60 minutes story on Sunday- unschooling

Tegam, I guess I am thinking of those in the US who also stockpile rifles because the government is trying to take away their freedoms. Survivalists, fundamentalists, creationists.... There are millions of them! I belong to some FB groups (nothing to do with education) and they are there in all their glory, appalling grammar and spelling, incoherent arguments, wacko ideas and all ;) I suspect that, in the US anyway, the majority of homeschooling is not done by perfectly reasonable, (ironically) highly educated, middle class people with gentle parenting backgrounds. It's done by those who want to keep the secular, worldly wolves from the door and their own children from independent thought and from being tainted by outside influences.

At the end of the day, it's not anyone on bb that you need to explain or justify your choices to- it's your children. One day they will ask you why you have done this to them. One day they will want you to explain yourself.

:

---

I'm going to be upfront and say what I think you already know :) I'm not a fan on homeschooling or unschooling at all. However, what you do with regards to your children's education is your business. I respect your choices, even if I don't agree with them.

I do have a couple of genuine questions though. I'm not wanting a debate. I'm just honestly curious. So here goes...

One of the issues I have is that in many homeschool environments I see (particularly those which are religion based) children are 'kept from' those who are different. Even when it's not a conscious choice on the parents' part, they naturally spend the vast majority of their time with people who have the same attitudes/backgrounds as them (ie. their friends and family). Socialisation involves mixing with people who are your polar opposite, people you don't like and who don't like you, people who will antagonize you and make your life difficult and learning how to thrive in that environment. School, like life, is a huge melting pot of personalities, beliefs, values, backgrounds, attitudes, behaviours, ect. When you go there, you learn how to negotiate, and thrive in that every day. When I hear homeschoolers say, "little Joey isn't missing out on socialisation because we play with friends, or go to a homeschool co-op, etc every week", my immediate thought is that little Joey is missing out by not co-existing with people who don't like him, or who don't share his attitudes on life. Joey is being brought up in a protective social bubble. A controlled environment masquerading as educational freedom. How do you allow for this?

My second question is, what would you do if your child/ren turned around and blamed your educational choices for them for them not being able to pursue a career path they wanted to pursue?? I realise this can happen to any parent, whether they homeschool or not, but some of the homeschooling parents I have come across (albeit mostly in the media) are as dumb as lumps and couldn't teach a dog to sit (NOT REFERRING TO YOU JF :lol: ) I imagine their children are going to be woefully unprepared for formal tertiary study.

---

Ask away, I will do my best to answer.

Homeschoolers are not a homogeneous group so even if we were only mixing with them (we're not), there is diversity. There are single parents, same-sex parents, blended families, low income, high income, different cultures and different religions. There are a lot of children with extra needs too (my eldest is one of them). I went to a top end religious private school, that can be a pretty insular environment.

I am going to share a couple of examples, they do involve Heaven and her children. I worry when I speak about our friendship and our girls friendship often that people assume it is the only one we have, it isn't that; it is that she is here too, she can chime in, she is aware I am sharing so I feel more comfortable talking about it then if I was discussing somebody who isn't a part of BB and might not want to be discussed here.

So we have different religious beliefs, her family and mine. We have been to their house many times, they have children's books that are of a religious nature, I have read them to my children and that is a way in which that religion has been opened up to my children for us to discuss and explore. And I am happy to do that, I will actively be doing that (Study of Religion was one of my most favourite classes in high school, I adore learning about others, about history and culture and religion is weaved through all of that). And it works the same for other cultures too, my DD1 has a friend who was born in America and we were able to celebrate thanksgiving with them last year and I will always be open to that, to finding opportunities to experience different rituals and celebrations with people in our community. As well as exploring them through books or film and TV or bringing other things into our home. I want my children to be exposed to as much of the world as I can manage with the time that we have, it is such a beautiful vibrant place out there and that is part of why we choose this lifestyle; we want to be out there in it amongst it all. And even just within my family, their cousins and relatives of various titles are from many different places and religions and life choices also (there are many vegetarians for example).

We also go to the park most days, around 3 or 4pm because it is cooling down and so we happen to catch the regular after school crowd. It is generally the same kids each day, I'm sure there are playground politics DD1 has had to navigate; sometimes she plays with them or others or her sister or alone. We still keep in touch with friends from her time in kindy (2.5 days a week year before schooling and there is actually a full blown reunion in a week LOL I just thought that was cute and funny) and from her mother's group (we are catching up in a couple of weekends time, it is harder now that they are all off to school but we do what we can). I do really hope my kids will have a varied and diverse pool of people to connect and learn from and I think just being welcome to that and aware of that will help us ensure it happens.

On the not getting along, well that happens too. My DD1 and Heaven's DD1 have had disagreements, they have had to negotiate less than pleasant situations. I mean my daughter takes time to warm, even though she is excited to see Heaven's DD1 she can't just jump into it social situations and Heaven's DD1 has had to figure that out because her excitement is expressed differently to my DD1's, it is usually gorgeously loud and physical and we let them work it out together, Heaven's DD1 is brilliant with my DD1, she gives her space, she waits for her to come to her, she gets it and we haven't had to explain any of this to her, she just gets it. Kids are far more intuitive than they are given credit for sometimes.

On the last point, I don't know what to really say. There are probably parents who shouldn't home educate. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater; those are faults with the parents, not the concept. I hope my children don't grow up resentful, I can accept them questioning or disagreeing with our choices but they don't need to be a victim of their circumstances, whatever they want to do I will help them to achieve that; I will hear their criticisms and then I will say "I hear you, now what can we do about it? How can we get you where you want to go?" - if they want to be a doctor we can work towards that or a lawyer or a engineer or anything. You can go back to TAFE and get a year 12 certificate if that ends up being important or necessary (or they could choose to go to school at some stage). I don't agree with everything my parents choose for me as a child but I respect them, I appreciate them and I understand they were doing what they thought best, I don't resent it or begrudge them. Being a parent is rarely about the choices we make but what is going on in the background, the relationship we have with our children, the intent behind our actions so I hope they will always be able to appreciate the intent even if they disagree with the choices it brought.

I definitely don't agree with homeschooling because you want to keep kids away from people. That's never been my reason. I've only ever wanted to give them more. And I don't intend for them to only socialize with other homeschoolers either. There's many more opportunities for socialization than that. I also don't think school guarantees a well socialized kid. There's no guarantees either way. I went to a private school. All of my teachers were Australian, I never had any from a different culture than mine. I can't even think of anyone in my grade level that was from a different culture. And all extra-curricular activities were through the school as well so even though I went to school I only socialized with people who were like myself. I'm confident I can do better than that. Although I think I turned out alright anyway, LOL.

In regards to your second question n2l I don't see it as a homeschool issue. That could happen to anyone. We are all making the choices for our kids education. I'm pretty confident that won't happen though. Whatever they want to do or be we will make it happen. That might even involve school in later years. Maybe they'll want to get an OP. Who knows! My oldest is only 5 right now but as long as this works we'll be sticking with homeschooling :)

Thanks for asking respectfully even though you don't agree.

You homeschool Heaven? Or not yet formally due to age? Or will you unschool?

I am surprised at the strength of conviction from those who are anti-unschooling. I can't see how their choice to unschool affects me in anyway. And as far as disadvantaging the children, there are arguments for and against. There are children who are disadvantaged at school too.

I choose to live a million miles from anyone who my children are related too. They miss out on family, cousins, big birthdays, Christmases etc. No one comes to grandparent day. This is my choice. Perhaps one day my children will resent my choice. Challenge me to justify my decision and how it impacted on them. I will have to explain that, on balance, I felt it was right for our family. Who knows either way - we are just doing our best. We can all apply that analogy to lots of situations.

Yes, we homeschool Lenny :) DD1 would be in prep this year so I guess this is our first year going by school years. Although compulsory school age isn't until 6 years so you don't have to register until then.

I'm not sure how I would describe us though. DD is young so I am keeping everything play based for as long as I can. We are definitely into interest led, hands on, natural learning. Whatever works basically! lol.

Does school really teach openness and tolerance of other people? If it did then bullying wouldn't be such a problem.

Just because diversity might exist in a school community doesn't mean the kids are given tools to negotiate the variety of people and minority groups. And diversity in a school setting is not a given anyway since suburbs often have a specific socio-economic median, and cultural majority.

Again, blanket yes or no is never going to work for this debate. Each family makes decisions that best suit them at the time. I never thought I would raise my kids on a busy road in urban Melbourne, with no backyard and without family around. Hey, it's the way it's turned out. I can't make jobs magically appear in the country or in the city where my family live. My kids have a lot to complain about by some people's standards.

No one has answered my question yet about what if your child wants to play on their wii all day because that is where their interest takes them?

Well what would you do if your kids wanted to play Wii all day Ginger? I'm sure an unschooling parent would be similar. Maybe set a time limit, or only play certain games.

They could also see if the technology side appeals to the child. Teach them about how the games are created, programming, engineering. Almost everything can lead somewhere if you're active with it, rather than passive (so the parents getting involved in the game and teaching what they can, rather than just letting the kids mindlessly play for hours on end).

but wouldn't that contradict the principles of un-schooling? isn't it supposed to be about what the child wants to do?

also, my kids don't have time to spend on their wii all day because they are at school.

True Arcadia! I never ever thought I'd end up homeschooling. I may have had some very narrow minded opinions of it myself in the past. But here I am. Never expected I'd breastfeed a toddler either. Parenting changed my mind on a lot of things. Who knows where the future will take us!

I think JF explained it well that it's not *just* what the child wants to do, it's a partnership and the parents are providing a lot of interesting and engaging activities for them. Kids are by nature curious and inquisitive, if there are good opportunities provided such as I've seen, I really can't imagine that a child would instead choose to sit and play a game console all day. Especially if this has been their life all along - active, engaging, learning, why would they suddenly decide to just sit and do nothing?

Or, if you don't want your kids doing that type of activity, just don't buy a Wii.

Or put the Wii away, out of sight out of mind works a treat in my house ;)

I guess there could definitely be questions when the children are older as to why their parents decided to homeschool/unschooling and perhaps they may feel like they have missed out on something but at the end of the day if that child is successful in life and gets to where they want to be then isn't that all that matters?

For personal experience both me and my DH never went well at school or in a structured learning environment, however when we both left school and found our passion we were motivated to learn because it was something that interested us and we are now both extremely successful in our fields.. And I think , from what I have read, unschooling follows that principal (correct me if I'm wrong) that if a child is interested In something that child will be more involved in a project/subject/lesson therefore they are getting more out of their child, the trick is just to expose them to a wide variety of subjects and see what lights the spark and running with that and exploring all aspects of that curiosity, and I think that is absolutely fantastic! I think that children should be excited to learn and be interested in what they are taught..

There are many things that I was forced to learn in school that, not that I even remember what was taught most of the time, has never benefitted me in life so I would be highly skeptical to say that school is in fact the better option for EVERY child..

There is never only one way to do things, there is never one right way to do things..

The more I follow this thread the more jealous I become that I am not in a position to do this with my daughter as I think she would benefit so much more from this than school!

but what if the child asks you to get the wii out of the hiding place because that is what they want to do today. isn't it supposed to be about what the child wants?

Ginger your responses are getting worse and worse.... A debate is fun to read, this is not.

We don't have a wii, my kids don't watch tv, they don't have iPods or anything electrical. They play, board games, they ride bikes they play in sand pits they draw. They go to school but they have all weekend to ask for this but don't. Dd1 and dd2 are 9 and 7 in yrs 5 and 2 they know they exists but still don't ask. No biggy.

I can't imagine that unschooling or gentle parenting would mean they could eat what they want, play what they want sleep when they want. It's team parenting. They spend all day interacting and encouraging their kids to learn. Not work all day and encourage their kids to leave them alone on weekends (how most of my friends use the electrical devises - cheap babysitting).

:

---

isn't it supposed to be about what the child wants?

---

That's not the message i took out of JFs masses of responses. Encouragement, variety, interests, starting something and seeing where it leads. And a lot of hard work too, by the looks of it!

Ginger, your low opinion of children's capacity for competence is highly obvious. It's a good idea you have chosen not to pursue unschooling but please stop placing your limiting judgements on other people's children. It's just dragging the thread down.

I don't have a low opinion of children's competence. I am just a realist. I don't believe that unschooling will work well in practice. The wii could be a metaphor for many things. It's not about the wii. It is about children not being mature enough to completely direct their own learning. People are getting upset with me about the wii question because they can't actually answer it.

And yet when asked what research you have that supports your beliefs you couldn't answer. And you also said you know no unschooling families. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but when it is an uninformed one I'm not interested. And when it also comes with insults, people generally aren't too motivated to continue answering ridiculous questions.

:

---

I'm going to be upfront and say what I think you already know I'm not a fan on homeschooling or unschooling at all. However, what you do with regards to your children's education is your business. I respect your choices, even if I don't agree with them.

I do have a couple of genuine questions though. I'm not wanting a debate. I'm just honestly curious. So here goes...

One of the issues I have is that in many homeschool environments I see (particularly those which are religion based) children are 'kept from' those who are different. Even when it's not a conscious choice on the parents' part, they naturally spend the vast majority of their time with people who have the same attitudes/backgrounds as them (ie. their friends and family). Socialisation involves mixing with people who are your polar opposite, people you don't like and who don't like you, people who will antagonize you and make your life difficult and learning how to thrive in that environment. School, like life, is a huge melting pot of personalities, beliefs, values, backgrounds, attitudes, behaviours, ect. When you go there, you learn how to negotiate, and thrive in that every day. When I hear homeschoolers say, "little Joey isn't missing out on socialisation because we play with friends, or go to a homeschool co-op, etc every week", my immediate thought is that little Joey is missing out by not co-existing with people who don't like him, or who don't share his attitudes on life. Joey is being brought up in a protective social bubble. A controlled environment masquerading as educational freedom. How do you allow for this?

---

I'm with N2L on this. I also agree with Ginger that sometimes the choice to unschool is often driven by selfish needs of the parents. I have seen it work, I have also seen it fail terribly. I've taught a child who made the transition from unschooling (well he was apparently meant to be homeschooled, but spending all day unsupervised in the town library accessing their free internet to play video games is not schooling.) and there were HUGE gaps in his learning. Huge. He was rude, had no social skills, did not form healthy peer relationships and thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted in my class because that's what he was used to doing. He was extremely unprepared for participation in mainstream schooling and more than likely life itself.

I think at a very basic level, unschooling can be a positive environment but what would you say about parents who are woefully unprepared for life themselves who want to unschool their children? Parents are not always the best educators. I'm sorry, but they're not. I'm not saying that you are in this category JF, but some are. The parents of the boy I had in my class were not fit to be in that role. They didn't raise a child who experienced a natural love of learning, they raised a self-indulgent little turd who had no respect for anyone or anything. What I do think though Jellyfish, is that you do unschooling a disservice by not acknowledging that there can be significant problems with it and that it doesn't always work out well. And I think N2L's post raises some extremely valid points. What do you do when you don't *fit* with the other unschooling/homeschooling community around you? The unschooling/homeschooling community is relatively small so how do you make up for not fitting in with other like-minded people? Would you agree that some of these people have an agenda and it's because of a greater dissatisfaction with life/govt/society that they would rather 'check out' and live off the grid as much as possible to the detriment of their child's education? Would you also agree that unschooled children can grow up to have a very very limited education if their 'interests' were very narrow? Because wouldn't it be a violation of the very tenets of unschooling if you're directing them away from what they want to learn? Are you prepared to give them the experience of things that you don't necessarily agree with or like so they can make a fully informed decision about something and whether they want to follow that path of learning? What if their desire to learn took them down a path that you weren't entirely happy with? For example, a child displays an extreme liking for chemical reactions and their thirst for learning led them to explosives and eventually weaponry - would you be happy with that? (I do understand that this is an extreme example, but it's not implausible) Would you support it? I think has the potential to open a pandora's box that some parents may not be prepared for or would be willing to travel down. How broad are you willing to take their education? If you let them follow their interest, what happens if that interest is something you can't provide for them? You don't work so I'm assuming that you rely on a single income so how do you afford to give them the experiences that they want? There isn't always going to be an *expert* within your community to access it for free (I do accept that this sometimes happens in a mainstream education environment as well)

And don't get me wrong, I am under no illusion at all that mainstream education is perfect, because I can accept that it does have it's failings and for some children homeschooling is the best option (even if it's not to a strict curriculum), but I don't fully support or endorse unschooling because despite what the ads say, you (the generic) are not always your child's best teacher. I don't think kids have the cognitive ability to make decisions about their own education until they are much older.

I think perhaps you have just missed the point or do not properly understand the concept and rather than researching to broaden your knowledge you have formed a very strong uneducated opinion...

With regard to the Wii question I actually don't think it has any relevance and only seems to prove that you have missed the point..

Unschooling is not for everyone, obviously, but I think it has it's merits and I think that it's great that there are different options for schooling our children because not all children are the same..

As for the 60 minutes story, I'm not expecting anything positive. I remember the absolute hack job they did on attachment parenting years ago where they showed an EC'ed child crapping on the floor and made a comment about this is what attachment parenting's all about. They aren't interested in quality journalism, that's why they choose topics like this because they know it's going to divide. Hell, they may as well trot out the same old bottle v boob debate.

I don't think you're talking about unschooling Trillian. Even if they called it that. Sounds like laziness to me. Unschooling doesn't mean uninvolved at all. You need to be constantly involved and attentive and one step ahead. I get your point, homeschooling isn't for everyone, that doesn't mean it can't work really well. The same as school, can be good or bad.

Ugh sorry, trying to type and feed a baby, not working, lol.

:

---

With regard to the Wii question I actually don't think it has any relevance and only seems to prove that you have missed the point..

---

Ginger explained that it was a metaphor that could apply to anything. She hasn't missed the point and it's a valid question to ask and has yet been unanswered. Just because someone doesn't know someone in person who has done something doesn't mean they are uneducated or uninformed. Just as doing that thing doesn't make a person the authority on something. I make ****ing sensational pickles and preserves. Doesn't mean I'm an authority on it ;)

:

---

And yet when asked what research you have that supports your beliefs you couldn't answer. And you also said you know no unschooling families. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but when it is an uninformed one I'm not interested. And when it also comes with insults, people generally aren't too motivated to continue answering ridiculous questions.

---

That's funny. I could've sworn you did a hair flip and left the thread a few pages back. Anyways, it's an opinion. My opinion. I didn't realize that opinions on bb needed to be backed up with hours of google research. I must've missed that memo.

Oh and btw, I'm still waiting for answer to my wii question. People keep dismissing it because they simply cannot answer it.

:

---

That's funny. I could've sworn you did a hair flip and left the thread a few pages back. Anyways, it's an opinion. My opinion. I didn't realize that opinions on bb needed to be backed up with hours of google research. I must've missed that memo.

---

That's what I said. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. You should try reading posts.

:

---

Oh and btw, I'm still waiting for answer to my wii question. People keep dismissing it because they simply cannot answer it.

---

Who is everybody? People have answered. You mean JF because she is the only one that said she is an unschooler? She's most probably busy being awesome with her kids.

:

---

Who is everybody? People have answered. You mean JF because she is the only one that said she is an unschooler? She's most probably busy being awesome with her kids.

---

No one has answered it properly. My kids are out at their school friend's house riding their dirt bikes. Something your kids will never have, ie. school friends.

:

---

No one has answered it properly. My kids are out at their school friend's house riding their dirt bikes. Something your kids will never have, ie. school friends.

---

Umm.. ok. That's obviously not an issue for us. But you go ahead and worry about your own kids. Mine are great. Thanks for such a mature and educated discussion :/

They won't be great in a few years time. Maybe we should meet back in this thread in 5 years time and see if you're so smug then?

:

---

I'm going to be upfront and say what I think you already know :) I'm not a fan on homeschooling or unschooling at all. However, what you do with regards to your children's education is your business. I respect your choices, even if I don't agree with them.

I do have a couple of genuine questions though. I'm not wanting a debate. I'm just honestly curious. So here goes...

One of the issues I have is that in many homeschool environments I see (particularly those which are religion based) children are 'kept from' those who are different. Even when it's not a conscious choice on the parents' part, they naturally spend the vast majority of their time with people who have the same attitudes/backgrounds as them (ie. their friends and family). Socialisation involves mixing with people who are your polar opposite, people you don't like and who don't like you, people who will antagonize you and make your life difficult and learning how to thrive in that environment. School, like life, is a huge melting pot of personalities, beliefs, values, backgrounds, attitudes, behaviours, ect. When you go there, you learn how to negotiate, and thrive in that every day. When I hear homeschoolers say, "little Joey isn't missing out on socialisation because we play with friends, or go to a homeschool co-op, etc every week", my immediate thought is that little Joey is missing out by not co-existing with people who don't like him, or who don't share his attitudes on life. Joey is being brought up in a protective social bubble. A controlled environment masquerading as educational freedom. How do you allow for this?

My second question is, what would you do if your child/ren turned around and blamed your educational choices for them for them not being able to pursue a career path they wanted to pursue?? I realise this can happen to any parent, whether they homeschool or not, but some of the homeschooling parents I have come across (albeit mostly in the media) are as dumb as lumps and couldn't teach a dog to sit (NOT REFERRING TO YOU JF :lol: ) I imagine their children are going to be woefully unprepared for formal tertiary study.

---

This is interesting as just this week I had a similar discussion with a colleague. We have a volunteer student, she is 18, she is an only child of a single parent and she was home schooled for her entire school life. For her course, she does face to face lessons once a week in a class room environment, this is the first time she has participated in a class environment ever. Being exposed to this for the first time in 18 years she is now facing the very thing N2L mentions, people that may not necessarily like her. People that are mean to her and mean to others. People that easily lead her astray with a situation that occurred in the class last week because she had no idea when it came to appropriate social skills. She was horrified when the trainer spoke to her and vowed to never behave in such a way again.
These situations we all face at some time in our lives, usually well before we have turned 18 and finished school though. I find her very cooperative and teachable, but firm and clear instruction and direction is needed, that could be her homeschooling or it could just be her age. The lack of social interaction with many people is obvious though.

:

---

I don't think you're talking about unschooling Trillian. Even if they called it that. Sounds like laziness to me. Unschooling doesn't mean uninvolved at all. You need to be constantly involved and attentive and one step ahead. I get your point, homeschooling isn't for everyone, that doesn't mean it can't work really well. The same as school, can be good or bad.

Ugh sorry, trying to type and feed a baby, not working, lol.

---

That's in it's ideal form but there is always a risk/potential for a parent to get lazy in this education format isn't there? A teacher in a school gets lazy and unmotivated they go and do professional development courses to make them motivated and ultimately be a better teacher or they just don't get their contract renewed. Unless a parent is particularly motivated to do it right and actually follow the principals of unschooling, then what's preventing them from completely screwing it up? How are they held accountable to make sure that they actually ARE supporting their kids in their learning? So by your statement you are saying that it's impossible for an unschooling parent to become lazy and not do it properly? Because that's what it sounds like. What about homeschooling parents. You wake up feeling a bit under the weather/sick and don't want to get out of bed so do you continue with your program for the day or do you just take it easy and do no formal learning because you don't feel well? At least at school you can get a casual to cover your class for the day. How does the unschooling philosophy deal with lazy parenting if it happens? Technically they are still unschooling because they are letting their kids follow their instincts, but what happens when the parents don't support them properly? What happens to the kids?

A shame to see this thread starting go off the rails.
I'm not an unschooler.
Or a homeschooler.
But I'm interested in what other people do with their children, thanks girls for the insight to what you do and being generous with your time sharing knowing that thread had the potential to go the way it's going.

:

---

That's in it's ideal form but there is always a risk/potential for a parent to get lazy in this education format isn't there? A teacher in a school gets lazy and unmotivated they go and do professional development courses to make them motivated and ultimately be a better teacher or they just don't get their contract renewed. Unless a parent is particularly motivated to do it right and actually follow the principals of unschooling, then what's preventing them from completely screwing it up? How are they held accountable to make sure that they actually ARE supporting their kids in their learning? So by your statement you are saying that it's impossible for an unschooling parent to become lazy and not do it properly? Because that's what it sounds like. What about homeschooling parents. You wake up feeling a bit under the weather/sick and don't want to get out of bed so do you continue with your program for the day or do you just take it easy and do no formal learning because you don't feel well? At least at school you can get a casual to cover your class for the day. How does the unschooling philosophy deal with lazy parenting if it happens? Technically they are still unschooling because they are letting their kids follow their instincts, but what happens when the parents don't support them properly? What happens to the kids?

---

You mean if they lose interest and are not as involved for an extended period and still call it unschooling? A sick day here and there, resting when needed, I think that's just life. But losing interest and just leaving your kids to it and not being involved... I'm sure that happens to some people. I was just saying that if that's what people were doing (like the example of the family you gave) then I wouldn't be calling it unschooling. That's not what it is about. That's not something I find acceptable.

I have no idea what other people do so I couldn't answer that but only from what I would do. If I found myself feeling like that then I would reevaluate my situation. I only want the best for my kids. If I don't want to help them get an education, if I'm not motivated or interested, then I'm not the best person for the job. It's definitely not for everyone. As for being accountable, you still need to register in your state. You have to write a plan at the start of every year and send a report at the end.


(I homeschool but I wouldn't call myself an unschooler I don't think. Although I agree with a lot of the ideas, I haven't read enough about it to call myself that. I am no expert! So this is all just my opinion.)

I have been away from the BB but I checked in and feel the need to quickly respond. I will answer your question Ginger, I'm sorry to keep you waiting and I hope it has not consumed your Saturday but I won't be able to give it the attention I would like to until later this evening when my children are asleep. I also have some comments regarding other things written since I was last here.

What I do want to say is that I appreciate people asking questions and raising concerns. I want to think about these things, I want to be aware of them. What I don't appreciate is people sitting around waiting for me to fail, waiting for it to all fall apart and essentially wishing ill upon my children and family as collateral damage. That isn't nice, that isn't constructive, that isn't necessary. Don't waste your time and energy on that negativity. I feel I have taken the time and energy to speak my experiences and address people with their questions and concerns as best I can; keep in mind I never had to do that. I don't claim to be a guru or expert, I don't claim unschooling is infallible, I don't claim unschooling is for everyone. I'm not here to convert the world, I'm just here to let people know this is a valid, legal option and explain how it looks within my family. I also offered books, groups, websites and blogs where people could find more information from a variety of sources; I would never want to be the single voice one based their judgement or decision upon.

Please enjoy the last small hours of Saturday as I intend to do, remember this will all still be here later.

I would like to know about how unschooling benefits kids who have learning disorders or ASD? These kids aren't going to be motivated or self-directed learners. How do you let a non-verbal non-mobile child with cerebral palsy direct their own learning? If you still choose to unschool a child like that, doesn't it become about your own needs and not your child's? You can't unschool kids like that properly because their needs are so great. What about the child with ASD who fixates on a single topic? How is it healthy for that child to follow his own learning path when it excludes everything else? I'm really interested to hear how those of you who unschool would allow for a special needs child.

I also found this information on the unschoolaustralia website:

:

---

The most important difference between the classroom your children left behind and your wonderful home learning environment is schools don't, and never will, love your children. They can care for them, look after them and teach them, but the essential successful ingredient in home education is love.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - " Love brings success to every learning situation."

---

Honestly this is the most trite piece of bull**** I have ever read. "Love brings success to every learning situation". Lets ponder that for a moment. So my sister and her drug addict boyfriend would be ideal unschoolers because they love their daughter? (who also happens to be the non-verbal non-mobile child with cerebral palsy I mentioned above).

Are the anti-gov conspiracy theorists ideal unschoolers because they love their kids? What about the racist/homophobic/neonazi types? They must love their kids, so are they ideal unschoolers? Because apparently all you need is love. It's the essential ingredient. That website does absolutely nothing to make people respect unschooling. Hey, you could even assume that you don't love your kids ENOUGH if you send them to a regular school. I am all for alternative forms of education and families choosing the best one for their kids, but that stuff is just crazy. Love isn't always enough.

And I should say that my last paragraph isnt' about anyone at all, just the unschooling movement in general based on what I read on that website. It's akin to telling people on welfare that they should have 10 kids because all you need is love.

I would also like to acknowledge that as a result of this thread I have spent much of the afternoon trawling my Uni databases for scholarly, peer reviewed articles on the subject. While the general consensus is that it does no real harm, they also acknowledge that they can't prove that it has any benefits that would place it higher than standard education either.

:

---

I would also like to acknowledge that as a result of this thread I have spent much of the afternoon trawling my Uni databases for scholarly, peer reviewed articles on the subject. While the general consensus is that it does no real harm, they also acknowledge that they can't prove that it has any benefits that would place it higher than standard education either.

---

Homeschooling or specifically unschooling?