4 July 2019

Another Way of Looking at Our Kids’ Learning

While I was eating my lunch today, I thought about all the things my daughter Gemma-Rose did this morning. I mentally translated all her learning experiences into schooly language. I knew I could write lots of impressive notes that would convince an education authority that Gemma-Rose is learning everything that they think is essential for a good education.

And then I thought about how Gemma-Rose’s learning experiences aren’t just about history and English and creative arts. She is learning far more important things than the traditional school subjects while she’s running and watching videos and having conversations with me. There’s another way to look at her learning.

♥ ♥ ♥

This morning, just before sunrise, my daughter Gemma-Rose and I headed out into the cold for a run. Gemma-Rose ran 10 K. I didn’t.

Then feeling warm and tired, we walked home, chatting about our runs and the weather and what we wanted to do today.

We showered and had breakfast. We also did some chores. We washed dishes, swept floors, and threw a load of washing into the machine. By this time, it was 9.30 am.

“What shall we do next?” I asked.

“We could make some coffee while we wait for the washing machine to finish its cycle,” suggested Gemma-Rose. “And then when we’ve got the washing on the line, we could watch an episode of The Portrait Artist of the Year competition.”

So that’s what we did. Soon we were sitting on the sofa with the dogs, observing the different techniques of the various artists. We listened to people talking about colour theory and composition and how portraits can convey emotion and tell stories.

As the episode came to an end, we swapped opinions: “What did you think of the winning portrait? What did you like about it?”

And then Gemma-Rose said, “I’m going to practise the piano next.”

She grabbed her music and I grabbed my camera. Gemma-Rose’s fingers began moving up and down the keyboard. Mine turned dials and pressed the shutter as I captured some photos of my daughter at the piano.

Then Gemma-Rose asked, “Do you like this piece of music?” and I said, “Yes, I don’t think I’ve heard it before. What is it called?” Gemma-Rose told me the name of it. I tried to guess the composer and failed. Gemma-Rose showed me the music and pointed out the grace notes, saying, “I’m not sure how to play those notes.” She asked Charlotte to help her. Two sisters sat side by side as one shared her skills and knowledge with the other.

Gemma-Rose came to the end of her practice. As she closed the piano lid, I said, “I’ve found the first episode of The Victorian Slum House series on Dailymotion. Do you want to watch it?”

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For the next hour, we went back in time and learnt about the lives of the people who lived in the east end of London in the 1860s. As we watched, we swapped comments:

“How did the women manage to make 1000 matchboxes each by hand every day? I couldn’t do that.”

“Can you believe that some people used to sleep upright leaning over a rope? Imagine not being able to afford a proper bed.”

“They mended shoes with cardboard? That wouldn’t have lasted for very long.”

“Can you imagine working 16 hours each day and still not being able to eat properly or pay the rent?”

This morning, Gemma-Rose ran, helped me with the chores, watched videos, practised the piano, and chatted to me. And while she was doing all that, she learnt about history, creative arts, music, maths and personal development, health and exercise.

Using educational language, I could translate everything Gemma-Rose did into notes for our homeschool records book.  These notes might satisfy an educational authority. My daughter has learnt things that are in the school syllabus. I could tick off a few boxes.

But what if I forget about facts and figures and school subjects and think about other things instead? What if I translated all that learning in a different way?

Perhaps Gemma-Rose learnt about the following things:

Running

setting challenges, overcoming obstacles, working hard, encouragement, satisfaction, mental and physical strength

Chores

working hard, self-sacrifice, love

Portrait Artist of the Year

using talents, following dreams, the joy of creating, praise and humility, how other people’s work and ideas can inspire us

Piano practice

Hard work, perseverance, joy, cooperation, listening to each other, helping one another, encouraging each other

The Victorian Slum House

gratitude, strength, family, love, resourcefulness, compassion

When we’re wondering whether our kids are learning all they need to know, could we sometimes focus on the wrong things? Do we place too much importance in the traditional indicators of education?  Facts may fade. We might not be able to recall dates. We won’t remember all of the details of a story.

But we won’t forget such things as love, compassion, joy and self-sacrifice. These will change us into the people we are meant to be.

What did your kids learn today? They might have done some English or history or creative arts. But what else did they learn about? Love? Compassion? Forgiveness? Did they learn about the important things in life?

♥ ♥ ♥

Did you know there’s a section about unschooling and homeschool registration in my book Curious Unschoolers?

Sue Elvis

I'm an Australian blogger, podcaster, and Youtuber. I write and speak about unschooling, parenting and family life. I'm also the author of the unschooling books 'Curious Unschoolers', 'Radical Unschool Love' and ‘The Unschool Challenge’. You'll find them on Amazon!

5 Comments

  1. Love your posts. I have found it amazing how my mind can now “see” the learning in the children/world. I used to see learning as black and white, right and wrong but now see it in full colour and with all its possibilities. Reading to my son as he puts together a model PT109 purchased with his money. My daughter always reading, loving nature and so much more!

    • Jane,

      Seeing learning in full colour with all its possibilities… Oh, I love your description! I appreciate your kind feedback about my posts. Thank you for reading them!

      • Your posts are so inspiring and give me hope that I am not just ruining my kids’ lives by unschooling. It has taken me a while to understand the process and comprehend the learning. Equally that doesn’t take into account all the invisible learning that occurs without anyone knowing!! Lol

        • Jane,

          Doing something different from most other people may cause us to wonder if we’re ruining our kids’ lives, but I think we have nothing to worry about. Our children love learning and we have close relationships with them. That’s a wonderful foundation for their futures!

          Did you see Imogen and Sophie’s Summit interview? They said so many wonderful things that indicate that they are grateful for their unschooling lives. We live an amazing life and my kids wouldn’t choose anything else. The interview made me smile!

          • I love the relationships my two children and I have. It is so amazing to have joint memories of fun times and equally times when we have been challenged. I certainly wouldn’t have it any other way and sad it took me so long to realise that there was a different way!
            I managed to find a clip and it sounded wonderful!
            I love that at 9 and 13 years old, my two have ideas of where they would like their futures to be … eldest would love to work at as a National Park Ranger and the youngest a truck driver or baking!

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