Unschooling: An Encouraging Option

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

       Llewellyn's position may seem extreme, and the reality is that unschooling may not be for everyone; there are, after all, children who thrive and seem very happy in the structured hierarchical world of middle school and high school.

This lends credibility to the entire argument.  In every other case I have read, the argument is either that homeschooling is universally a disaster, or that homeschooling is a universal panacea that should be adopted by everyone.

I have been against homeschooling since it became a movement, but this article has given me a reason to reconsider the subject.

Yeah, Nigel and I share a friend on FB who homeschools. I had my head turned around on the homeschooling issue as well this year. Her kids are so so smart and so damned good. The oldest is my son's age but she's more like a teenager--she actually taught me that you can substitute canned pumpkin in certain baking recipes if you're out of egg. She found this information on her own because she ran out of egg one day and the way she is schooled, you don't get an A by paraphrasing exactly what's in chapter 2, figure 3. You have to be resourceful and seek out answers to your own problems and questions. My son plays with Jessica's younger kids because mentally, emotionally and developmentally, Lex is closer to their level--and he's very bright himself (not just bias. He gets the "He's so smart, why won't he work up to his potential?" speech I did).

The difference is; Jessica's kids are not wasting precious, formative brainspace on useless hierarchical bullshit. They're liberated from all that. They're not being packed full of fluff. Are they able to be disciplined and "toe the line?" Can they "survive out there" in a world among peers who have learned to play academic hopscotch? Dude, they're toeing a further line. No sweat.

You ever go on an all-night wiki-surf and absorb SOOOOOO much information and think to yourself "I wonder what I would have turned out to be like if I'd had access to all this shit (and time to think about it) at age 8?"

Well, that's her kids. They get to be the smart kids AND the cool kids too. Unhindered by social inhibition of any sort. School takes place 24/7 when Jessica hands the middle-child a handful of change at the checkout line and says "count this, make sure it's right." The youngest gets P.E. in the form of separate soccer classes at the Y or whatever. She takes them to parks. She teaches accurate history right from the get-go so they don't find themselves at age 20 with silly "black-or-white" archetype parables in their heads, out-of touch with what motivates history, saying things like "WTF do you MEAN Lincoln was a racist?" They are smart, nerdy, confident, gentle, helpful and responsible. They don't care about the latest toys or about wearing sketchers or adidas or whatever. The oldest is ten.

Lex thinks they're the coolest people he's ever met. Of course, he's right.

Jessica is a remarkable woman, and in my opinion, she is doing exactly the right thing with her kids, to a degree that I envy, because I should have done the same thing with mine.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

Thanks!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

Thanks!

Of course, it's not feasible on any sort of population-based level. 

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

Thanks!

Of course, it's not feasible on any sort of population-based level. 

Of course not. Do you really think all those parents can afford drug sniffing dogs?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

Thanks!

Of course, it's not feasible on any sort of population-based level. 

Of course not. Do you really think all those parents can afford drug sniffing dogs?

Certainly not! And most kids are Those People, and we know how they are.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

What's both interesting and horrible is  that I tend to hear the same thing over and over: "My child used to like  school, but things started to go downhill in middle school. Now he's depressed and suicidal, and he hates school. I just want him to make it through to graduation, and then things will get better".

WHY are we willing to do this to our kids?

This needs to go fucking VIRAL.

Feel free to spread it around.

Thanks!

Of course, it's not feasible on any sort of population-based level. 

Of course not. Do you really think all those parents can afford drug sniffing dogs?

Certainly not! And most kids are Those People, and we know how they are.

[Sita]

I would love to unschool my son, but he doesn't have the drive to learn on his own. And I don't have the patience it would require to get him to learn.
So sadly school is the best for him, despite the stupidity of it all.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

He has no interests or curiousity at all, Sita?
Somehow I doubt that. 

[Sita]

He'd rather watch tv, play outside or play video games.
And if you try and get him to learn something while doing one of those things he gets in a hissy.

[Salty]

He'd rather watch tv, play outside or play video games.
And if you try and get him to learn something while doing one of those things he gets in a hissy.

Are you meeting him at those interests or are you trying to get him to.learn what you think?
Do you ask detailed questions about the games he plays? Who are those characters in the game? What's the overal plot? What about the he is easy or challenging? When he plays outside, what does he do? How can you be actively invved with that. If he likes to play war games outside get some cammo and face paint, read the Art of War and slip in little tidbits.

Those things he's doing are not any.more.or less valuable than any other activity, provided your intense interests meet his. Once that happens you will be like unto a GOD

[Sita]

He'd rather watch tv, play outside or play video games.
And if you try and get him to learn something while doing one of those things he gets in a hissy.

Are you meeting him at those interests or are you trying to get him to.learn what you think?
Do you ask detailed questions about the games he plays? Who are those characters in the game? What's the overal plot? What about the he is easy or challenging? When he plays outside, what does he do? How can you be actively invved with that. If he likes to play war games outside get some cammo and face paint, read the Art of War and slip in little tidbits.

Those things he's doing are not any.more.or less valuable than any other activity, provided your intense interests meet his. Once that happens you will be like unto a GOD

I've tried asking questions, he gets annoyed and doesn't want to answer.
In games he skips past all the story bits (and half the time the tutorial as well) because that is boring and is just something that gets in the way of the action.
Playing outside he mainly is running around with the other kids, usually pretending to shoot each other. He does like sports, but more as a freestyle. Tossing a football, shooting a few hoops, that sort of thing.

[Salty]

Its not just questions, you have to, to a point, actively engage him in those games. Or, better yet, buy a game he doesn't have and YOU play it. If its a cool game he will want to play with tou, and then you can set the conditions for learning about it.

But I'm new to this whole thing too and that's just my 2cents.