspiring.

i'll look out for the Grace Llewellyn book.

arunaway July 14, 2008, 10:17pm

old thread but i could not resist posting my two biggest recommendations:

- for unschooling my absolutely favourite book ever is:
Rue Kreams Parenting A Free Child. This is outlines a radical unschooling approach and outlines it in a easy to read Q&A format. Even if you dont do the radical unschooling thing this book will probably leave a lasting impression. It made a major impact in what i do as a parent to this day.

- for general compassionate parenting my top recommend is:
Pam Leo's Connected Parenting. Ive read a lot of alternative parenting books out there (believe me, i need to!) and the reason i recommend this one is that it summarises and distills a lot of approaches from a varied sources. Some might find it superficial as a result, i think its a powerful way to get a sense of alternative parenting fast. I also love Leo's practical & compassionate approach.

It depends what you are looking for but my top recommendations are:

for people who are slightly open minded and want to be convinced of alternative parenting merits read Alfie Kohn's Unconditional Parenting

for people who are convinced but want tools & techniques about alternative parenting read Pam Leo's Connected Parenting

for people who are interested in unschooling and want to gain confidence in natural learning and trusting a child in an 'academic' sense read John Holt stuff or Jan Hunt's Unschooling Unmanual

for people who are interested in applying unschooling principles holistically and want to be challenged around 'normal parenting expectations' and potentially experience a major paradigm shift around everthing from screen, food, cleaning up etc, then read Rue Kream's Parenting a Free Child.


ive done full reviews of most of these on my site

there are other books id recommend also: Playful Parenting, NVC etc.. but those four are the basic "starters pack" i wish i had when i realised i wanted a different relationship with my kids several years ago

arun



ThirdArmBabySlingProject July 15, 2008, 6:58am

QUOTE:"for people who are interested in applying unschooling principles holistically and want to be challenged around 'normal parenting expectations' and potentially experience a major paradigm shift around everthing from screen, food, cleaning up etc, then read Rue Kream's Parenting a Free Child."

Arun, between Unconditional Parenting and the Unschooling Unmanual, along with Naomi Aldort's Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves (which I think you're familiar with...? and can certainly also be described as "being challenged around 'normal parenting expectations' and potentially experience a major paradigm shift around everything from screen, food, cleaning up etc'), do you think Rue Kream's book still covers more....?

Does that make sense? I mean, if the other three are familiar, is Rue's still worth a read?

arunaway July 15, 2008, 9:14am

Quoted from ThirdArmBabySlingProject
QUOTE:"Arun, between Unconditional Parenting and the Unschooling Unmanual, along with Naomi Aldort's Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves (which I think you're familiar with...? and can certainly also be described as "being challenged around 'normal parenting expectations' and potentially experience a major paradigm shift around everything from screen, food, cleaning up etc'), do you think Rue Kream's book still covers more....?


rue kream's book is something altogether different than what Kohn or Aldort try to do.

It sounds like youve read them TABSP, but for those who have not Kohn & Aldort are talking about alternative parenting approaches. IMO Kohn tends to be more on the edge of "mainstream" and less practical, but these are also his strengths because he writes convincingly and presents "a case" for another approach to the normal behavioural approach (ie. not just focussed on punishment/ rewards to get immediate behavioural changes in kids). So a good book to give to a reluctant partner for example (actually i think you can get a dvd also which is probably better still).

He apparently is not a supporter of unschooling sinch his focus is more the "big picture" of trying to shift mainstream parents (eg. public schooling), but that does not come out in his writing too much.

Aldort is an unschooler although her writing is pitched broader – it is probably more challenging and practical for many than Kohn. Along similar lines as Pam Leo but where Aldort focuses on her own particular approaches, Leo covers a lot of peoples stuff including Aldort. So go Leo for "an overview" and Aldort for one particular approach in detail.

On the other hand Rue Kream does not attempt to provide parenting advice as such, nor techniques... though they sort of come out implicitly. The Q&A format pretty much give us an insight into what she is doing, what happens in her family.

She is a radical unschooler so some of the stuff can also be challenging. I think it is closer to the content of Teenage Liberation Handbook, or the Unprocessed Child... its just much more well written, compassionate and engaging than those books IMO. I think even if you were not into radical unschooling, reading this book would assist "letting go" of some control issues and embracing trust more.

so yes – if that sort of stuff appeals, its definitely worth a read i reckon, even if youve read Kohn, Aldort and others.

sorry for long winded answer!

arun


majikfaerie July 15, 2008, 9:35am

I still haven't read the rue kream book, tough i really want to. a friend of mine said he had a copy for me, but it never manifested...


arunaway July 15, 2008, 10:22am

Quoted from majikfaerie
I still haven't read the rue kream book, tough i really want to. a friend of mine said he had a copy for me, but it never manifested...

whoops! sorry id forgotten that MF! ill see what i can do... just got work out who's got my copy so i can get it back and lend it to you.

all the best
arun


greendraggon July 15, 2008, 10:30am

TABSP, I have it (if I haven't lent to someone, I"ll check in a minute). I could lend it to you
I seem to have got it all backwards because I've read Rue Kream's book but not the other two. TBH, while I liked it, I felt that after a couple of chapters it was much of a muchness. It doesn't take much to get it IYKWIM. But maybe I'll find myself coming back to it as DD gets older.


ThirdArmBabySlingProject July 15, 2008, 10:33am Oooooh, that would be sooo cool. I can swap you with the others if you wish....?



arunaway July 15, 2008, 10:39am

Quoted from greendraggon
while I liked it, I felt that after a couple of chapters it was much of a muchness. It doesn't take much to get it IYKWIM. .


thats a good point. I think for some you might 'get it' pretty easily. For me my previous parenting approach was so much about control that it took something like that to really assist me in letting go.

you definitely can read similar stuff on the web, maybe sandra's site although that is quite a different tone, but also the joyous learning site by joyce fetterol. Still differences within each and i think of all the radical unschoolers ive read my favourites in terms of tone & approach are Rue Kream plus people like Danielle Conger & Meredith who write alot on the Always Unschooled list.

arun
greendraggon July 15, 2008, 11:04am

Oooooh, that would be sooo cool. I can swap you with the others if you wish....?

That would be wonderful



Sarah July 16, 2008, 5:50am

Arun, do you know where I can buy a copy of Rue Kreams book locally? The only place I found was the American Amazon & it was over $60, which is a bit out of our price range atm. It sound like just what I need.
Thanks
Sarah


jacandwill July 16, 2008, 11:34am

I don't know about locally but if you go to her site i think its freechild.info but i'm sure if you google the name of the book or her name you would find it.
anyway she sells it through there for US$ 14 plus postage which wouldn't be too much I don't think.
much cheaper than amazon for that book

arunaway July 16, 2008, 11:36am

hi sarah,

some dodgy person was selling over priced copies of the book on Amazon. When Rue was made aware of it i thought she listed on it also but i think she does not put much attention towards publicity/ distribution.

however you can only get it from her site now ... its at:

http://www.freechild.info/

a friend said that she was not replying to emails a while back but its worth being persistent.

all the best
arun

[pomegranate_tree]

Thanks for fishing this thread out K ;)

[Chameleon]

fak

http://joyouslearning.info/forums/showthread.php?t=76

[The_Source]

Wow! I am amazed that no one mentioned Alfie Kohn's other 'feature book' in there!

Alfie Kohn, 1999, Punished by Rewards: The trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes.

It reflected some of the reasons why I don't want my children entering a school door so some might find it interesting. :shrug

[luckymummy]

Children are people too Dr Louise Porter.
Is this a good book? I just saw it in my library so might start reading it.

Also does anyone have a copy of The unschooling unmanual I could borrow?

[Beatrice]

:bump Any thoughts or further recommendations?

[zenifa]

I like David H Albert's "Homeschooling and the Voyage of Self-Discovery: A Journey of Original Seeking"

[shaestar]

Wendy Priestnitz -Challenging Assumptions in Education

[Kris]

Actually, I've got a few books on my shelves and others that I borrow but to be completely honest the biggest MUST read(s) I have are other people's blogs. They're written at the coal face, they're not presented as a how to, neither do they provide advice. They are just honest, factual accounts of what is and isn't working with their families and not only do I find workable solutions to my own family's learning bumps but I also find immense comfort in knowing there are other people out there doing the same things.

[cgull]

I've mentioned it before in other threads... Alan Thomas' Educating Children at Home (especially good if you're concedrned/panicking about unschooling maths)