UNSCHOOLING?????

[powderman]

http://www.embracethechaos.ca/2010/09/unschooling.html



Great new idea, no school, no teachers, no tests. WOW, talk about dumbing down. POWDERMAN. 

[lakota]

YAAAAAAY! And when they become adults they can champion the cause of "Unwork" A.K.A. welfare!

[guzzijohn]

I do see some merit in a utopian kind of way. As you see just from this forum there are many different personalities and outlooks on life, issues, etc. Students are the same way. They are each individuals but for the most part we try to teach them all the same way in the same setting. This more or less works for the majority but not all.
An example is a 15 year old student I had during my first year as a teacher (1977). This student was labeled with mild mental retardation. What I observed was that the student was a poor reader and didn't care for school (if you do not read well wouldn't most of us not care for school). This student was two years ahead of his age in math however. This student was a hard worker in general. When he obtained his driver's license he wanted a car. He was working part time making some money but came from a poor single parent home. He found two VW bugs, one with a good body but no engine and drive train. He bought it and located another VW that was totaled but had a good engine and drivetrain. He made a good running car out of the two by himself with no manuals and no outside help to speak of. He rewired his mothers dryer after a short caused a fire, again with no manuals or help. He could just look at something and figure it out but not from books or manuals. This student had to learn in ways different from most. I do not know what happened to him as an adult but my guess was that he is doing fine.
GuzziJohn
GuzziJohn

[MGMorden]

This is idiotic.  Grades K-12 aren't about "finding yourself".  They're about instilling a BASIC skill set needed to competently function in everyday life.  Sipping a latte and pondering the true meaning of life is no replacement for learning how to read/write and learning about mathematics. 

People can branch out and do that AFTER you've graduated high school.  If you want to go live in the mountains for 3-4 years then go "unschool" yourself there.

Without a serious push towards education and research the United States is going to fall farther and farther behind foreign students (who are already putting us to shame - while we worry about making school so easy that nobody fails, foreign students are actually put to a real challenge). 

[Dixie Dude]

I know someone who's kid had a problem in the first grade.  Pulled him out.  He was a carpenter.  Taught the boy to read, write, do math, fractions, and measurements it 8ths, 16ths, etc.  School board finally found out by the time he was 10.  The tested him, and put him in the 4th grade.  Dad took him to work with him every day, had him measuring wood, figuring lumber, etc.  School board finally found out by the time he was 10.  The tested him, and put him in the 4th grade, and the kid didn't miss a beat.  Parents can teach kids in the early years quite well.  They only need school for higher level math, expanding their vocabulary, and more in depth study of science and history.  I home schooled the first 6 years on my kids.  Have 5 out of 7 in college now.  They are having to work their way through, so sometimes it is part time and a slow go for them.  One is married, one didn't want to go to college, but is learning heating/air conditioning.   

[Pat/Rick]

This is idiotic.  Grades K-12 aren't about "finding yourself".  They're about instilling a BASIC skill set needed to competently function in everyday life.  Sipping a latte and pondering the true meaning of life is no replacement for learning how to read/write and learning about mathematics. 

People can branch out and do that AFTER you've graduated high school.  If you want to go live in the mountains for 3-4 years then go "unschool" yourself there.

Without a serious push towards education and research the United States is going to fall farther and farther behind foreign students (who are already putting us to shame - while we worry about making school so easy that nobody fails, foreign students are actually put to a real challenge). 

   Yep.  "No child left behind" has forced a lax ciriculum/testing slowing things down so "dummy dave/denise" can keep up. We had much smarter students when achievment was de rigour. Now we have everybody is special, everybody can go to college, everybody is a winner. Not so in the real world. I fault nobody for home schooling their childeren.

[powderman]

Passing used to be 75, maybe 70, not sure, when I was a kid in ILL. I believe it is 60 now or lower. Lowering the requirements are bad for everybody. There are a lot of high school grads who can't do basic math, or read and write past a 4th  grade level. Shoot, I know a 16 year old who can't even read a clock unless it's digital, he even needs a calculaor for basic math problems, and this boy makes straight As. YEP, we're dumbing down for sure. POWDERMAN. 

[lakota]

I know someone who's kid had a problem in the first grade.  Pulled him out.  He was a carpenter.  Taught the boy to read, write, do math, fractions, and measurements it 8ths, 16ths, etc.  School board finally found out by the time he was 10.  The tested him, and put him in the 4th grade.  Dad took him to work with him every day, had him measuring wood, figuring lumber, etc.  School board finally found out by the time he was 10.  The tested him, and put him in the 4th grade, and the kid didn't miss a beat.  Parents can teach kids in the early years quite well.  They only need school for higher level math, expanding their vocabulary, and more in depth study of science and history.  I home schooled the first 6 years on my kids.  Have 5 out of 7 in college now.  They are having to work their way through, so sometimes it is part time and a slow go for them.  One is married, one didn't want to go to college, but is learning heating/air conditioning.   

I in no way meant to slander home schooling in my previous post. I think it is probably better in most cases. The link above seems like they are just engaging in "free play" like nursery school