If you are unfamiliar with this concept as I was, watch the Nightline clip here. It’s freedom of expression for kids to a whole new level. It’s not only child-centered learning, but child-directed learning. The children decide what they are interested and only have to learn about those things.
In this case, not only do the children decide their academic schedule, but they also make their own decisions as to when and what to eat and when to sleep. Their lives are one long weekend, which I have to admit, sounds amazing, albeit slightly irresponsible.
The woman featured in this story is a leader in the Unschooling movement, has written books on her work, and helps other parents embrace this lifestyle. When asked about her children not knowing classic works of literature or history, her response was that those things are not important for everyone to know.
However, it is important that children grow up to be people who can interact with others in society, and I am not sure the Martin children will pass that test. When they went on their field trip, they were completely out of control and were not listening to their mother as she tried to teach them about the weather.
I think this movement raises two important issues. First, no one’s freedoms can be absolute because they then intrude on other people’s rights and freedoms. Second, this is a great example of an idea floating in the marketplace of ideas, being accepted by some, and discussed by others so that people can look at this and realize our education system, with all its faults, is still achieving something important. Children are better off for going to school.
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I'm glad you posted on this story because I almost did. I don't have a problem with homeschooling but think education needs to have some direction which unschooling seems to lack. I also found the lack of discipline problematic. When asked how she would introduce her children to classics like Shakespeare or Twain she just said not everyone values these works. Which is true, but enough people do to make it important and so much of our culture has been build on these classics. I always wonder how will these children get into college or find careers especially if they have learned that they can do what ever they want. For better or worse we live in a society that is structured and rule governed while we have freedom to live as we wish, I think there are limits.
ReplyDeleteMy question is how will the children feel when they are in college and the professor references one of these classics and they have no idea what is being talked about. Growing up my family moved a lot and we still joke that there are parts of the English language that we do not know because they were taught at different times in different schools. There are classics that I never read because of these moves and I still feel that I have missed out. Kids need consistent structured education that will provide them with the most opportunities, besides how is the kid to know they want to read Shakespeare or Hemmingway if no one tells them about it.
ReplyDeleteMike, your comment reminds me of the quote from the article were the reporter said the children will never have a opportunity to forget the classics their mother did. It made me so sad. While children should have the freedom to read what they want we should also encourage them to join in the community that is created by reading the same thing. They don;t have to love these works, but they just might.
ReplyDeleteAh... yes... well...
ReplyDeleteIntellectual freedom is one thing, but allowing children of this age to choose their curriculum is irresponsible. Younger children need some type of structure. I could certainly agree with giving them SOME choices, but there need to be some standards. If they are not given any structure as very young students, they will be somewhat lost in the higher grades. It's high school that one begins to have more choices of study, then in college the student is actually prepared to make educated choices as to what they want to study.
I can totally get behind home-schooling though, as long as there is some structure. Actually, I have a few friends, from different areas, who were home-schooled. They seemed to me to be better educated and more well-adjusted than many of the other students with whom I interacted in the university.
This seems totally crazy. For some reason, i thought that there were homeschooling regulations. I looked up some homeschooling regulations by state and I guess that Indiana has few. These are important aspects of the rules:
ReplyDelete5.
Although the child must be “provided with instruction equivalent to that given in public schools” the State Board of Education is not given the authority to define “equivalent instruction” nor to approve home schools. Furthermore, has removed all subject requirements, leaving home schools without any mandatory subjects.
Teacher Qualifications: None.
Standardized Tests: Not required.
I guess that means that this is Ok. I didn't check on the other states, but I was surprised that there is hardly any regulation.
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Indiana.pdf
is where the regulations can be found.
Leah
It's been my understanding that home schooling requirements include only an attendance sheet. When I was a children's case manager for a mental health clinic I worked with a few children who were home schooled and watched Myth Busters in place of a formal science lesson plan!
ReplyDeleteYes, homeschooling requirements vary greatly by state, and New Hampshire is a pretty open-minded place (the state motto is after all, "Live Free or Die"). I'm from New York and we have known a couple of families who have tried home schooling. Their kids had to take all the same standardized tests we did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Joe, that home schooling can be a great experience if your parents have the time to invest that intensely in your education, but it is a huge commitment just for elementary school, let alone how specialized it has to become to home school all the subjects taught in high school.
I think it is important to distinguish Unschooling from home schoooling because there are many parents who home school their children who do a phenomenal job. Not only do the parents teach the subjects to the children, but they also belong to home schooling groups that allow their children to interact with others and go on field trips. These parents really care about their children's education and make sure to address all aspects of the children's cognitive and emotional development.
That is not to say parents who unschool do not care about their children. However, I think the Martins' mother is taking her dislike of the educational system out on her children. She thinks she's freeing them from the restrictions of educational system, but really, she's disabling her children, making it nearly impossible for them to go to college and act in accordance with society's norms.
I think the question is, "Who is less qualified to decide your child's curriculum: your child or the Texas Dept. of Education?"
ReplyDeleteI kid.
Seriously though, I remember being in elementary and middle school and complaining that I would never use geometry in the real world, and that there was no point in writing long papers. This is because I was ignorant and had no business setting school curricula. I'm pretty sure the problem with modern education is not that kids are too restricted.
The very sad thing about such an unstructured "system" of schooling is that in her attempt to let her children learn and express themselves without restriction the mother seems to have fettered her children's ability to express themselves. In order to fully express yourself, you must first learn how. Children don't automatically know how to express themselves. It isn't encoded into their DNA. They must be taught and that requires some structure and/or direction.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of Unschooling just scares and disgusts me, for many reasons already mentioned by others. Homeschooling can be good or bad, depending on the structure and commitment of the parents; I've seen products of both kinds. Even the worst case of homeschooling I've seen, though--math was 45 minutes a week of tutoring at a local outreach center, where the tutor was chained to the "homeschool curriculum" workbook--was better than Unschooling. Unfortunately, while the government is required to provide free education up to the age of 16 for all residents, parents are not required (except in California, unless that got repealed) to take advantage of it. It is unfortunate for the children, but it is still the parents' choice on how to raise their own children.
ReplyDelete~Lynn
There is a problem in the school systems, and it is based upon too much discipline and social interaction, but it does not seem that unschooling will solve this problem. The goal should be for the schools to select for more creativity and intelligence, and less on conscientiousness and agreeableness in the system. Here is a great sentence from the article, "At each level in education, training and career progression there is a tendency to exclude smart and creative people by preferring Conscientious and Agreeable people".
ReplyDeleteCharlton, B.G. "Why Are Modern Scientists so Dull? How Science Selects for Perseverance and Sociability at the Expense of Intelligence and Creativity." Medical Hypotheses. 72.3 (2009): 237-243. Print.