Book

I know that I've been quoting a lot of things on my blog lately and posting links to various web sites. I guess I go through little spurts of being infatuated with other people's words and thoughts and ideas. I suppose it also greatly depends on if I'm reading a book at the time. LOL

I'm in the process of reading this amazing book that I mentioned in my last post called Deschooling Our Lives. It is a great book that makes so much sense to me and really solidifies my passion for creating a child-led learning environment for Brenna, who is doing so, so great with it and is really flourishing as a person. She learns so much every day. Just the other day Brendon was watching a show on TV and they mentioned Big Ben. Brenna immediately told Brendon, "Hey, that's the big landmark in England - that big clock!". Not sure where exactly she learned that from (probably one of her websites she frequents) but we were both pretty impressed. She surprises us with things like that all the time.

Here's a paragraph from the book I'm reading that I thought explained things very well.

"People are learners. They are born already working on their education! They are born curious - and striving. How else can you explain the unbelievable development in the first few years of life from a pretty much helpless infant, with only the most fundamental communication skill, into a walking, talking toddler whose universe expands exponentially from month to month. They are born creative. No one at all has to explain learning processes to an infant. You can't stop them, and each one learns differently: how to roll over, or how to sit up, how to explore with their fingers, to stand, to walk, to say a few words and then a few sentences, and then express an infinite number of thoughts, many complex and abstract. Infants begin life learning in the ways we all use when we are learning for our own pleasure. They explore. They imitate. They experience. They build more complex world views from trial and error. It is simple to understand, but terribly difficult to accept, that the individual is best served at every age by allowing that native curiosity and creativity to be undeflected and uninterrupted; that the best schooling may be the schooling that least impedes the mind's free exploration of the environment."