What do you think of un-schooling??

[dntd]

I want my asperger's son to be un schooled is a way, let him choose his work instead. He hasn't done anything at all in two years because he doesn't want to, of course he does listen in on the teaching picking up as much as a person an by just listening . Why can't they get him to do a project instead of written work? I an so peeve at the school!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Okay..just making sure you wernt being fresh...

And dont roll your eyes at me either young lady..or man... whatever...

I know. I should have made what I said a bit clearer. Sorry.

My bad...

Peace...

 

[WriterofWords]

Remember, there is a big difference between home schooling and un-schooling. I've home schooled my own son and I am an educator in a public school system, I got a lot of grief for it too. I've had both home schooled and un-schooled children in my class and the home schooled are ready for it, the un-schooled are lost. You can't expect children to just figure out math, reading, writing, science, or any other subject just by watching you or being around other people. Sure, you can learn to count by buying things at the store with cash,, on wait,, no you don't learn to count by doing that, you get taught that at home with change,,, oops sorry,, that's home schooling what was I thinking?

With the introduction of Balanced Literacy more and more learning styles are being met in a single classroom. There are groupings by ability, groupings by need, support work for the students who need it, Read 180 and Math Navigator to help those who might fall behind. Classrooms are no longer taught by handing 25 kids the same book and saying "OK everyone open to page 2, Suzie you read first, then Juan, then Jose, then Maria,,,, etc." Smaller groups are instructed with different level books. There is a whole-class shared reading time so everyone can enjoy the same book or story together and work on together, but the learning is done in the groups.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
We were not un-schooled, but we were schooled at home as well.

And guess who tends to win the spelling bees, and consistently score much higher then "traditional schoolers"?

home schooling requires a curriculum, testing, meeting state standards, etc.

Unschooling has no structure at all. How do children learn to spell with no one teaching them?

That is my issue with unschooling. While I have a child who does better with less structure I don't feel any child would do well with NO structure. i homeschool mine and they are only required to do standardized tests every other year. Mine do them EVERY year, because I feel like they need to keep up with how they are doing in school. If it becomes an issue that they aren't learning we can look into how to fix the problem. My kids consistently score in the top 10 percentile on these tests. Except Math which is their weak point, but still top 20%. There are good points to unschooling, but I think kids need more structure in general. Eventually the learning will plateau otherwise.

 

[dichotomymom]

Unschooling doesn't mean they aren't being educated. Have a look at the high number of drop outs from traditional schools across the nation. It's not all about book work and unfortunately, most teachers are bound to that style. That's the beauty of unschooling AND homeschooling.

 

[Shannon's Chix]

"This to me is putting way too much power in the hands of the kids -- something that we know kids actually can often find very anxiety producing," she tells ABC News.

"And it's also sending a message that they're the center of the universe, which I do not think is healthy for children."

I have 3 kids and COMPLETELY agree with these statements. I'm actually thinking about homeschooling my youngest but he will definitely have structure and a curriculum, HOWEVER, we will have the time to delve deeper into what he is interested in...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
I know. I should have made what I said a bit clearer. Sorry.

My bad...

Peace...

Awww you two are SO CUTE!

 

[Dar]

I am a mom of a ds with SEVERE learning disabilities. He does not learn in a school environment. He learns hands on. children who are un-schooled are not given a spelling lesson each week but they do make the shopping list and are corrected and learn in different ways.

not everyone learn the same way
we are not cookie cutters

is this for everyone? no... will it benefit some .. YES!

the sooner people start treating everyone as an individual and not as a herd of sheep I think things will be a lot better in this world


ETA: If I could afford to quit work and un-school my son I would but in today's economy I need my job. All the public school system is today (In Ontario) is a fashion show and the place that many many children go everyday to slip through the cracks, and to get made fun of in the process, and have their self esteem damaged.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Here's a similar, yet different scenario.

My husband and I are considering pulling my Junior son from high school. Here's a little side story -

My son was in a car accident when he was 3 days from 16 years old. He received a tramatic brain injury in that accident. He spent six weeks in a coma and several months in the hospital and then another few months in an in house rehab facility that catered to his injuries. His accident was 12/6/08. We didn't get him home until July 4th 2009. In August we put him back in the public high-school. He's had nothing but sadness and heartache since. His friends have all but abandoned him, the teachers don't know what to make of him. His injuries were for the most part detrimental to his motor skills. He's had massive physical and occupational therapies and still gets this three times a week. His right hand shakes with ataxia now and he's had to make himself left handed. My youngest son is still one of the smartest of all three of my children. He has been tested just recently and scored in the 98 percentile of math and 96 percentile in reading and comprehension. He just has to work extra hard for it. He's 17 now and is a junior in high school.

The reason we are considering pulling him out are for several reasons. He's still angry about the accident and the girl who was texting while driving at a high rate of speed down a residential road. She seriously altered his life and has no remorse. Mom and dad bought her a new BMW not 3 months after this accident. We can forget a lawsuit because it's step-dad with all the money and mom signed her license, she'd just bankrupt out of a lawsuit. We also have him in counseling to try to manage this...he's angry that he walks funny and it takes him longer to "think". He's angry that his friends have abandoned him. He was a very popular boy prior to the accident. His lifeline is his cell phone. Three times in this junior year he has been suspended because of his cell phone. The first time, it was his birthday and my oldest daughter rang to leave him a happy birthday voicemail while he was in class. He forgot to turn the phone off. He was suspended for that! The second time, he had his phone in his backpack and the phone beeped for low battery. He was sent to the office and shaken down for his cellphone. While he was in the office with the principal, he called my DH on his cellphone and asked his dad to come get him. The principal reached for the phone and my son pushed the principal's arm away and let fly the "f" bomb. The resource office was called in and my son, who walks very slowly with a crippled limp and who is very obviously disabled, was handcuffed and taken to jail in a police car. All of the kids who were in the hall saw this. Another suspension.... The next thing you know, I'm getting a call from one of the teachers at school who wants to have a behaviorial study done on him. They can go to H-E- double hockey sticks.

My husband and I have an appt. with his school counselor this coming Friday. We are looking at having him take the ACT and then go on to get his GED. From there we plan to enroll him in Jr. College to get anything else he needs to continue on towards his four year degree in college. That's not really unschooling in the manner that this article is referring to, but it's something of that scenario. Maybe getting my boy around people who will treat him with a little more respect for what he's been through, and less like a punk, will be better for him than the torture of the public school system. This of course just barely scratches the surface of his story, but it's already a lot to read!

 

[redhen]

A child that has no structure= juvi delinquent