近日读到Leo Babauta的"The Rules of Effortless Parenting”这篇博文，在教育孩子方面对我有一些启发。
1. Teach kids to be self-sufficient. Our kids started by learning how to pick up after themselves (as 1 and 2 year olds), and later learned how to feed themselves breakfast, brush their teeth and shower and dress themselves, wash dishes and clean up in the kitchen, clean their rooms, do laundry, etc. Our jobs as parents became tons easier, but it does take a little patient teaching in the beginning of each skill.
尽早的教会孩子自给自足，中国的家长在这方面都喜欢大包大揽，只让孩子学习，其它的事情一概不会。想想我自己的孩子也没有洗过几次碗、叠过几次被，估计只有上寄宿班时才是孩子自立的时候。
2. Teach older kids to help with the younger kids. If you have multiple kids, this rule is golden. Our teens can help the little kids with anything. That makes our jobs a lot easier, and the older kids learn responsibility.
让大孩子帮助小孩子。在绝大多数都是独生子女的中国，这条几乎没用。
3. Teach them to solve problems. This is really the main job of unschooling, which is the philosophy we follow as homeschoolers. Our kids don’t learn facts or even skills. They learn to solve problems on their own. If they know how to do this, they can learn any facts or skills they need to solve their problems. Want to learn how to write a computer program? That’s just another problem that you need to learn how to solve. Want to cook Thai food, or write a blog, or start a business, or build something? Problems that you can solve.
教会她们解决问题的办法，这一点对我影响最大。在给孩子讲解一些数学题时，直接就把过程一步一步地写出来，告诉她这样的题就得这么做。1个多月前给孩子和我之间定了一个协议，“每天给孩子讲1个电脑小知识”，前30天都是我拿出一个电脑小技巧直接教给她，在看了这篇文章后，改变了教育的思路，我的GTD系统里把任务改为“每天给孩子出一个电脑小问题，让她来解决”，看着孩子在解决一个问题时，用了多种办法去尝试，在解决这个问题的同时，又带来了其它的一些问题，甚至最后她的解决办法都是我之前没有想到过的。给孩子一些尝试、一些犯错的机会，在这个过程中学到的远远比填鸭式教育学的内容多，记忆得也更深刻！
4. Show them how to be passionate. The other main thing you teach unschoolers, besides solving their own problems, is how to be passionate about something. If they know this, they will do work they’re passionate about as adults. How do you teach them this? By modeling it yourself. By doing projects with them where you’re passionate about something. Kids learn an amazing amount by watching and mimicking.
在她们面前表现得充满激情，孩子也会乐观的面对学习和生活。
5. Play with them outside, and be active. Spending time with your kids is one of the best ways to show them you love them. Playing with them is one of the best ways to spend time with them. Playing outside shows them how to be active and have fun being active. I also stay active on my own, but I make sure they know what I’m doing, why, and how much fun it is. They have a role model who is healthy and fit, and that will help them for the rest of their lives.
积极地与她们在户外玩耍。在国内学校这铺天盖地的作业面前，连周末都得不到喘息之机（周六、周日各一个辅导班），更别说周一到周五了。小学时，晚上写完作业还能带着孩子去玩个轮滑或滑板，现在9点前能写完作业就感觉是老师们大发慈悲了。
6. Don’t overschedule. Most parents schedule too many classes, sports, parties, activities. We give our kids lots of unstructured, unscheduled time. They have to figure out what to do with that time. That’s an important skill to learn. It also means their lives are less stressed out, as are ours, and they learn a slower pace of life.
别把日程表排得太满。不用排其它的，单单一大堆作业就把日程表排满了。
7. Don’t dote. I’ve seen lots of parents that dote on everything their kids do, who are worried about every little thing their kid might touch or that might cause a fall. Back off, and give them some space. They need attention, but they also need some time alone to explore, to fall and get back up, to scrape their knees, to figure stuff out on their own. Go do something on your own, and leave your kids alone sometimes.
不要溺爱。给孩子们一些自己的空间，让她们亲手去做，一点小磕小碰是难免的。
8. Dance. Because life without dance is dull and not worth living. Play loud music. Go crazy.
跳舞。这点我不喜欢。
9. Read with them, and read in front of them. Kids love books, especially if you read them with them. Here are some of my favorites. If you are a reader yourself, and they see that, this will teach them to love reading too. Reading is one of the best loves you can instill in kids.
一起阅读。曾经拿着中英双语的读物，我看英文的，她读中文的，她看得比我快的多，我翻译成中文，让好来检查，让孩子从小养成了阅读的习惯。
10. Be inquisitive. Ask questions about everything, and encourage them to do the same. Kids are naturally inquisitive … they can ask a million questions, because everything is new to them. Learn to see the world through their eyes — it’s amazing. Why the hell IS the sky blue? Why do leaves change color? How does a bird fly? These are brilliant questions, and you should explore them with the kids — don’t just give them answers, but show them how to find out.
好问。对孩子的任何问题都保持耐心。
