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Would You Unschool Your Child?

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Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#31

Post by tbrownaw »

marknutter wrote: post #23
joshkaufman wrote: post #10

My wife and I are expecting in December, and we're planning on some variation of unschooling for our children, starting at an early age. Based on the research we've done, it's a straightforward way to get better educational results for your kids if done properly. We're planning on some variation of the "Robinson Curriculum" ( http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ), which in essence is a simple daily structure of (1) a…

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward. I really hate the current education system, but I also recognize that the social skills developed there are almost as important as the formal education kids get.. perhaps even more so.

My sister turned out just fine, and my brother also seems to be doing alright. I had a bit of trouble my first couple years away from home, but then since I supposedly had issues when I went to preschool it probably isn't attributable to the home-schooling.

We weren't just kept to ourselves, though. We had weekly get-togethers with other homeschool families in the area, and in the summer we all were in various Parks & Rec sports leagues. Those probably helped us a lot.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#32

Post by joshkaufman »

marknutter wrote: post #23
joshkaufman wrote: post #10

My wife and I are expecting in December, and we're planning on some variation of unschooling for our children, starting at an early age. Based on the research we've done, it's a straightforward way to get better educational results for your kids if done properly. We're planning on some variation of the "Robinson Curriculum" ( http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ), which in essence is a simple daily structure of (1) a…

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward. I really hate the current education system, but I also recognize that the social skills developed there are almost as important as the formal education kids get.. perhaps even more so.

I think a child's social skills are very influenced by the type of environment at home.

Many families homeschool because they want to intentionally "protect"/isolate their children from the mainstream. This is very common with religious families that choose to homeschool so their kids (1) are exposed to the family's values and belief system to the exclusion of others, and (2) aren't corrupted by the evils of the outside world. That's a perfect recipe for social awkwardness.

Isolation is not a primary component of the homeschooling/unschooling approach. In fact, if your goal is to expose your kids to as many cool things and people as possible, more unstructured time doing things in the real world may actually make them more socially skilled than their peers.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#34

Post by absconditus »

marknutter wrote: post #23
joshkaufman wrote: post #10

My wife and I are expecting in December, and we're planning on some variation of unschooling for our children, starting at an early age. Based on the research we've done, it's a straightforward way to get better educational results for your kids if done properly. We're planning on some variation of the "Robinson Curriculum" ( http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ), which in essence is a simple daily structure of (1) a…

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward. I really hate the current education system, but I also recognize that the social skills developed there are almost as important as the formal education kids get.. perhaps even more so.

Can you describe what you mean by socially awkward? I am not entirely convinced that what is considered social by most people is desirable.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#35

Post by tokenadult »

marknutter wrote: post #23
joshkaufman wrote: post #10

My wife and I are expecting in December, and we're planning on some variation of unschooling for our children, starting at an early age. Based on the research we've done, it's a straightforward way to get better educational results for your kids if done properly. We're planning on some variation of the "Robinson Curriculum" ( http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ), which in essence is a simple daily structure of (1) a…

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward. I really hate the current education system, but I also recognize that the social skills developed there are almost as important as the formal education kids get.. perhaps even more so.

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward.

I guess you haven't met any of the hundreds of homeschooled kids I have met. To most parents who closely observe the social environment at many schools, it's easy to set up better situations for social learning through a family's own active social interaction with neighbors, friends, teammates, and colleagues in the community. Many homeschoolers, when they are asked, "What about socialization?" respond by saying, "It's one of the reasons I am happy I homeschool."

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#36

Post by nicholasjbs »

As a life-long unschooler, I'd answer with an emphatic yes (though I don't actually plan to have kids of my own). Letting me direct my own education was without a doubt the single greatest thing my parents did for me in life.

"Last year Shea’s son wanted to do more math so, deviating from the strict un-schooling line of thought, they placed him in an online math course."

This sentence struck me as odd. This could only be construed as "deviating from the strict un-schooling line of thought" (whatever that means) if they placed their son in the course against his will. But the article explicitly states that he was interested in learning more math. Many of the unschoolers I know take take formal classes in subjects that interest them.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#37

Post by mcknz »

marknutter wrote: post #23
joshkaufman wrote: post #10

My wife and I are expecting in December, and we're planning on some variation of unschooling for our children, starting at an early age. Based on the research we've done, it's a straightforward way to get better educational results for your kids if done properly. We're planning on some variation of the "Robinson Curriculum" ( http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ), which in essence is a simple daily structure of (1) a…

I've never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't social awkward. I really hate the current education system, but I also recognize that the social skills developed there are almost as important as the formal education kids get.. perhaps even more so.

There are more social activities these days for home-schooled kids, shared co-ops, and chances for them to get together to socialize with peers. I'd wager for every awkward home-schooled kid there's one in school who is bullied or made fun of. Not all social skills kids learn in school are good ones.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#38

Post by tokenadult »

tomjen3 wrote: post #25
DuncanKinney wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This socialization comment is one that my coworkers always brings up. "They're breeding serial killers" he half-jokes. I wasn't very well socialized in school. Maybe that's why I was interested in writing this story.

Thats kind of funny, until you realize he is actually right. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris would not have been serial killers if they had not be so mercilessly bullied in school. Granted most people don't end up as serial killers, but they do end up pretty ruffled and with psychic scars for the rest of their life. The irony is that if geeks actually did kill more people they would have women falling all over them in…

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris would not have been serial killers if they had not be so mercilessly bullied in school.

Causation for that has not been rigorously demonstrated. But, agreed, the school social environment they were in is described by press reports as having been toxic even before they brought their weapons to the school.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#39

Post by tallanvor »

I would not consider "unschooling" or home-schooling for a child, nor do I think it is a good option for the majority of children.

People love to malign the public school system, but the truth is that in most places in the western world children have the opportunity to get an excellent education. The problem is that more and more parents don't seem to take the time to teach their children to respect others, be it authority figures, peers, or anyone else. Children who are taught by their parents that it's fine to be disruptive (at inappropriate times, at least), ignore their responsibilities, and generally think it's ok to do whatever they want make it harder for the other children to learn.

The field of education has evolved over hundreds of years, and there are plenty of researchers working hard to find better ways to teach children. I certainly don't agree with all the methods they are trying today, but that doesn't mean that I feel many parents can do a better job.

Re: Would You Unschool Your Child?

#40

Post by fr0sty »

tommynazareth wrote: post #19
[deleted] wrote: post #11

[deleted]

The problem with the type of unschooling you're describing is that children don't have the experience and exposure to make optimal decisions. There is no good reason to be an absent parent. The style of education I'd like to provide is what I imagine a PhD program is like: plenty of guidance and advice that ultimately enables the student to take responsibility for themselves and make original contributions. It sounds…

> children don't have the experience and exposure to make optimal decisions.

The argument here is, I believe:

"What is the best way to get children experience and exposure?

A. Experience and exposure

B. Lectures about A.

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