"The Upside of being Unschooled"

[DuneAHH]

Interesting article. I know had I not gone to public High School there is so much I would have missed out on that had nothing to with books.

Not sure how you replace those experiences.

THAT IS TRUE!

However class structures & dynamics seem much more 'nichey' today then my public school experiences were. In many ways I observe today's kids being far better 'intellectually educated' than my generation was. However, there are some other important lessons that seem to have been filtered out in the process of 'specialization division'. We were not segregated out and taught advanced, accelerated, or gifted anything.

We were 'homeschooled' on the family farm; before, after, and outside of school. The public elementary was one room-one teacher of grades 1 thru 6. I guess in some ways that was the format for 'advanced/acceleration'; if you finished your lesson early, you got to listen to the upper-grade lessons. Thankfully the 1/4 mile walk (to & from across the cow pasture) was not uphill both ways .

The total number of students ranged from 24-30. So the ONE teacher covered SIX grades of lessons in ALL subjects each and every day!

As small & rural as it was, it provided a diverse LIFE exposure at an early age. Within our tiny school, there were 2 physically handicapped kids, and always at least one each of what would now be labeled (and segregated out) as behavioral disordered, learning disabled and gifted kids. Within a 2 year span, two different family's fathers committed suicide and one family's father was killed in the line of police duty.

Each of us were expected to take turns physically assisting (or mentoring) our "less fortunate" schoolmates... and if we did not embrace those duties gently, kindly and with a smile... we got taken to the coatroom for swats from Miss Osborne's very sturdy wooden hairbrush (and that was just the precursor to the after-school "whoa mama" welcome home that day!).

The school rule for choosing recess game teams was that anybody who wanted to play HAD to get chosen regardless of grade, size, sex, or skill. No Exclusions! When Amelia-in-the-wheelchair wanted to play softball, we were challenged with figuring out how to "even up" the teams... that's when spastic Kirsten-in-the-leg-braces got recruited for the opposing team! If you were a boastful winner or a sulky loser... it was back to the coatroom for a good-sportsmanship lesson- session with Miss Osborne's hairbrush!

So while we weren't taught the headier points of rocket science... we really learned a lot about how to pull each other UP, coexist, empathize, care for, and accept others with all their natural human differences.

And if we didn't: there was hairbrush-to-pay

 

[scooterbug44]

I must say, the kids I knew of growing up that were homeschooled were rather weird/had social issues.

But that was also back when you just went to school, then played outside with your friends. School was your main social interaction and the focus of any other activities.

And we definitely had many weird kids who weren't homeschooled. ;-)

I would think these days that kids who are homeschooled, but are part of "virtual classrooms" and the IMO overwhelmingly overscheduled flurry of activities would not have the same issues - at least to the same level.

One of my biggest concerns is that the kids are attuned to a certain environment and are then less able to adapt to other environments and people - which unfortunately is what they will have to do a large part of their lives. That seems to jibe with what this girl wrote.

The other (especially with how many are homeschooled because of religious reasons) is that the kids are brought up in a bubble where dissenting or even mainstream ideas are not taught.

 

[Teresa]

many public schools have become so institutional/impersonal (and even unsafe to a degree) that they are very, very different from the kinds of places we went to school 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. things they are a changing. and homeschooling is not so weird a deal anymore! its really a very nice alternative for more and more families. education is what you make it, whether you are at home learning or at a school. either way, in an ideal world, the family is involved and supportive.

what I've observed in many children over the last several years within our community, is that children thrive in almost all educational settings when proper support and resources are provided (SoWal is blessed with excellent schools - both public and private, alternative education settings and growing home school options/support). also, when they make a change into a different kind of educational setting - children adapt readily and with open minds. They are extremely adaptable and exposure to various settings, along with change can be viewed as part of their educational experience - as they begin to see that there are always alternative ways to learn and to live.

 

[Mango]

great blog. One of my nephews wasn't home schooled, but he did go to a school for gifted children that has many home schooling type of facets to it. The kids had a rough curriculum, but there were no formal classes. They selected what they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it. The school provided them a place to work, labs, computers, and the like and it was set in a farm like environment. Each child had chores on the farm and had to take care of their assigned animal. I often wondered how well a school like this would be mainstream, with kids at all different levels? but, the reality is some kids need the structure and direction. Nothing wrong with that, but more choices would be ideal. BTW- my nephew got a near perfect score on his SAT's at 16 and got accepted to college already; a college where he can finish his high school, but take college courses and finish sooner, or transfer after completing his HS courses. But, his parents are not sure they will let him go yet. Even with his unique schooling at times, he still had social issues and it wasn't until HS that he really sorted them out.

 

[scooterbug44]

what I've observed in many children over the last several years within our community, is that children thrive in almost all educational settings when proper support and resources are provided (SoWal is blessed with excellent schools - both public and private, alternative education settings and growing home school options/support). also, when they make a change into a different kind of educational setting - children adapt readily and with open minds. They are extremely adaptable and exposure to various settings, along with change can be viewed as part of their educational experience - as they begin to see that there are always alternative ways to learn and to live.

Definitely agree - parental support and involvement is HUGE and the more educational options we as a community can provide and support the better!

 

[sunspotbaby]

I really appreciate everyone's comments and experiences on this subject. I didn't know anyone who was homeschooled when i was in school so it seems to be a bit 'new' to me. Another mom told me last week not to be in a hurry to send mine to school. As long as i'm working with them and i can afford to be home, that's the best place for them and for me at this time.

 

[Minnie]

Hmmm! Care to elaborate?

Skipping school for one. ;-)

 

[DuneAHH]

Skipping school for one. ;-)

yep!

 

[Susan Horn]

I think our decision to homeschool/unschool our sons for several years made a huge difference for the better in all our lives, and am so grateful we were able to do it.

I don't understand the freakout about social skills, it is not like homeschooling families live in a vacuum. We were out and about all over the community, all over the country, enjoying travel at times when fun places weren't overrun with summer vacation crowds. Our kids were and are comfortable talking, playing, interacting, whatever, with people of all ages and backgrounds, whereas many of their schooled age peers were and are apparently incapable of looking someone in the eye and carrying on a conversation unless they are in the same class at school.

There's so much more, but the unschooler's blog really says it well. So glad this got posted.

 

[Andy A]

I, too, grew up in an era where homeschooling was unknown. It was unknown mainly because there was much more discipline and strict guidelines in our schools at that time. Not only that, but if I misbehaved in school, my parents were usually aware of it by the time I got home and the penalty was much worse at home than at school. Also, there are so many things our youth can learn from caring parents and adults that are not taught in school. We need to use every tool available to us to assure our youth receives the best possible education from all levels of the spectrum.