The Unschooling Conspiracy
Nov. 29, 2006 at 6:46 AM
Homeschooling
If a 6-year-old wants to play with a box on top of her head for an hour, that is as qualitatively beneficial a learning experience as an hour of Latin, according to unschoolers-perhaps even more beneficial...
My hunch, however, is that very few parents are practically equipped with the teaching skills necessary or the stores of information required to help a child build a strong foundation in grammar, history, physics, biology, languages, physical education, math, etc. For that, it seems one must attach some sort of structure to intrinsically unstructured unschooled learning. It's an entirely larger question whether "unschooled" kids can enter the real and highly structured (or schooled) world and succeed without the requisite navigational skills.
I wish unschoolers well and hope these children become the creative, individualistic thought leaders their parents are preparing them to become. But if they don't, it should be the parents, not society, who cover the cost of teaching them to function productively in society. That is, if unschooling fails to prepare them for life in a structured world.
And then last week while everyone was busy preparing turkey, a step-mom in turmoil over unschooling decided to perform her own experiment -- one day of "unschooling" her two step-daughters. She posted the results in what I can only assume to be a lame attempt at humor in the Nashville Scene. It's not worth clicking over to read how it all turned out. Suffice it to say, her children were too cool to homeschool and think the word homeschooler is a synonym for "nerd." The mother's conclusion was predictable, unschooling is just an excuse for lazy parenting. Thankfully, her attitude reflects more on lazy research than anything else. (No offense Lindsey, this is all "tongue in cheek.")
Even bloggers who follow education trends more closely can't get a handle on unschooling, calling it "basically homeschooling without the religious focus. "
Like it or not, unschooling is getting some attention.
I'm not an unschooler, but I know many readers are. Unschooler Jeanne left this comment on my previous unschooling post:
I think it is probably wise to look at unschoolers as "canaries in the coal mine." If they will come for me (regulate me; prohibit me from customizing my children's education), an unschooler (who lives a very organized life), because *I* am not using a standard enough approach, then "regular" homeschoolers are also at risk.
This includes anyone who decides not to pressure a six or seven year old little boy to read because he's not ready -- but he will be just fine given a little more time to develop, anyone whose children do not perform at a certain minimum on standardized test, etc. And, to prepare for those tests, you'll have to use a prescribed (by guess whom?) curriculum to cover the material. There goes your homeschool freedom.
The truth is, I know few homeschoolers who are not influenced in some way by some of the ideas of unschooling or who do not develop or already possess, on their own, a responsiveness to their children's needs and interests and learning styles that is related to the ideas of unschooling.These homeschoolers act on this responsiveness they feel in wonderful ways, even tho' they may continue to basically use a structured curriculum -- but I think they would find they are far closer to unschoolers than many of them realize, if our educrats and legislators begin to look for ways to limit unschooling.It sort of reminds me of that phrase, "We are all Berliners" -- well, in many senses from the freedom/legal point of view, "We are all unschoolers." If my unschooling is prohibited/limited (and that really was a chilling statement the one authority made in the NYTimes article), then a non-unschooler/homeschooler may find her ability to choose curriculum and customize for her kids limited.
And, I will take the opportunity, one more time, to say that "unschooling" does not mean un-everything. My husband and I provide guidance, discipline, structure to our household -- we just happen to find that it works well to follow our children's interests as far as their learning goes, and we find that respecting their little selves is a great way to teach and model respect.We are not too different from "regular" homeschoolers.
I doubt seriously that there is a conspiracy in the media, but it is time we help these overly sheltered opinion-makers think outside the school yard fence. The reason they cannot comprehend the life of a homeschooler or unschooler is because they themselves have been institutionalized to think learning only happens when a child sits at a desk coloring ovals until a timer beeps. It's time someone told these columnists to stop, put your pencils down, turn in your article, and get outside for a dose of the real world. And if that doesn't help, try putting a box on top of your head and playing for an hour. Your children will love it, but do close the curtains first, your neighbors might think you're a nerd.
(HT: Gary for directing me to US News)
Other bloggers with something to say:
Nancy
Shannon
Related Tags: home school, homeschool, Dr. Phil, education, public school, home-school, unschooling, New York Times, parenting, homeschooling
3 Comments and Trackbacks
posted by Buckeyeblog on Nov. 29, 2006 at 1:07 PM
Doesn't this just "fry your bacon"?! These people are cloistered in their "ivory towers" of so-called journalism and they don't understand that we ARE homeschooling for the Real World. If anything, many homeschoolers are TOO concerned about the academics...
I've been our county's homeschool coordinator for over 10 years now. Right around the time our oldest daughter was about to cross over into Jr. High I feel that the Lord opened my eyes to see something that we needed to change in our homeschool. I began to notice that several homeschool grads were so "book smart" that they had no Life Skills. I knew of teen girls who couldn't fry an egg and teen boys who couldn't check the oil in their cars.
At that time I decided to gear their schooling so as to "learn from life." Yes, we still do "academics," although I completely skip 8th grade academics/lessons. I have found that 7th and 8th grades are basically wasted years - basically review and refine. I begin their High School academics in that 8th grade year. BUT - I DO NOT graduate them early. Their entire Senior year is dedicated to Life Skills that they haven't already learned, or mastered, since their 8th grade year. Having all daughters, I am raising them to be Keepers of Their Homes and I want to gift their future husbands by giving them a loving, godly wife who is capable of stepping right in and not only feeding him :-) but managing his home in a way the he will have no reason not to trust while he is away "at the city gates."
When we graduated our oldest daughter (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Buckeyeblog/153294), one of the things I did during her ceremony was to read off a list of activities she did, clubs she belonged to, etc. during her 13 year (counting K) homeschool career. I am STILL getting very positive feed-back from extended family members, friends, church members...who had NO IDEA that she - or any other homeschooler - could or would be involved in SO MUCH. Hopefully, their vision of homeschoolers being sheltered and stymied by staying in their homes all day were shattered. No kidding, at a family reunion in October her graduation was STILL a major conversation piece!
Dr. Phil said he had "research" that showed that the later a student is homeschooled - meaning the high school years - the slower and less socialized they are. I would LOVE to see that "research"! Personally, I think either he or his advisors were LYING!! EVERY BIT of legitimate research I've see shows quite the opposite! But I have all the research I need, I have daughters who have been homeschooled their whole lives and can hold a coversation with anyone of any age and hold eye contact and make them feel that their conversation is the most important part of that moment. They are not only actively sought out to babysit (although Jasper works now, but Jenna is available!) but even the eldest of our families and our church family seek out their company. I even had an 80+ year old lady from our church stop me and tell me that "it has been a pleasure to watch your girls grow up." It still brings tears to my eyes.
What is more important? That a child jump through so many politically correct hoops while they spend everyday having everything they need handed to them as they sit in one room with 30 kids who are all the same age - OR - someone who has learned to engage people with kindness and service, live a productive life, manage their home, care for their children, has learned how to make due with what one has and enjoy it? Someone who knows right from wrong? Someone who takes the lessons they've learned and will use them?
Judging by the public school kids I see roaming my neighborhood - and even in my church - I don't see them looking forward to a joyful, productive life. If anything, I see them EXPECTING to be handed Life on a platter and thinking that they can just skate their way through it. I pitty them when the storms of life hit, they will have no foundation - spiritually, academically OR in life skills - to know how to handle it. They have spent their lives only learning what they needed to know for their tests - I don't think Real Life was on those tests.
Thank you Lord for the freedom to homeschool and train them in the way they should go!
Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><
P.S. One of my workshops is on "Homeschooling as a Lifestyle."
posted by Mommy2fourCs on Nov. 30, 2006 at 10:38 AM
" The mother's conclusion was predictable, unschooling is just an excuse for lazy parenting."
No yeah thats why I homeschool, because I am lazy!!!! (ok, you are right, I am not a unschooler) Yep thats it. Excuse me!! seriously if I wanted some lazy days I would not have decide to educate my children at home!!! I am willing to bet, and I have not done the research but I bet there is not a single homeschool parent out there that could be called "lazy" We spent hours in researching subjects, book, learning styles, not to mention curriculums. Oh yes we are a lazy bunch! Give me a break.
posted by My4LittleWomen on Dec. 8, 2006 at 7:03 PM
So, is she saying the average ps 6yo is learning Latin???? (That seems to be what she is implying with her "playing in a box is a good as learning Latin" comment. Quite honestly, playing in a box may well be as good as what is done in many schools--especially if the child is not yet ready to read. At least it is creative, and it isn't making the child feel like a failure if they are just not ready.) Not to mention that few homeschooling kids do nothing but play in boxes all day long. If they do, they are likely to be playing Daniel Boone, or some such, and probably already know more about whomever they are imitating than most kids half-again that old.
And, what does the mom who tried unschooling for a day expect her kids to learn on their first day of school? If they get beyond passing out books and finding their lockers, it'd be more than *I* ever did on that first day. (My kids, on the other hand, would have spent such a day reading anything they could get their hands on, school or no school.)