Homeschool or Public...
- Thread starter gr8mom
- Start date
Me too. I've never heard of "unschooling" and i wanted to hear more about it. Now that i have, it doesn't seem like something i would want to do.
a) theres no structure
b) i want luke to make new friends, and learn the experiences of having friends
a) theres no structure
b) i want luke to make new friends, and learn the experiences of having friends
<r><QUOTE author="yulia;41219"><s></s>Guys, what are you getting kicks or something from arguing with me??? <e></e></FONT><e>[/SIZE]</SIZE></e></SIZE><e>[/COLOR]</e></COLOR><br/>
<COLOR color="maroon"><s></s>I couldn’t care less if you school your kids or not! You can school them as much as you want…till their little brains explode, for all I care…
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Wow.<E></E> <br/>
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I'm not trying to argue. I'm just providing a different point of view. Or, rather, opinion.</r>
<COLOR color="maroon"><s></s>I couldn’t care less if you school your kids or not! You can school them as much as you want…till their little brains explode, for all I care…
<e></e></FONT><e>[/SIZE]</SIZE></e></SIZE><e>[/COLOR]</e></COLOR><e>[/quote]</e></QUOTE><br/>
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Wow.<E>
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I'm not trying to argue. I'm just providing a different point of view. Or, rather, opinion.</r>
That is FAR MORE likely to happen when the child is unschooled, by the way...[/quote]
lol how? By not introducing them to other children they will lack social skills, and that you need to learn by being around other children, seeing how other children will react to your child and vise versa.
lol how? By not introducing them to other children they will lack social skills, and that you need to learn by being around other children, seeing how other children will react to your child and vise versa.
Im confused why people think that homeschooled children do not get to know other kids and socialize. Do you think they don't go the the park, or the zoo, or play with the neighbor kids? Homeschooled children plenty of same-age interaction. Just because it is not for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week does not mean they are isolated or stunted. That is like saying a SAHM is emotionally scarred becasue she is not in the workplace with her peers.
My kids will go to public school. I plan on going back to work and I honestly don't want to homeschool. I think about what I wanted whenever I was their age. I enjoyed public school, I was extremly social and loved having a lot of friends. I want that for my girls. I have a few friends that were homeschooled and I just find it really challenging to the parent because of the eduational requirements and other things. I am happy for any parent that can do it because I'm sure all that time with your kids is wonderful and having a say in what your child learns is great...it's just not for me.
GR8MOM - If your posted this ... I appologize and direct me to the posting number ... but what is the reason you want to home school ... what is the reason you feel that you can better teach all subjects to a child when you are not trained yourself as an educator, nor have the resources.
Yulia - after reading a little on unschooling, I can see the basic premise, and IMO the reason people resist this from the start is the name... as with many "alternate ways" are given names that draw attention.. usually negative as they go "against society".
Could you possible list to me 6 people who have been unschooled, who have become well known through their education and career path?
I think we all have our reasons for our actions... I live in an area of many cultures, sub-cultures and clans.
We have many classes, tree huggers, granola eaters, yuppies, dinks ... name it .. its here. I think many are looking for a "new way" .. a "better way" ... and theres a lot of blind faith and following.
For those that have complaints about the public education system ... answer this ... what have YOU done in YOUR community to help improve it? Have you gone and sat in the classroom and hepled the teacher? .. Offered your time for any reason? .. Or do you just expect it all done for you?
Its not just out schools ... its society thats failing us ... because we are failing society. Everyone wants the quick fix, fast food, miracle pill, cell phone, PDA.. etc etc ... we want everything done FOR us and we want it done NOW.
Take a moment .. get involved ... find out what your community needs .. because I will bet .. it needs you.
Yulia - after reading a little on unschooling, I can see the basic premise, and IMO the reason people resist this from the start is the name... as with many "alternate ways" are given names that draw attention.. usually negative as they go "against society".
Could you possible list to me 6 people who have been unschooled, who have become well known through their education and career path?
I think we all have our reasons for our actions... I live in an area of many cultures, sub-cultures and clans.
We have many classes, tree huggers, granola eaters, yuppies, dinks ... name it .. its here. I think many are looking for a "new way" .. a "better way" ... and theres a lot of blind faith and following.
For those that have complaints about the public education system ... answer this ... what have YOU done in YOUR community to help improve it? Have you gone and sat in the classroom and hepled the teacher? .. Offered your time for any reason? .. Or do you just expect it all done for you?
Its not just out schools ... its society thats failing us ... because we are failing society. Everyone wants the quick fix, fast food, miracle pill, cell phone, PDA.. etc etc ... we want everything done FOR us and we want it done NOW.
Take a moment .. get involved ... find out what your community needs .. because I will bet .. it needs you.
I believe that the early years are most important to a child's education. That it's better to have one on one schooling sesions with someone who loves and knows you than to sit in a classroom with 20 other children who are all being taught the same way even if it isn't the best way they can learn. I also believe that saying homeschooled children are socially stunted is ridiculous. There are plenty of different ways to meet other children, church, extracirricular activities, going to the park. I do not believe I'm better at teaching than trained teachers which is why I said I want to go to college and get a BA or better in teaching. I want to do everything I can to make sure I'm qualified to teach my children so my children can have the best homeschooling education there is.
There are other forums that discuss unschooling. A frequent topic is "What is unschooling?". Here's some answers from unschooling parents and experts:HappyMomma said:
Unschooling v. Homeschooling
The differences are that with homeschooling you are in charge of what your child will learn. With unschooling, your child decides what they want to do. With homeschooling you might make your child do math, language arts, science,etc whether they want to or not. Unschooling: Your child might decide just to watch tv all day or read only about Egyptians. And you'd need to be okay with that.
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Unschooling encompasses the belief that your child will learn and grow (and flourish!) just by living life, with you as an involved parent. No formal instruction or "coercian" is needed. The family follows their own interests and desires without feeling the pressure to syudy certain subjects at a certain time.
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When I explain unschooling to someone, I just say we LIVE. I mean that´s what we do. We have as much fun as possible, we explore, find out stuff together and separately. One thing leads to another. Sometimes we will be on our way to one thing, but on our way we get caught up in another - so the day plan might change as we go along.
We also have loads of days doing nothing in particular - so important I find.
Another thing I like to remind myself of is that it's not for me to tell my son what has value for him in terms of learning. If I let him be, and let him discover his own way - everthing HE finds has value to HIM.
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This is also known as interest driven, child-led, natural, organic, eclectic, or self-directed learning. Lately, the term "unschooling" has come to be associated with the type of homeschooling that doesn't use a fixed curriculum. When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world, as their parents can comfortably bear. The advantage of this method is that it doesn't require you, the parent, to become someone else, i.e. a professional teacher pouring knowledge into child-vessels on a planned basis. Instead you live and learn together, pursuing questions and interests as they arise and using conventional schooling on an "on demand" basis, if at all.
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We started unschooling as an educational philosophy in October. It took about 2 days before we realized that for us, it wasn't just educational. At that time I wasn't completely comfortable letting go of the education stuff, so if ds wanted to stay up late playing a board game or something I started feeling like by making him go to bed I was potentially keeping him from an educational opportunity. So we did away with bedtimes.
Before deciding to unschool, my kids had very limited 'media' time. There was absolutely no TV, and ds was allowed 30 minutes of computer time a day. We would watch a DVD as a family every few days. I really hated (and still do) the commercialism/consumerism aspect of TV, and really didn't want them to get hooked on certain characters and get all crazy. I also simply don't like the way a lot of cartoon characters behave. But, once we started the unschooling process, it just made us think about everything differently. We started to realize that if we trust that our children can learn on their own terms, why shouldn't they be trusted to go to bed when tired, eat healthy food or junk food when it feels right to them, and watch TV or play computer when they want to. And that they are capable of watching TV without getting crazy about that stuff.
Things just started to click. I realized that I didn't even like thinking of things in terms of what we ALLOW them to do. They should just have those rights. I started just presenting him with information and letting him decide what felt right for him. I really hated the idea of him constantly looking to an outside source of approval. After all, if I want to be able to trust his judgments as a teenager in 'peer pressure' situations, shouldn't he be listening to instincts about things now? And wont he value and respect my opinions more if he knows I value and respect his opinions?
Just accepting that he is who he is, I can't 'make' him into anything, and shouldn't want to. Relinquishing control, giving up the notion that I need to mold him. And most importantly, accepting that he might not, and often doesn't choose what I would choose for him..really being OK with that.
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Unschooling and kids' schedules
Except that it's all totally their choice. This is well demonstrated by my eldest, who often bucks these family trends in a big way, going to bed at 5 a.m., practicing piano just once or twice a week, not touching math for months or years. And sometimes someone will say "naw, I don't feel like doing math" or "I'm too tired to feel like practicing" or "I'm going to go back and play on the computer. G'night mom." And that's totally fine. All I do is make myself available on a regular basis for various things, helping get them initiated -- since my kids know they are not very good at initiating the things they want to do and ask for my help with this. We have frequent democratic family meetings and discussions and this informal rhythm to our days it totally at their request, and re-assessed / revisited at least once a week.
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I disagree with the philosophy and approach, but I find the posts about it interesting.
gr8mom
"<I>I believe that the early years are most important to a child's education.</I>"
I agree and believe that its actual fact
Would one on one schooling restrict the amount of knowledge the "teacher" would have? After all, the reality is, no one person is going to know everything that a plethora of teachers will know
As far as kids being taught the best way for THEM to learn... why not Montessori ?
Do you feel theres merit to the argument that spending that much time with your child can take some OUT of your relationship. What I mean by that, is most couples cant live and work together... its too much time with one person and you become desensitized to them. Do you not feel that the same could happen with a child... that either one could essentially get "tired" of the time with the other and not appreciate and respect it?
An interesting debate has exploded into the mainstream as a California appellate ruling that bans homeschooling by uncredentialed parents.
ARI2 - I think the "theory" lends to the idea of we should be "friends" with our children... more so than "parental figures" ... I know of many that have done this ... but none that have done it with success. I actually know many adults that were "friends" with their parents and they now admit they wished they had more discipline and parents over friendship with their parents
EDIT - Ive been doing some reading .. and one argument Ive come across is school playground "antics" .... for eg; teasing other kids ... "four eyes" etc... I DO have a reply to that ...
learn to suck it up and thicken your skin .... its reality ... LIFE isnt fair... kids arent fair .. and adults are worse ... and if you think THATS tough ... how about half the job market out there where theres always a handful of peeole waiting to slit your throat so they can get and extra coffee break and free donut.
"<I>I believe that the early years are most important to a child's education.</I>"
I agree and believe that its actual fact
Would one on one schooling restrict the amount of knowledge the "teacher" would have? After all, the reality is, no one person is going to know everything that a plethora of teachers will know
As far as kids being taught the best way for THEM to learn... why not Montessori ?
Do you feel theres merit to the argument that spending that much time with your child can take some OUT of your relationship. What I mean by that, is most couples cant live and work together... its too much time with one person and you become desensitized to them. Do you not feel that the same could happen with a child... that either one could essentially get "tired" of the time with the other and not appreciate and respect it?
An interesting debate has exploded into the mainstream as a California appellate ruling that bans homeschooling by uncredentialed parents.
ARI2 - I think the "theory" lends to the idea of we should be "friends" with our children... more so than "parental figures" ... I know of many that have done this ... but none that have done it with success. I actually know many adults that were "friends" with their parents and they now admit they wished they had more discipline and parents over friendship with their parents
EDIT - Ive been doing some reading .. and one argument Ive come across is school playground "antics" .... for eg; teasing other kids ... "four eyes" etc... I DO have a reply to that ...
learn to suck it up and thicken your skin .... its reality ... LIFE isnt fair... kids arent fair .. and adults are worse ... and if you think THATS tough ... how about half the job market out there where theres always a handful of peeole waiting to slit your throat so they can get and extra coffee break and free donut.
After reading all those facts about unschooling I really don't think it's for my family! It just doesn't go along with what I believe children should be thought. I agree that it's interesting to read about...but I think it's kind of setting your child up for failure. Excuse me if that sounds a little blunt.
A child decides what's best for them to learn? I know that if my child could decide what she wanted to do all day...she would watch Aladdin and The Little Mermaid all day long. So as the parent I have to step in and find something to keep her mind off the tv. What if a child doesn't want to learn math? I know I didn't want too! It's an important skill to have. You're children could be years behind others if they just have no interest. One would be lucky to have a child that wants to do nothing but learn.
What if your child wants to grow up and be a doctor, lawyer, something that requires college...they need a formal education. They can read all the medical books, law books they want...but there is so much more that they need to be taught.
Another thing...what about English with verbs...??? The proper way to speak, write? There is just sooo much that I think a child should know by the time they graduate high school. I think that a parent with a proper education can definitely give a child this education...but unschooling? I'm just unsure.
A child decides what's best for them to learn? I know that if my child could decide what she wanted to do all day...she would watch Aladdin and The Little Mermaid all day long. So as the parent I have to step in and find something to keep her mind off the tv. What if a child doesn't want to learn math? I know I didn't want too! It's an important skill to have. You're children could be years behind others if they just have no interest. One would be lucky to have a child that wants to do nothing but learn.
What if your child wants to grow up and be a doctor, lawyer, something that requires college...they need a formal education. They can read all the medical books, law books they want...but there is so much more that they need to be taught.
Another thing...what about English with verbs...??? The proper way to speak, write? There is just sooo much that I think a child should know by the time they graduate high school. I think that a parent with a proper education can definitely give a child this education...but unschooling? I'm just unsure.
AnKsMommy said:
lol...no kidding.
I'm not sure how it all works, but I thought a teacher needed to have a degree in the subject they are teaching? That means they are pretty darn knowledgable.
Why would a parent think they could teach better than professionals?
I would love for someone to expand on this. Seeing that i <I>wasn't</I> homeschool or "unschooled" i was wondering how DO kids then meet and interact with other kids, especially if they are <I>only children</I>. How do they learn to share, and so on what a public school kindergarten class would illustrate?:skeptical:ivybendorf said: