Category: Unschooling
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Leave school, learn more
This week I read an NPR piece about 17-year-old Nick Bain’s experiment in self-directed learning. Once he realized that learning only constituted a few hours of his entire school day, he decided to quit for the last trimester of his junior year. While the results of his personal study don’t prove anything, his anecdotal experience was…
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Back to homeschool
It’s the middle of August, and summer is winding down. September looms, and with it the beginning of the school year. Just what does “back to school” mean for homeschoolers? There isn’t one answer to that question. All homeschooling families are different. And one of the great benefits of homeschooling is that we’re not bound…
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Homeschooling as salvation
Lately my life has consisted of lazy days, sweltering heat, a zucchini bonanza, and Shakespeare in the park. Oh, and lots of discussions about homeschooling. I’m a county contact for Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts, so people call me with all manner of questions and concerns. During this time of year, they’re busy with gearing up (already)…
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Should kids be allowed to vote?
Recently, I’ve been reading Escape from Childhood by John Holt. It’s considered his most radical book, and indeed, to the contemporary ear, his proposals sound a bit wacky. His basic proposal is “that the rights, privileges, duties, responsibilities of adult citizens be made available to any young person, of whatever age, who wants to make…
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As usual, parents can’t win
Last week I wrote about the American Conservative’s take on my comments about unschooling. The question was posed, “…will children sufficiently challenge their own predispositions toward laziness or ignorance without an older adult coaching and challenging them?” So, we have to “coach” and “challenge” our kids, but carefully, lest we become a Tiger Mom. While we’re…
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Unschooling: they just don’t get it
Some months ago, I was interviewed for a Pacific Standard piece on unschooling. The conversation I had with the reporter was long, winding, and enjoyable. The final piece inevitably left a lot out, but I thought it represented what we talked about fairly well. Then I read Gracy Olmstead’s interpretation of the interview in The…
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‘The Wolfpack’
Last night I saw the movie The Wolfpack. It tells the story of six brothers, mostly teenagers, growing up in New York City. Their father rarely let them emerge from their sixteenth floor apartment, so they spent the majority of their lives inside. They were homeschooled, and boy, were they isolated. They had no friends outside…
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Why are we doing this?
Today I read an excellent post by John Taylor Gatto, responding to a mom asking How Do I Rekindle Curiosity in My Teenagers? His answers were spot on, and they should be. As a New York City public school teacher, he helped rekindle the curiosity of countless young people. One thing he said jumped out…
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Fidgeting and learning
Today I came across an article titled Vindication for Fidgeters: Movement May Help Students With ADHD Concentrate. I realize that labels and diagnoses are helpful to some people, but when I was homeschooling my young children, I didn’t think much about them. Schools can be especially difficult environments for active kids, but mine weren’t in…
A Potluck Life 