What's Important

"Tests don't prove that learning is happening. Tests don't show whether a child is a nice person who is kind to others. Tests don't help a kid make honest decision for themselves. Tests don't create happy learning." —Jenny Cyphers wrote that on Always Learning


The past few days have been rough online, for me more than others, I guess. There have been a few snarky oddities here and there, plus I'm moderating a list that has several current problem people. It seems I'm spending half my day returning posts or explaining things or agitating over how to soothe a situation. I'm putting more work into returning posts than some of the authors put into writing them in the first place.

This will pass; it always does. There will be boring days and scary days and frustrating days and exciting, happy days.

I have the house to myself for over five days. That's pretty exciting, in a calm way. It's profoundly quiet, though, because Holly is at "SMUG" near Montreal (no computer/internet/phone), and Keith and Marty are beyond phone service at Battlemoor (a medieval event in southern Colorado). Holly will be back on Saturday night after nearly four months away, and Keith and Marty will come back home on Monday.

I do love the Always Learning list, and am grateful for those unschoolers who have helped other for years and years, freely and generously. I breathe and I look at what some of them write (such as Jenny, above) and I remember that the problems are small and the life-changing successes cannot be taken away from us, ever.