Shay Seaborne
Shay Seaborne is an edgewalker, known to leap empty-handed into the void. Fun and magic are crucial elements in the design of her life. Shay filed her first Notice of Intent to homeschool in Virginia in 1995. She loves living and learning with her two daughters, who are turning out well despite being raised far from the turbid waters of the mainstream. This piece originally appeared on Shay’s homeschool blog, called “Anecdotal Evidence.”
Although I enjoyed living in New England for two years in my youth, I am one of those reportedly rare native northern Virginians. A softie for wayward animals, I often find myself taking responsibility for wandering dogs, abandoned cats , and injured wildlife. My hobbies include genealogy, gardening, messing with clay, and experiencing a wide variety of food, music, song, dance, storytelling, and other cultural expressions....
I love the markdown section at the back of the grocery store. I never know what I might find, and, often, when there is something good, it is very inexpensive—as in cheap enough that I will buy it, even if my kids and I don’t really need it. This is how I recently came home with a $1.00 squeeze bottle of crème de coco ...
I don't live in my home country, meaning that at home we speak a different language. What do you think about homeschooling in this situation? I am a bit unsure of what is the right thing to do - how do I teach my child a language/tradition that is not my own ...
I collect quotes wherever I encounter insightful or amusing phrases. When I find a passage that is both insightful and amusing, I am doubly pleased. Therefore, I felt lucky when this gem came in an email: "Not being an expert on anything, I rush in where experts fear to tread." ...
Homeschooling to Counter the Culture of Consumption
I came across a Washington Post article titled "Spending More for a Little Solace," which explains reasons that people buy "features they do not need and may never use," the bells and whistles on their DVD player, SUV, digital camera, etc. As a parent who taught her children consumer awareness from their toddler years on, and who views mainstream American culture as largely driven by Madison Avenue, a passage jumped out at me....
Share your passions with your children,” a wise homeschooler once advised me. Over the years, I tried sharing my interests with my daughters, who are now 17 and 14....
Rejecting the Summer Reading Program
A few years ago my older daughter, Caitlin was "in 6th grade," but reading mostly young adult books, as she had outgrown most in the youth section. Since she was reading "teen" books, she felt she should be able to participate in the teen level summer reading program sponsored by our public library. The teen program offers prizes for a much lower number of books than does the level for younger children, because the young adult (YA) books are longer reads. I think they offered a prize for every 5 books, and the "little kid's" program did so for every 10, or maybe 20....
My eldest daughter, Caitlín, is a writer in her own right. Almost 16 years-old, she is skilled far beyond the level I had attained at that age. This is due to both nature and nurture; she has the brains and the inclination, and has grown up in an environment that provides excellent support for her endeavors...
A thought expressed on my statewide e-mail list, VaEclecticHS, was that, in school, it is "near impossible to be accepted...and do what is right for yourself." In my experience, that seems true. While I was in school, I walked on that edge many times. Fortunately, for the most part, I did what was right for myself, even though it meant withstanding disapproval from teachers, administrators, and fellow students....
A Homeschooler's Changing Perspective on Authority Figures
A parent on an e-mail discussion list posted questions about pulling her child from school to begin homeschooling, although it goes against some sort of "best practices" in her state, where it is recommended that this occur during a semester- or summer break. The mom feels that the situation warrants risking the school board's displeasure, as her son is being "trampled underfoot" in school, and she is unwilling to let it continue through the end of the school year....
I did not teach my children “never talk to strangers,” that all-too-common line that makes every unknown person a danger. Nor did I teach- or model for them the idea that every stranger is “just a friend you have not met.” I am certain that if we never talked to strangers, we would never meet potential new friends, but I temper that with commonsense cautiousness....
When my firstborn was very young, I pounced on each “learning moment,” overly eager to make sure my daughter received every possible kind of support and encouragement for learning. If she showed even the tiniest interest in a subject, creature, object, or concept, I rushed in with resources, manipulatives, books, toys, games, and real life objects....
Late last month my 16-year-old learned to ride a bicycle. Inspired by stories of my rides over the past several months, Caitlín decided she wanted to experience bike riding, too. She had learned before, when she was very young, but had not ridden in a long time, so felt a lack of confidence...
If unschooling is about learning by following one’s interests, about being led by one’s passions, then I am unschooling myself as an adult, in much the way I did for the two years I lived my life without school as a teen...
I do not know how many times I have encountered the phrase, "I am a product of the ___ (name of district) public schools." I shudder every time I hear or read that phrase. It calls to mind the 12-step programs: "My name is ____ and I am a product of the public schools....>
My daughter e-mailed me the most recent culmination of her life without school: a Power Point trailer for the fictitious movie, "Chortling Paramedics." The words on the screen are a warning. "When you're in trouble...don't call for help...because you might not get it...if your town has been taken over by Chortling Paramedics...
A few weeks ago, my friend, Kathy, drove me and another friend to a workshop about an hour away. Kathy did not worry much about finding the venue location, as her car has an onboard navigation system. It talks. A soft, pleasant female voice gives commands like, "prepare to turn left ahead...
An old friend said that she noticed I have "always been attracted to power." This friend often provides insightful and accurate observations, so her comment gave me pause. I stopped to consider what she said, to examine myself and my tendencies, checking to see if what she said was true...
I was lucky to have an unconventional youth, during which short periods of my life were defined largely by who I was and what interested me. These were my halcyon days, upon which I still look with pleasure. Some time ago, I made a brief list of the elements that were crucial to these idyllic periods:...
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