The merits of unschooling... - Online Consumer Forums Digital-Boards.com The Consumer Network

paisley_mittens · 05-16-2007

From kindergarten, up until halfway through grade 2, I unschooled my daughter. I've had her in public school for the past 5 months because, for health reasons, I am unable to take her to the social activities she needs, and didn't want her to become isolated. I felt that public school was the lesser of 2 evils. I plan to resume with the unschooling once my health improves. My daughter is generally "well-adjusted", socially (except for problems with one child, which I think have been resolved), and doing fine academically. Emotionally and artistically, she is well beyond her years. For those who don't know what unschooling is, unschooling is based on the beief that learning is a natural part of life, and that if left "alone" (as in, no formal teaching) to pursue interests of meaning to them, children will flourish, and learn more than in an environment where "learning" is compulsory. They learn more and retain more of that knowledge, because they are truly motivated. I beleive if given the proper tools and skills, children can teach themselves far better than any teacher ever could. School, by way of repetitive busy-work and encouragement to conform, can squeeze a child's natural, inherent love of learning (and even their identity, as I have experienced) right out of them. It has been so exciting to watch my daughter follow her heart. She does enjoy school for the friends it provides, and some of the fun activities, but I can already see it changing her. They do not generally recognize the fact that there are many "right" ways to do things, and she is pretty anxious about "screwing up". Prior to this, my daughter very rarely showed any signs of anxiety, and I was constantly being asked if my daughter was "always this happy and well-behaved". In my opinion, school is not natural and it stifles learning. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

Lloyd Brown · 05-17-2007

I am sure that is really going to come in handy when it comes to counting out change to her customers at McDonald's.

Sorry, but I think that is a very dumb idea and you are doing a great disservice to your child.

paisley_mittens · 05-22-2007

Lloyd Brown, I'm not sure exactly what you are saying will come in handy "when it comes to counting out change to her customers at McDonald's". Anyways, it's a huge misconception and underestimation that kids, if given some responsibility over their own time will just vegetate. There is an excellent book on unschooling I'm reading right now, called "The Teenage Leberation Handbook". It has numerous examples of unschooled kids doing absolutely amazing things with their time. If our inherent love of learning isn't squashed early on, people actually reach their potential. It isn't the unschooler's flipping burgers!

SingleAgain · 05-24-2007

I think that there is a huge problem in the name itself. I think that unschooling seems to give the image of a family trying to undo the education that a school previous imparted to the child. I realise that this is not the case since I intend to homeschool my own child, and have read a great deal about the concept of 'unschooling'. I just hate that name I really do.

Lloyd Brown · 05-25-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by paisley_mittens

Lloyd Brown, I'm not sure exactly what you are saying will come in handy "when it comes to counting out change to her customers at McDonald's". Anyways, it's a huge misconception and underestimation that kids, if given some responsibility over their own time will just vegetate. There is an excellent book on unschooling I'm reading right now, called "The Teenage Leberation Handbook". It has numerous examples of unschooled kids doing absolutely amazing things with their time. If our inherent love of learning isn't squashed early on, people actually reach their potential. It isn't the unschooler's flipping burgers!

Sorry, but with the spelling of liberation I think you should stick with schools.

SingleAgain · 05-26-2007

Anyone can be the victim of a typographical error that goes unnoticed. One misspelled word does not disqualify one from educating their children. Believe me I have seen many spelling errors come from teachers themselves-they are no more perfect than the rest of us.

Lloyd Brown · 05-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by SingleAgain

Anyone can be the victim of a typographical error that goes unnoticed. One misspelled word does not disqualify one from educating their children. Believe me I have seen many spelling errors come from teachers themselves-they are no more perfect than the rest of us.

I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree. I know there are some that are successful at home schooling, but the ONLY success stories I am aware of came from parents that were well-schooled and had degrees. Not some young mother that thought she knew better than the school system.

Mom2one · 05-29-2007

Then we too are going to have to agree to disagree. Some of the most successful homeschool families that I have known have had parents educated only to high school level, but who were grounded in common sense and with a desire to spend the time with their children needed to achieve good results. The children graduated early, and with some of the highest grades possible.

These parents work in good jobs in banks and middle management-they just didn't go to college. College does not a person make, because ultimately if you don't have the intelligence then you are wasting your money and time. A person can be highly intelligent, but just didn't have the opportunity to go to college. That should not disqualify them from teaching their children-however if the child's performance shows that they are suffering, there should be requirement for them to receive at least some real schooling. This would help ascertain whether it is the child, or the parent who is not suited to homeschooling.

Lloyd Brown · 05-30-2007

How can someone carry a full time job and have time to homeschool their children at the same time?

Mom2one · 06-02-2007

A homeschooled child does not need to be educated from 9-3, five days a week. A typical student would be maybe schooled for four days a week, at 3-4 hours a day. Being home eliminates the commute time, the wasted time between classes, the time lost to disruptions. And the one on one teaching helps students learn faster.

So with two parents in the home, that makes a total of six to eight hours a week for each parent to pick up. If you can't make enough free time to spend that amount with your kids, then it's a real shame.

05-16-2007	#1 (permalink)
paisley_mittens Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Age: 34 Posts: 32	The merits of unschooling... From kindergarten, up until halfway through grade 2, I unschooled my daughter. I've had her in public school for the past 5 months because, for health reasons, I am unable to take her to the social activities she needs, and didn't want her to become isolated. I felt that public school was the lesser of 2 evils. I plan to resume with the unschooling once my health improves. My daughter is generally "well-adjusted", socially (except for problems with one child, which I think have been resolved), and doing fine academically. Emotionally and artistically, she is well beyond her years. For those who don't know what unschooling is, unschooling is based on the beief that learning is a natural part of life, and that if left "alone" (as in, no formal teaching) to pursue interests of meaning to them, children will flourish, and learn more than in an environment where "learning" is compulsory. They learn more and retain more of that knowledge, because they are truly motivated. I beleive if given the proper tools and skills, children can teach themselves far better than any teacher ever could. School, by way of repetitive busy-work and encouragement to conform, can squeeze a child's natural, inherent love of learning (and even their identity, as I have experienced) right out of them. It has been so exciting to watch my daughter follow her heart. She does enjoy school for the friends it provides, and some of the fun activities, but I can already see it changing her. They do not generally recognize the fact that there are many "right" ways to do things, and she is pretty anxious about "screwing up". Prior to this, my daughter very rarely showed any signs of anxiety, and I was constantly being asked if my daughter was "always this happy and well-behaved". In my opinion, school is not natural and it stifles learning. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

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05-17-2007	#2 (permalink)
Lloyd Brown Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 518	I am sure that is really going to come in handy when it comes to counting out change to her customers at McDonald's. Sorry, but I think that is a very dumb idea and you are doing a great disservice to your child.

05-22-2007	#3 (permalink)
paisley_mittens Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Age: 34 Posts: 32	Lloyd Brown, I'm not sure exactly what you are saying will come in handy "when it comes to counting out change to her customers at McDonald's". Anyways, it's a huge misconception and underestimation that kids, if given some responsibility over their own time will just vegetate. There is an excellent book on unschooling I'm reading right now, called "The Teenage Leberation Handbook". It has numerous examples of unschooled kids doing absolutely amazing things with their time. If our inherent love of learning isn't squashed early on, people actually reach their potential. It isn't the unschooler's flipping burgers!

05-24-2007	#4 (permalink)
SingleAgain Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 98	I think that there is a huge problem in the name itself. I think that unschooling seems to give the image of a family trying to undo the education that a school previous imparted to the child. I realise that this is not the case since I intend to homeschool my own child, and have read a great deal about the concept of 'unschooling'. I just hate that name I really do.

05-26-2007	#6 (permalink)
SingleAgain Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 98	Anyone can be the victim of a typographical error that goes unnoticed. One misspelled word does not disqualify one from educating their children. Believe me I have seen many spelling errors come from teachers themselves-they are no more perfect than the rest of us.

05-29-2007	#8 (permalink)
Mom2one Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 99	Then we too are going to have to agree to disagree. Some of the most successful homeschool families that I have known have had parents educated only to high school level, but who were grounded in common sense and with a desire to spend the time with their children needed to achieve good results. The children graduated early, and with some of the highest grades possible. These parents work in good jobs in banks and middle management-they just didn't go to college. College does not a person make, because ultimately if you don't have the intelligence then you are wasting your money and time. A person can be highly intelligent, but just didn't have the opportunity to go to college. That should not disqualify them from teaching their children-however if the child's performance shows that they are suffering, there should be requirement for them to receive at least some real schooling. This would help ascertain whether it is the child, or the parent who is not suited to homeschooling.

05-30-2007	#9 (permalink)
Lloyd Brown Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 518	How can someone carry a full time job and have time to homeschool their children at the same time?

06-02-2007	#10 (permalink)
Mom2one Consumer Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 99	A homeschooled child does not need to be educated from 9-3, five days a week. A typical student would be maybe schooled for four days a week, at 3-4 hours a day. Being home eliminates the commute time, the wasted time between classes, the time lost to disruptions. And the one on one teaching helps students learn faster. So with two parents in the home, that makes a total of six to eight hours a week for each parent to pick up. If you can't make enough free time to spend that amount with your kids, then it's a real shame.