Unschooling Parent Job Description

Thanks to Anne Ohman, Pam L, and Alicia B. on the Shine with Unschooling Yahoo Group! They posted their reponses to the questions "What is the definition of an Unschooling parent?" and here is what they had to say (in some cases I have rephrased the response to make it "fit" neatly into my format, but none of these statements were written by me). :

Unschooling Parent Job Description

From that place of knowing what is real and what is True as defined by my children's hearts, I place my feet in the direction of the next right thing to do and I move forward.

Alway remember that this is actually my job description as an unschooling parent: To trust in my children.

It is my job to help my children get what they need and desire in order to live a joyful life.

It is my job to nurture and encourage that which they love to do.

It is my job to be a student of my children and learn about them and learn from them.

It is my job to learn about real learning, watching how the connections are made in my children's lives from focusing on the Joy and allowing their lives and spirits to unfold as they grow and learn.

It is my job to be the person who gives my children the freedom to really learn by playing around with the world.

It is my job to love and support my children as they explore the world on their own terms.

I am not the controller of my children's lives. I am the one who actively brings joy into their lives.

It is my job to first ask: "How can I connect with my children today, expand their worlds, bring joy into their lives, nurture and encourage what they love to do?"

*Enthusiasm* is the best part of my job description! *I* set the tome for my family's energy, and it is not only my job description as an unschooling parent, but my path on my own spiritual growth journey, too, to take each step forward with enthusiasm for live and for the world and for all that I am and for all that I have and for all that we are, collectively . . .


Children are NOT empty vessels that need to be molded and filled. They are the seeds that are packed to the hilt with potential energy. We need only to love and nurture them for them to grow into their life and into the lives around them.

Randomness . . .

Winter is on our doorstep. . . and now so is the wood for the fireplace!! LOL


Home Sweet Home


Our first fire of the year


Elijah waves a flag



I love my life!--and my car!



This is the cake I made for Garrett's soccer team's last game (Mike and I coach)

They were undefeated. If you ask Garrett or Jonah they say that the team was "undefeatable". Some say it's poor grammar. I say it is a positive attitude!

So every fall we bring our fish in from the pond. This year we had a surprise when we brought them in . . . .
BABY FISH!!!!!

The Moon from My Window . . .




Shhhhhhh.






Breathe.







In deepl
y,


s
lowly,


through your nose,



through your diaphragm,


pressing your belly button to your spine.









Out slowly through your nose.


Relaxing your abdomen,


so the
air fills your lungs naturally


as you breathe out . . .





Rinse and Repeat.

Yom Kippur Hiking (or How to Trade Atonement for Beauty and Love)


We had planned on going to the Teen Service for Yom Kippur up until about an hour and a half before it started. Then we decided to ask the boys if they wanted to go to the Teen Services.






Ryan said yes at the same time Jonah and Garrett said no. Sheepishly, and feeling rather empowered that "no" was a valid answer, Ryan quickly said, "Well, no. Not really."







So we decided to get out into nature!







We went to Beaver Lake Nature Center and took a beautiful hike along their "Bog Trail" (mostly on a boardwalk through a marchy Fen).







We talked about starting anew. We talked about changes we would like to make in our lives and how to make those changes. We talked about accepting and then releasing any negatives from the past year.








We decided that the biggest "negatives" were the times when others wouldn't let us Be Who We Are. We talked about times when we let others decide who we "should" be, rather than listening to our own inner Voice.













We talked about ways we can let others Be Who They Are.


And we talked about being each other's cheerleaders as they explore their Uniqueness.



We assured the boys (and Meredith, too) that our number one job as parents was to be their personal cheerleader, in whatever they choose for themSelves.








And we explored the beauty of our day and our surroundings.














And explored.











And discovered.













And (dare I say it?) --Learned!!!



And came home with a greater sense of Self!


Elijah Feeds a Baby!











This is so funny! Our little Elijah came to me as I was feeding Meredith and said "I want to feed Meredith too!"


And, yes, that is hear the 2nd Presidential debate on CNN in the background (Go Obama!).

What a sweet, funny, little helper we have.


A Zoo Life or How to spend Day 2 of Rosh Hashannah!

The Zoo, the Zoo, the Zoo! Oh how we Love thee! Let us count the ways:


Check out the reflection of Garrett in the window, next to the snake!




Ryan and Ms. Lion sticking their tongues out at one another (I swear the lion started it!)



The boys are looking at the monkeys--but I thought these were a better shot!



Meredith enjoyed the zoo---not so much the flash!



Rock climbin' at the zoo!



This little crevice in the rock that the otter is sitting in usually has a waterfall coming through it. Every time we come to the zoo this otter (or the other one--I have difficulty telling them apart!) climbs up here to block it. The boys find it hysterical that the otter (in their mind) washes his butt this way-LOL. Otter enema? Maybe he needs more roughage!





I love this sign! I think--in many ways--it captures the essence of otter unschooling!
I want to put a similar sign outside of our house (or our local elementary school):
"If you can't spot our children, you may have to look outside the box!"




After the zoo (and the gift shop) we went to Target. The boys (most of them) bought big bouncy balls. I think that big bouncy balls are the best toy ever! Apparently the boys agree--except for Jonah--he bought beef jerky instead!!!