If you haven't seen the piece on GMA, I hope you at least heard about it. They had a segment on about a family that homeschools. Well, they unschool. That sounds like an oxymoron. But to me, it was fascinating. It was poorly edited and very one sided, making the family look like a bunch of idiots. It showed the kids playing video games, playing in their rooms, having family time outside playing with swords. At least the swords were fake. They showed the kids being kids, but didn't show how effective unschooling can be for some people.
Unschooling doesn't mean that you never open a book or even stop schooling. It really means that the child leads the learning. The child decides what they want to learn about and you go from there. So many different ways to learn about things. Videos, books, magazines, field trips, expert interviews, apprentice programs, internet research, and so much more. Why do you always have to open a boring, dry text book? Are those the only sources of information? I hope not, or our library is doomed.
My friend N posted yesterday that she was thinking about a Charlotte Mason style of learning for next year. She is a former school teacher and was wondering if she could let go of "teaching". Yes you can, but you don't have to. I've always looked at our homeschool journey as a way to learn, not teach. Charlotte Mason (look her up, she had some great ideas) believed that you should put away dry and boring and learn from classic literature and exploring life. That's what I want. I want my kids to read great works, broaden their horizons, and explore this earth. You can do it, N. I know you can.
I am bored with some of our curriculum. Good thing I'm not the one using it. I don't want my kids to slog through the day. I want them to be eager and excited about learning, about life. Other than math, the kids will decide, for the most part, what we study. We will pick activities together. For example, if they want to learn about bees, I have a great unit study about them. We read books related to bees, we visit bee keepers, we go to the local ag center, we learn about honey and it's great medicinal properties, and on and on and on.
The big question I've heard is: Will it prepare them for college? I don't know. But what makes you think they would be prepared if they were going to a brick and mortar school? College is not for everybody, it's not required, and I would hope that my kids have enough knowledge and enough love of learning that if they do go to college, they will be prepared.
How long will we unschool? I don't know that either. It may just be one year, but it may be until our schooling is done. That's kind of up in the air. But isn't life just like that?
Have a great day.
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3 comments:
I love the idea that kids get to "lead" their learning. When they are vested in the topic, they will excel. I am a proponet of kids dong what they love and that doesn't translate into a 4 year college for everyone and society needs to quit thinking that if you don't have a 4-year degree, you must not be qualified. Drives me crazy. Every job should have an aptitude exam. If you can pass, then you are qualified. You are doing a great job; keep 'unschooling' (and that's high praise from an 18 year veteran of a brick and mortar school. I want you to be my principal.) :)
I have to say that your are my biggest inspiration! I actually tried _harlotte Mason and stopped because I was too focused on what everyone around me was saying, "They aren't learning at their grade level", "That's not proper education.", and so forth. We teach our children so much more than they learn in a brick and mortar school just on a day to day basis. They learn things that they will need to survive...life skills, cooking, how to live debt free, COUPONING! I love that I have you around to slap me in the face sometimes and remind me that learning doesn't always come from a book and that we all teach at our own pace :)
Thank you for putting down exactly what I needed to hear.
M
I think the home schooling and the way you're teaching your children is wonderful, but don't forget that there is a great bit society out there that has not been well educated on how you're teaching. That is something that your children will have to contend with someday - not you. So think of your children in all of this until you can educate society. You know I love all of you.........
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