tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post7257185403192870087..comments2024-01-06T10:30:29.472+10:00Comments on Hellena Post - Creatrix: Our Natural Unschooling PhilosophyHelena Posthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-70864805264440184092015-08-09T23:02:19.606+10:002015-08-09T23:02:19.606+10:00When our lives find us back in Lismore... our hear...When our lives find us back in Lismore... our hearts are certainly calling us there, we will certainly come make friends! Anekhanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-4363572753170426812015-08-08T11:29:57.294+10:002015-08-08T11:29:57.294+10:00Sorry darlin, left it too long, and now there'...Sorry darlin, left it too long, and now there's nothing there :(Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-6747336203871269652015-08-08T11:28:29.643+10:002015-08-08T11:28:29.643+10:00Beautiful Freya, I'm so sorry I didn't ans...Beautiful Freya, I'm so sorry I didn't answer this earlier! Get distracted sometimes, but this is such a gorgeous response that I'm sad I took so long :)<br /><br />I definitely feel the love, thank you so much, and so recognise that wish to connect with someone over the other side of the globe, who you 'feel' :)<br /><br />And I'm so glad my thoughts and posts resonated. And gave you something to read on a cold Leipzig day :) I so relate to having a family of anal orderists, and feeling like you never fit in. You just keep hunting the feels and the worlds that you love and that attract you! Cause eventually they'll be yours.<br /><br />And if you ever come back to Australia....please come and visit and hang out and play and talk and connect! That would be awesome :)<br /><br />Love and blessings and thanks for the love Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-21841411379468873532015-08-08T11:20:43.402+10:002015-08-08T11:20:43.402+10:00Thank you so much for popping in and brightening b...Thank you so much for popping in and brightening both of our days with your comment :) So lovely to know that the million little interactions we have with the rest of the world, are remembered and treasured by some as much as we do :) Actually the last time I was in the supermarket with all my kids, I walked in to find them taking up the entire foyer of the mall with playing with balloons. And a woman walked straight up to me and thanked me for bringing our kids there that day, and reported how many people she saw who smiled and played as a reaction to their boundless energies!<br /><br />Please make sure to come along and introduce yourselves to us at Nimbin Market when you get here! Would be awesome to hang out together and swap notes :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-48958334563586622352015-08-08T10:20:38.377+10:002015-08-08T10:20:38.377+10:00You know... speaking of supermarkets. I am fairly ...You know... speaking of supermarkets. I am fairly sure that a "lifetime ago" (maybe 4 years?) when I was in a supermarket shopping with my son I bumped into your tribe shopping in Lismore. I am only now just thinking it must have been you guys... funny synchronicity and life intertwining. You and Currawong and your tribe were out shopping and I remember how beautiful it was to see you all... as a new mother of just one I was inspired by your lovely family and the blissful way you all shopped. You with a tiny baby on your chest, Currawong with a couple of bigger babies, one front and one back! And a whole bunch in and out of a trolley. Well, my main feeling was just to soak in the beauty of your family for a while and not to be in fear for my safety sharing the aisles with you all haha! There was no stampede!<br />I remember walking out of the supermarket at the same time as Currawong ( at least i now think it must have been him) towards our car and saying hello and what a beautiful family you have and real feeling I wanted to convey transcended the inane comment. He grinned at me and said he had never thought he would have a large family but he loves it so much! And I think he mentioned something about being a stay at home family. <br />We were such new parents and it was a brief moment that sparked catalysing choices in our lives. I am happy to say a few years on we have 2 little boys, and we too homeschool and have born our second at home and we are all together... in all we do we try and follow our most natural instinct to remain together. We are on our family journey together and many of our experiences and thoughts echo yours although in many ways it is also vastly different! <br /><3 Much love to your family. <3Anekhanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-86321002006068327202014-09-17T13:30:03.227+10:002014-09-17T13:30:03.227+10:00http://aliciacumming.tumblr.com/post/96413296556/s...http://aliciacumming.tumblr.com/post/96413296556/suppression-of-the-selfAliciahttp://aliciacumming.tumbler.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-92014888907615495132014-01-27T11:07:38.356+10:002014-01-27T11:07:38.356+10:00You sound like such a loving and engaged and energ...You sound like such a loving and engaged and energetic sister! What care and thought you put into your family. They are all very lucky :) <br /><br />And thank you for so beautifully summing up the educational experiences of a lot of us. Walking in excited about 'higher learning', and leaving a bit disappointed about the drudgery they've turned learning into. All for the sake of grades that have little to no impact on any kind of survival skills, or future jobs for a society that is experiencing rapid change. <br /><br />If you type in valedictorian speed and unschooling into google, you'll come across a very intelligent young woman, who on leaving school said some very similar things to what you are saying. There's also a man called Suli Breeze who talks about refusing to be identified by his grades. And of course beautiful Sir Ken Robinson :) And Sugata Mitra, if you haven't heard of him yet, please introduce yourself to a most inspiring man.<br /><br />Thank you so much for telling me your story, and taking the time out to let me know, and even more than both of those, thank you for taking this into your heart and inspiring yourself towards taking more responsibility for your sisters and families freedom and inspired education!!<br /><br />Good luck to you all, and with an intellect and heart like yours, I'm sure you'll be making your own luck as you go.<br /><br />Thank you!Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-17416375262058703112014-01-07T06:57:32.107+10:002014-01-07T06:57:32.107+10:00Really do not start to ask my how I found your blo...Really do not start to ask my how I found your blog...right now I'm sitting here on the floor in front of my sofa with the laptop on my knees, in bloody cold Leipzig, Germany, having a not so good day....<br />I really enjoyed that post of yours. And I really liked the others I read as well.<br />Isn't it funny how one can find another even when the whole world lies between? <br /><br />I've been to Australia and I've met al lot of people, both great in heart and soul, but I've never met someone quite like you or your man (:-)) I would have liked that. I come from a very protected family, from parts of society that are very anal about order, a 'proper' lifestyle and getting your life in order...if you now what I mean. <br />I've never quite fit. I feel like I live in another world. That's why I really feel your article...and feel yo strongly about your journey and decisions. And I feel so much more which I just can't put to words because I struggle with that damn English writing. =)<br /> You great great woman. You are as alive and thriving as one could wish for themselves. Just keep doing what you're doing. <br />Ah, I think I found your blog through homebirth.net.au..I'm living for natural ways of womanhood and womanlife and real femininity that's just where I'm 'home'. <br />Well...looking plainly at those words I've written it seems like I'm a bit off track =) (as I sad the day has been really weird) and the comment doesn't have a point to it, but I want to post it anyway and hope that my compassionate feelings towards you come through...in a way. So just let your heart be open and feel it =) <br />love and thanks<br />Freya, Leipzig, Germany, 9.57 pmFreyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03216338105787980731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-78587230167919293792013-06-23T17:14:40.084+10:002013-06-23T17:14:40.084+10:00Hi Hellena! You gave me a lot to think about... I&...Hi Hellena! You gave me a lot to think about... I'm the eldest of 7 sisters, and the youngest is only six. I have been actively promoting their education and enrolling them in schools I chose based upon research I had done (my parents don't speak English very well, so it often falls on me to help them out). Now I'm totally worried about what I have done, and am thinking of trying a few of your methods over their 2-month summer break. I'm excited!! <br /><br />I just finished my university degree and I just feel like it was all just for a piece of paper that I need in order to qualify for decent work. I am still glad I went so I wouldn't think that I missed out, but I totally get what you are saying in this post. If I read this earlier, I would have probably not agreed with you as I was one of those people who loved going to school and learning, as I wouldn't have been able to in my family environment. So I appreciate it, and I learned things that enabled me to become independent, had some great teachers, etc. But in university, I completed assignments just to get a grade, and to pass a course so I could finish the requirement. There was no passion for what I was doing, no interest even. I felt that if I was reading the same material in my free time, I would enjoy it. But usually I was running out of time, and I had to finish to have something to contribute to class discussions and not be embarrassed. It was an utter waste of time, as I forgot what I read within a week! There are so many other things I could have done in the past four years, that would have been far more useful, and fulfilling... I had this suspicion for a while now, but I've been told so often the value of an university education, that I found it difficult to admit, even to myself. Thanks for your post, it gave me a lot to think about! Now, I can't take my sisters out of school as that would be the limit my parents can take of my bossiness, but I am going to strive to find a way to spend more time with them and my own children in the future instead of blindly trusting schools to raise them for me. All the best to you and your family!Denadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05787961186020156005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-32653345081668107572012-09-02T09:22:49.986+10:002012-09-02T09:22:49.986+10:00But we have rules, and there's complete destru...But we have rules, and there's complete destructive chaos, have those laws prevented such things from happening? I propose that in sinking back into our complete and total connection with the everything, we exist in the complete harmony of chaos in its uninterrupted form, where we'll become part of the fine balances that exist in every layer........and find that supposedly chaotic organisation of people was the perfect combination for a respectful and honourable wheel of community. And thanks for your concern, but you don't have to worry, cause though our children play joyously in supermarkets and just about everywhere else they find themselves, we've taught em to not run round corners, so you and the other punters are safe :) I'm definitely a Fool, thank you for noticing, embarking on the Fools Journey of wisdom tempered with innocence and trust. And with your insight and perception you've also intuited that we really are doing our very best to set our children up for a life as beggars at the alters of love, life, passion, purpose, self knowledge, spirituality, and connection. Thank you for your time and wise words......Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-5820108371973965982012-09-02T03:58:55.456+10:002012-09-02T03:58:55.456+10:00With no rules, there would be chaos. We have laws...With no rules, there would be chaos. We have laws against murder and child rape. Since you're against rules, should people be allowed to do those things if they feel "moved" to rape and then strangle the child for crying? Others don't like your kids "running stampede like through a supermarket" because it can result in the damage of property or the harm of others. You're a fool for believing that what you are doing can be possible on the large scale. You're setting your children up for a life of being beggars.<br /><br />Jinnynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-67378154274454101702012-07-22T22:09:44.738+10:002012-07-22T22:09:44.738+10:00Very well said Hellena. I made the comments only a...Very well said Hellena. I made the comments only as something to 'tuck' away at the back of mind as your children grow because while in general this might work there is a goodly chance it might work better for some than others. <br /><br />Australia is no more sick than anywhere else. And perhaps even more sadly, having lived for many years in India and nearly 12 years in four African countries I have seen at firsthand that the desire for the sort of life you call 'sick' and the distortion of principles is far greater in the Third World than the First. I have also lived in Canada, the UK, Europe and spent long periods in the US.<br /><br />There is a fantasy that simple means 'better' but in my experience it doesn't. Money has always taken precedence in most societies throughout human history. It's not a good way to be but it is the way people have mostly been and in the Third World where they still are more desperately. Appearance and fitting in have also been with humanity from the beginning and the price paid for 'lacking appearance' or 'not fitting in' is far, far higher in the Third World where people are not as free as we are, than it is in the First World. You can die in India or Africa for 'not fitting in,' and people (and children) do all the time.<br /><br />As for computer games - like anything they need to be moderated. I grew up without television - until I was in my teens anyway. I made sure that in a world of television the amount my children saw was moderated. I also moderated their exposure to fast-food, sweets, soft-drinks, the movies and other modern developments which had not been a part of my life.<br /><br />My children and many of their friends now do the same with computer games, playstations, mobile phones etc. Australia as a society is less 'captured' by such things than others - the US for example. Having lived around Australia and the world (and my children went to school in Europe) I would say that Australia has one of the more functional and balanced societies and our school system is one of the best. <br /><br />Your children are lucky to have involved, sensible and intelligent parents but make sure they have a balanced view of the world out there - in the main it is very, very good. After nearly twenty years in the Third World I know without a shadow of a doubt that the First World, with all of its faults, is far, far better than anything else is or has been.<br /><br />Those who live simple lives in the Third World struggle and desire and demand in ways we have left behind. And they want what we have. Those who have the money to get what we have are more materialistic, in the main, more rapacious and self-serving than you would ever find in Australia.<br /><br />Perspective is all. Blessings to you as well.Roslyn Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700960108357035957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-90806191880125738832012-07-08T21:30:38.770+10:002012-07-08T21:30:38.770+10:00Oh Starr I love you :) And your childhood sounds ...Oh Starr I love you :) And your childhood sounds magical, like the dreams of gypsy's and pirates! I just hope that our children feel equally blessed as you by their rather unconventional experience. And hope that one day we can shimmy our kids together on a beach somewhere and revel in their abundant and loud expressions of their unique selves.....Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-64061509661119907282012-07-08T21:14:33.975+10:002012-07-08T21:14:33.975+10:00Thank you for your honest and well thought out rep...Thank you for your honest and well thought out reply, and the points you make are salient, however the mainstream society in Australia is a bit of a sick creature at the present, with money, computer games, appearances and 'fitting in' taking precedence over life, sustainability, relationships and interconnection. Not to mention the pursuit of a healthy future for the planet. There are also numerous and attractive ways to pursue a university education without having to go to school.....unless they wish it. And I haven't given you a clear picture of what we actually 'do'. When it comes to forming relationships with strangers, we meet them every time we walk out the door (we're kinda hard to not notice). And if anything, our lives bring them into far more contact with society at large and a vaster range of people than they would be getting in a schoolroom with others while learning theories. As regular occurences they play with school kids on our community, and other home schooled kids, go to the Hari Krishna's for dinner, to markets and festivals, engage with us in numerous meetings with strangers on the street, soup kitchens for lunch, disco's on other communities, travelling for months, library interactions, learning expeditions, peaceful protests, funerals, and countless other experiences where they can bump into the world and strangers from all walks of life. If anything they're far more confident in all their interactions with people than their schooled friends, who often look at me like I'm an alien when I try to strike up conversation. Nearly everyone they meet is delighted with their manners, behaviour, compassion and maturity. They learn about life from experience, and have an appreciation of vastly different perspectives on any given topic. It is neither easy nor safe for them, as we live on little money in an affluent society, and value honesty and strong learning about consequences, and the greater ramifications of their actions. My children have also had their fair share of adversity, having moved many times and been through harrowing situations, and we all help each other to learn and grow from our experiences. And we certainly don't avoid any of the great or terrible experiences of life. And I must say, and on this point many friends and strangers alike agree, that our children are far more confident and conversant with the outside world than many of their schooled peers, particularly those that inhabit private alternative schools, and know they have our full trust to do their very best, and learn through honesty and connection. Also that we are always there for them when they're unsure of what to do, and that we'll try and give them as many options and perspectives on any given issue that we can. Blessings :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-48804271602190111432012-07-08T20:36:10.859+10:002012-07-08T20:36:10.859+10:00And we've done equally well in choosing our ba...And we've done equally well in choosing our babies.......thank you :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-88864071088829924872012-07-08T20:34:39.577+10:002012-07-08T20:34:39.577+10:00Thank you so much for your encouraging words! So ...Thank you so much for your encouraging words! So nice to feel like I'm hitting a nerve for people.....and good luck with the making of children :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-54333774137214530092012-07-08T20:20:39.924+10:002012-07-08T20:20:39.924+10:00And I've got to say exactly the same back to y...And I've got to say exactly the same back to you dear woman!! Love your designs and the freedom of the breezes you send out into the world. Thank you for enjoying it :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-84902100750058113072012-07-08T20:19:12.954+10:002012-07-08T20:19:12.954+10:00Wow....you've certainly had a full on journey!...Wow....you've certainly had a full on journey! Twins and cancer!! Big times must have left a large impression on you. Thank you for your feedback :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-87810097617641149052012-07-08T20:16:13.859+10:002012-07-08T20:16:13.859+10:00I must admit, since writing this, I barely ever ca...I must admit, since writing this, I barely ever call us unschoolers any more. People seem to take serious umbrage at the term, form all sorts of assumptions, and it just takes too much explaining. It's a bit of a finger up to the rest of the world. I'm more likely to call it natural learning or human animal parenting now..... And the birth of my twins was a total trip :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-24165035224894953022012-07-08T20:13:26.621+10:002012-07-08T20:13:26.621+10:00Thanks for letting me know :)Thanks for letting me know :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-85746291563032648672012-07-08T20:12:17.721+10:002012-07-08T20:12:17.721+10:00Isn't birth a veritable universe of potential ...Isn't birth a veritable universe of potential learning? And healing.....Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-36372144095483713222012-07-08T20:10:08.372+10:002012-07-08T20:10:08.372+10:00That was a great article, thanks for that Ali :)That was a great article, thanks for that Ali :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-79265328281044355812012-07-08T20:08:38.103+10:002012-07-08T20:08:38.103+10:00Thank you beautiful woman, and maybe if our childr...Thank you beautiful woman, and maybe if our children follow their interests, they can teach society about how many more things there can be to be interested in.....and to want a greater range of things.Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-23557031426571989382012-07-08T20:05:18.301+10:002012-07-08T20:05:18.301+10:00Thanks for taking the time to send me this comment...Thanks for taking the time to send me this comment!Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3887847079702315563.post-47357404859947202872012-07-08T20:03:48.372+10:002012-07-08T20:03:48.372+10:00Thanks darlin :)Thanks darlin :)Helena Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07442132139130785495noreply@blogger.com