"Unschooling"

[Cowgirl]

Unschooling allows youngsters to chart their own educational course. So if they want to doodle on the floor instead of opening a textbook, their parents let them go for it.


Comments? I know if my mom tried this with me I would never have wanted to do any work!

 

[mv_princess]

We should probably never let them take a bath, or eat real food either.

 

[Mikeinsmd]

MSNBC and California. Imagine that!!!

 

[Christy]

I think the following statement is absolutely arrogant and ridiculous.

“If the parents are highly educated and/or from a higher socioeconomic level, the kids are going to get all kinds of rich experiences because the nature of the home is going to be about books, experiences, education and learning,” says Myron Dembo, a University of Southern California professor of education

I remember reading an article a few years back about a kid who lived with his father in the back of an old broken down car getting a perfect score on his SAT's? His father home (well car ) schooled him. :shrug: I don't think financial, or educational level's has much bearing on how you will better educate your child.

I'm a big proponent of homeschooling/unschooling. Who better to teach your child than yourself? People have been doing it for thousands of years. We teach our children how to walk and talk. What is dangerous etc.. Reading, writing, math, history, science... all that is easy peasy in comparison. It's all around you, and if you keep a kid engaged, I think it's an excellent form of educating.

 

[Christy]

MSNBC and California. Imagine that!!!

Southern Maryland has a very large "unschooling" community Mikey. I think I'm still on their emailing list.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I'm a big proponent of homeschooling/unschooling.

Have you seen some of the wacko moms on wife swap that homeschool their children?

 

[Midnightrider]

Have you seen some of the wacko moms on wife swap that homeschool their children?

how about the ren fair lady and her kids...... eeesh


I have never been a big fan of homeschooling. Most of the times i have seen homeschool kids, they are on their own in the middle of the day playing outside unsupervised. Besides, i have to question the lack of socialization, and the huge adjustments that will be necessary when they get to highschool or the real world.

 

[Mikeinsmd]

Southern Maryland has a very large "unschooling" community Mikey. I think I'm still on their emailing list.

I didn't read the article and gathered that "unschooling" meant "let your kid do whatever with no education".

Read: "future janitor/would you like fries with that?" candidate.

I'm all for home schooling by educated parents because every home schooled kid I've met has been well educated & has great values. Went on to college and did very well.

 

[Christy]

Have you seen some of the wacko moms on wife swap that homeschool their children?

Have you seen some of the whacko mom's in real life that send their kids to public school?

I think there are nutties in every walk of life. I'd totally homeschool if I was able. I did for a while several years back (with both of us working full time). That was way too chaotic for everyone, so we put them back in school.

(actually, I very much like both of the schools my kids are in so I can't complain)

 

[vraiblonde]

others in the education field put the number closer to 200,000 and say the unschooling population is growing by 10 to 15 percent each year.

Is that what they're calling these illiterate tards these days - "unschooled"?

"Where did KFC originate?"
"Uh...dunno..."
"What does KFC stand for?"
"Uh...Kentucky Fried Chicken..."
"So where did KFC originate?"
"Uh...dunno..."

 

[Christy]

how about the ren fair lady and her kids...... eeesh


I have never been a big fan of homeschooling. Most of the times i have seen homeschool kids, they are on their own in the middle of the day playing outside unsupervised. Besides, i have to question the lack of socialization, and the huge adjustments that will be necessary when they get to highschool or the real world.

I disagree, every homeschooled kid I've been around has been incredibly intelligent, polite, and much easier to be around than the majority of public school kids. :shrug:

I think when kids are homeschooled properly they are much better equipped to deal with the "real world". Please don't tell me you feel that kids these days in public (or private school for that matter) have any real idea about the "real world"?

 

[Mikeinsmd]

I didn't read the article and gathered that "unschooling" meant "let your kid do whatever with no education".

Read: "future janitor/would you like fries with that?" candidate.

I'm all for home schooling by educated parents because every home schooled kid I've met has been well educated & has great values. Went on to college and did very well.

Ok, I read the article and totally disagree. I liked Batman when I was a kid. Good thing I wasn't allowed to write about him & make a career out of being a superhero....

 

[vraiblonde]

Homeschooling is one thing - there is a set curriculum that parents follow.

Unschooling means your kid doesn't learn anything he's not interested in. Like reading. And math. And basic American history.

We're turning into a nation of "hiee how r u o no p911 brb c u 2nite lol" idiots.

 

[cattitude]

I disagree, every homeschooled kid I've been around has been incredibly intelligent, polite, and much easier to be around than the majority of public school kids. :shrug:

I think when kids are homeschooled properly they are much better equipped to deal with the "real world". Please don't tell me you feel that kids these days in public (or private school for that matter) have any real idea about the "real world"?

I've been around both public schooled and homeschooled. I think it's 50/50.

 

[Christy]

I didn't read the article and gathered that "unschooling" meant "let your kid do whatever with no education".

Read: "future janitor/would you like fries with that?" candidate.

I'm all for home schooling by educated parents because every home schooled kid I've met has been well educated & has great values. Went on to college and did very well.

It's actually a matter of deprogramming their brains from "normal" education, and showing them how to enjoy learning again. It actually works very well. When we did it with my oldest (when he was like 7), he totally went crazy with it. He'd do his times tables over and over to see if he could beat his last time, we learned everything there was to know about the solar system (yawn for me ). It was really cool.

I do think you have to be able to spend the time to keep them focused. So it's not like you just throw up your hands and say "go do whatever".

 

[Mikeinsmd]

It's actually a matter of deprogramming their brains from "normal" education, and showing them how to enjoy learning again. It actually works very well. When we did it with my oldest (when he was like 7), he totally went crazy with it. He'd do his times tables over and over to see if he could beat his last time, we learned everything there was to know about the solar system (yawn for me ). It was really cool.

I do think you have to be able to spend the time to keep them focused. So it's not like you just throw up your hands and say "go do whatever".

Ok, that splains it a lil better. The article implied that if lil Mikey wanted to doodle or study Popeye, then he could. I know I hated school as a kid. I had to be forced to do math (hated it) and other subjects. I liked science though.

 

[Christy]

Unschooling means your kid doesn't learn anything he's not interested in. Like reading. And math. And basic American history.

We're turning into a nation of "hiee how r u o no p911 brb c u 2nite lol" idiots.

That's not true. It actually starts off with an interest that they have, then it branches off to another. Like when we did the whole solar system deal, it branched off in to history, physics, math etc.... It sort of ties it all together.

You have to start them young though, if I tried "unschooling" (again) now with my oldest, it would never work, he'd try and scam and be as lazy as all get out. Montessori is a form of "unschooling" (in my opinion), which is where we have our youngest, and she's excelled.

 

[Midnightrider]

Homeschooling is one thing - there is a set curriculum that parents follow.

Unschooling means your kid doesn't learn anything he's not interested in. Like reading. And math. And basic American history.

We're turning into a nation of "hiee how r u o no p911 brb c u 2nite lol" idiots.

the problem is a lot of parents who think they are capable of homeschooling are only capable of unschooling.

My x was a perfect example, she homeschooled my son for one year, but at the age of 7 he was smarter than her, and relized all he had to do was pick a fight and she wouldn't be able to deal. He spent almost a year doing nothing.

Then he went to a montessori school, the organized unschooling.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I think when kids are homeschooled properly they are much better equipped to deal with the "real world". Please don't tell me you feel that kids these days in public (or private school for that matter) have any real idea about the "real world"?

I'll give you an example of from Wife Swap a few weeks ago. One of the homeschooled girls (she was in high school) was given a cell phone during the switch. She didn't know how to talk/use it and her father (who had been an advocate of homeschooling) just couldn't believe his eyes. Granted, these are probably not typical cases; but just something to think about.

 

[Midnightrider]

I'll give you an example of from Wife Swap a few weeks ago. One of the homeschooled girls (she was in high school) was given a cell phone during the switch. She didn't know how to talk/use it and her father (who had been an advocate of homeschooling) just couldn't believe his eyes. Granted, these are probably not typical cases; but just something to think about.

yeah, that was the ren family.