Unschooling "Language Arts"

It's been a long time since I've forced Sly to do anything referred to in the school world as "Language Arts" for homeschool. What I find fascinating is that since we dropped formal "Language Arts" (including spelling, creative writing, composition, grammar, etc), he has gotten so much better at spelling and writing and such--gee, go figure! He even has very neat cursive handwriting. Instead of using a graded curriculum, he is drafting and writing things that have real meaning in his life, things he cares about and that other people will actually see (and which therefore really do reflect upon their opinion of him)--an email to get on a Civil Air Patrol flight list, short game or movie scripts he comes up with, or a letter to the luthier who sold him his new fiddle. Here's the letter from the 13yo homeschooled/unschooled boy who can't spell (I am not correcting anything--typing it as it is written, including his colloquialisms). He drafted his letter on the computer, but then hand copied it to mail (because our computer and printer aren't talking to each other at the moment). Not bad for a boy no longer doing LA, and without any significant help from his mom/teacher (other than telling him he needed to write Mr Stanton a letter telling him thanks and how he's used it so far. He IS still just 13!).

3:58PM 10-19-2010

Dear Mr. Wayne Stanton,

Thank you for helping us find and purchase the right fiddle for me. I am enjoying it very much and someone I know at one of the Bluegrass jams said it sounded better than his.

I used my new fiddle the first time I played at the Chestnut St. Opry, and everyone said it sounded very good.

I'm also lovin' having a key for my new fiddle case and Westley my instructor likes the whole shebang.

Thank you very much,

I'm lovin' my new fiddle.

Sincerely,

Sly (his real name, with middle initial, in cursive)

Sly (his real name, with middle initial, in print)