Are there any other whole-life unschoolers here?

[TubbyChicken]

Quote:
Thankfully ours just asks for a letter of intent to homeschool once a year sent to the board of education. Beyond that, freedom to school as you please.

Hi Andora!

I too am happy with our state's homeschooling laws.

 

[Andora]

Quote:
Thankfully ours just asks for a letter of intent to homeschool once a year sent to the board of education. Beyond that, freedom to school as you please.

Hi Andora!

I too am happy with our state's homeschooling laws.

Me too, it's one of the few good things about our great state!

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Unschooling does include expectations, discipline, and boundaries but the goal is to help your child achieve those things intrinsically rather than through an extrinsic system of coercion that traditional schooling uses in most cases. That's the part that others have trouble grasping, because it's so backwards from our normal American culture. We encounter confusion and criticism all the time, especially from family. But we feel good about our choices and so far our daughter is happy, and healthy, and excited about life which is what is most important to me.

I hear you. People are always afraid of what they don't understand.
Only you as the parent can make the judgement on how your daughter
is progressing. Some things we teach our kids have no testing or
expectations. When I take my son kayaking I let him learn at his own
pace and he has exceled at it. There are many other examples I can
come up with too.

In all honesty I've alway equated this type of learning to the parents
who let their kids run wild because they refuse to "yell" or "limit" them.
Obviously that is an unfair perception on my part.

 

[Andora]

Quote:
You can award your child a diploma after you feel they have completed what would be compared to traditional high school.
You can get one from here... http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

And your child can still take the ACT and SAT to get into college if they choose to go. Some colleges actually want homeschooled kids over public schooled kids, this was in the news not too long ago. Many homeschooled kids take college courses over subject that interest them when they are teenagers, so in some cases they may already be ahead and have college credits. If they need a transcript for college then you simply make one by writing down the subjects they studied. It's so simple, and they are really excepted as official.

 

[FrenchHen]

The SAT 2 subject tests show proficiency in most subjects as well, for colleges to consider.

 

[Andora]

Quote:
Unschooling does include expectations, discipline, and boundaries but the goal is to help your child achieve those things intrinsically rather than through an extrinsic system of coercion that traditional schooling uses in most cases. That's the part that others have trouble grasping, because it's so backwards from our normal American culture. We encounter confusion and criticism all the time, especially from family. But we feel good about our choices and so far our daughter is happy, and healthy, and excited about life which is what is most important to me.

I hear you. People are always afraid of what they don't understand.
Only you as the parent can make the judgement on how your daughter
is progressing. Some things we teach our kids have no testing or
expectations. When I take my son kayaking I let him learn at his own
pace and he has exceled at it. There are many other examples I can
come up with too.

In all honesty I've alway equated this type of learning to the parents
who let their kids run wild because they refuse to "yell" or "limit" them.
Obviously that is an unfair perception on my part.

It's one of those unfortunate things where the parents who suck at parenting have labeled themselves as unschoolers, then since they are the ones with the kids making all the noise they get the attention.

But hi.

There is a whole legion of parents practicing alternative parenting and schooling who are actually in tune with their kids and raising civil, intelligent human beings.

That's one reason I think it's a good idea to talk about unschooling, so people see that it's more than just the unresponsible parents who let their kids run wild! My unschooled kid says please and thank you and sorry and doesn't run away from me in public places.

 

[Mesa]

I'm a homeschooling mom. My kids are getting an education rich in literature, family values, and real world interaction. They are excelling at home because I can tailor my teaching methods and materials to each individual child. Just because one says they homeschool doesnt mean their children are isolated from "the real world"... they are just being kept away from an institutionalized setting.
I could ramble on and on about the advantages of homeschooling. For us it's the only way to school our children. We go on vacations to museums, zoo's and science centers without worrying about the kids being absent from school. My kids are well rounded and they are getting the very best education possible. I never thought I'd homeschool my kids, but now that I've "seen the light" I'll never send my kids back to public school. Even the neighbors who were anti homeschooling have asked my help in tutoring their children after school. (I said no,and offered my materials to use.. but thats another story.) The mom mentioned to me the other day that she would like to homeschool her kids, but she's afraid she wouldnt have the discipline to keep it up and her kids would fall behind.
Homeschooling isnt for everyone, I'm aware of this... but understand too that traditional schooling isnt for everyone either. Dont bash someones educational choices for their children. They are just doing what they feel is best for their children.
Topics close to the heart can get heated fast... tread lightly lol.

 

[Bec]

Quote:
You can award your child a diploma after you feel they have completed what would be compared to traditional high school.
You can get one from here... http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

And your child can still take the ACT and SAT to get into college if they choose to go. Some colleges actually want homeschooled kids over public schooled kids, this was in the news not too long ago. Many homeschooled kids take college courses over subject that interest them when they are teenagers, so in some cases they may already be ahead and have college credits. If they need a transcript for college then you simply make one by writing down the subjects they studied. It's so simple, and they are really excepted as official.

Very cool!

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:
so, they dont test the children yearly to make sure that they are actually learning? i think homeschooling is great and may even be better than public schools, BUT, i also do think the state REALLY needs to be sure that any homeschooled children are actually being taught....no?? or am i wrong in my thinking here??

Keep in mind what the purpose of testing really is. Testing is to see if the school/teacher/state has done its job, not to see if the student has learned. This is neccessary (and I use the term losely) only when the state has been put in charge of a student's learning. That happens when you send your kid to school.
If you don't send your kid to school, then YOU are responisible for your kid's learning, NOT the state, so, to answer your question - NO! They should not be testing kids.
There are mountains of evidence that homeschooled children (in any method/philosophy) do better on tests, in life, in college and on the job than their schooled peers. Universities are seeking these kids out because of their tendency to be self motivated, self disciplined, and well rounded. Of course there are kids that don't do well, both coming from schools and from homes. The ratio of doing well vs not doing well would easily fall in favor of the homeschooled, however.

"Unschooling" is a term, coined by a former New York City schools teacher of the year (3 times), which does NOT mean that the student doesn't have structure or expectations. Quite the opposite.
Unschooling means doing the opposite of what schools have to do by design. Kids are packed 30 to a classroom with limited resources. They are confined to a set of curriculum that the district has purchased and must stay on campus for their education.
Unschooling refers to the breaking down of the barriers of what we perceive "school" to be. The unschooling really happens to the parent who then allows the child to learn in a very natural way. You don't have the confines of a classroom and a text book. You have the whole city/country/world as your classroom. The backyard, the museums, every book you can get your hands on, which may include a text book if it is helpful. But instead of reading a text about ecosystems, you go experience one - outside, in the "real world". Instead of doing 3 pages of meaningless equations on a page (that one would never be handed in the real world), children can learn to use them with purpose while they plan the building of a raised garden or figure the gas cost of an upcoming family trip.
Unschooling isn't not-learning, it just isn't learning the way that the institution style school has to do it. The possibilities are endless, not limited.

And to participate in the proposed discussion, we homeschool.
We ebb and flow between classical and unschooling. DS (he's 10) has so many interests, that I have to give him time away from our curriculum for his own pursuits. He loves history and will devour a book in a couple of hours and crave more. A classical education is right up his alley anyway. He loves to study the history of the bible, too. He loves Latin, so we have to make time for that, and it isn't my thing, so I have to find someone to help him with that. He is also into gaming a little. And as much as I hate it, I know that he is learning some valuable computer/programing skills that are important for his generation.

DD (8) is into writing. She will just write and write ande write. So I have to pull DS out of a book and DD out of her writing notebook to get them to do curriculum and I just don't do it sometimes. I am just not going to improve on what they are doing on their own.
DD is also into the chickens! She spends a great deal of time out there with them and she studies them. We just had chicks hatch and she is the one out there taking notes and observing life as it happens! Our chickens have been a big part of their education in many ways.

I would say that we more resemble "whole-life" outside of the curriculum. Our childrens' interests have always been important to us. So we try to accomodate their interests and follow their lead. I must admit that it is a term I haven't heard before.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Bravo. That is one of the best supporting arguements for homeschooling
whether traditional, Christian based, whole-life, or whatever. Every child
is different and learns differently.

While my son isn't homeschooled I have had to bite my tongue so many
times when people make comments about him being in a Catholic school.
One of my favorites is "just because your kid goes to a Catholic school
doesn't mean he won't end up screwed up".

The most important thing in a child's life are his or her parents.

Sorry, going off topic again...