Apr
20
2010

Unschooling Buzz

Filed under: Unschooling

I had no idea when I posted my thoughts about unschooling that Good Morning America would be covering it the next day. Many of you have commented about it, so I wanted to address their incredibly biased and ill-researched story.

Actually, I’m going to address it by referring you to several people who have already responded.

Tara / The Organic Sister
The Uproar Over Unschooling

Lee Stranahan / Huffington Post:
Unschooling: How Good Morning America Got It All Wrong

Tiffani / Child’s Play:
Unschooling on GMA

Heather / Swiss Army Wife
Unschooling Stephanopoulos: Good Morning America Fail

Here is the first segment and here is the follow up segment. Enjoy.

Posted by Sara @ 12:07 pm | Leave a Comment

Heather

Rock on Mama. Mainstream media is very biased and there is often not enough variety for me to even watch. To each their own but don’t bash what others are doing as long as they are happy, healthy and not hurting anyone else. I think what you are doing is wonderful and works for your family. Keep up the good work Mama. : )
olya

I wouldn’t expect anything objective and unbiased written by mainstream media on non-mainstream topics, but I still get irritated when they post things like that. Mostly because it makes those close to us question our choices again and again, after we’ve spent a good deal of time trying to introduce them to the certain idea and show why/how it works for us.

Here’s another good response to the story:

http://www.justenoughblog.com/?p=1992
Erin

I don’t know what I think about unschooling, but I did think it was funny that as a point to make their point they showed, “Oh, you want to eat a doughnut, okay.” Most parents give their kids doughnuts. Most parents feed their kids goldfish, microwave dinners, soda all the time, and if they were typical school-going kids, no one would think anything of it
http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/ Sara

Erin…I found that kind of funny too
http://www.abroadunhomeschooling.blogspot.com Roblynn

I have to say I admire the heck out of the Bigler family for opening their home and children to the “mainstream media”. I have always tried to be pretty hush hush about unschooling. Being the nonconformist that I am I am also a nonconfrontationalist, if there is any such thing as that! By the way their teens were pretty cool about their answers!
http://ssmast.blogspot.com Sarah M

wow. I didn’t know about this either, but that first segment was horrible!

BTW, Something I point others to in lieu of explaining unschooling to someone who has a more “statistical” mind-set might like listening to this podcast via Krista Tippet’s Speaking of Faith segment titled “Learning, Being, Doing: A New Science of Education” on NPR. This is a free download.

Basically, researchers are finding out that retention, attention, and engagement (etc.) are all improved via experiential learning. This is hand in hand with what unschoolers believe in.

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/learning-doing-being/

Sarah M
Tara

As an elementary school teacher in the public school system I am intrigued by unschooling. Schools are becoming more rigidly controlled and standardized and the few opportunities we have to explore student interests have decreased greatly in order to spend more time prepping for standardized tests.

Public school is education for the masses therefore there are many kids that public school doesn’t work for: kids with learning disabilities, kids that are gifted, active kids, etc… I’ve even caught myself saying “he’ll be fine once he gets through high school” to a parent of a bright kid that couldn’t sit still and is always getting in trouble for lack of effort. Give the kid something to build or draw and he does great, but force him to sit there and listen to something he isn’t interested in-it’s a waste I wish the vocational education was more common and not looked down upon in order to give some of these kids more options.

The only part of your post I partially disagree with is learning to read. It is true that most kids will learn to read from exposure and natural interest, but a true dyslexic child (5-10% of kids) needs intentional instruction in how to read and write (although most public schools don’t do this well either)
http://dee-construction.blogspot.com Dee

this just reminds me to always take everything in mainstream media with a massive chunk of salt…there is no such thing as a truly unbiased documentary.
it’s the same with homebirth or anything. it simply boils down to ignorance.
http://lifewithSpectre.com Holly

Sara, I think you’re going to raise a girl who is confident, secure, and delightful. She will avoid painful experiences in a public school that really tramautize kids and color their whole life in education. She’ll never have to worry about “am I good enough, pretty enough, smart enough” until she’s old enough to handle those questions…and by then, she’ll be able to say, “Well, of course I am!”

I’m proud of you and Matt for making a “radical” decision that will protect your precious daughters. I wish all young women could have that kind of perspective.
http://aprayertobegintheday.blogspot.com/ Lori

Aw, crap. Leave it to the mainstream media outlets to screw up a story – and screw somoeone over. So sorry. And to think I used to like GMA.
http://meetmissjones.wordpress.com Crystal

Apparently today is a big unschooling day! I turned on HLN about an hour ago and the Joy Behar show was on, interviewing two parents about (you guessed it) unschooling! They were doing a great job, though Joy was majorly on the offensive (bordering on rude). Don’t have a link but I’m sure they’ll put one up at some point.

P.S.
I really enjoyed your post yesterday and watched the entire lecture video you posted–so good!
http://redheadmusings.blogspot.com Katrina

Thanks for your posts on this subject. I am really intrigued by this topic. My son is only 21 months so I have some time before I have to decide what route we’ll take with his education, but I have school aged step kids and I see how frustrating the school system can be. I hate that they spend so much time in school and so little time exploring and learning on their own.
sammy

Interesting interviews. I’m not convinced either about unschooling or about our public school system-really I guess I’m not looking to be convinced. My oldest child was attending public school (grade school) and had some not so positive experiences while attending. I had the feeling that “they” just wanted to medicate my child in some way because he is a very sensitive. We looked for other options and settled in on a small Bible based school-and it has been quite positive so far.
I’m getting old enough to realize there is no perfect way in anything. As we parent I think we do the best we know how for that season of life-and really I don’t see why it has to be an “either” “or” situation. Children can benefit from both structure and freedom. It seems like when we become so entrenched in either camp that all creavity in learning is lost.
Tiffani

Sara–can you believe this?! LOL. So crazy, such a can of worms the GMA story opened up.

I can only hope that aside from the ridiculously ignorant people who performed the segment and commented on it, it will cause people to rethink what they do and why they do it. Certainly, lots of people are visiting my blog that didn’t before the interview.

I’m proud of our blogging unschooling community, and I’m glad that all those people now have great resources to check out instead of crap in the biased media.

thanks for the linky love!
http://ahomeschooladventure.blogspot.com That Crazy Family

I think its just like anything.. if you are giving an opinion make sure that you are educated before giving it! When others hear “unschooling” they think kids just running around that cant read, cant write, etc which is not at all how it really is! My daughter loves to read and chooses herself to read over doing basically anything else! It reminds me a lot of the negativity and bad rap about home birth here where I live because its “illegal” yet nobody does research about the many amazing benefits!
http://www.shalommama.com Nina Nelson

One thing that jumped out at me was when they asked how these kids would get jobs without diplomas or GEDs. They will probably start businesses for themselves. Seth Godin talks in great detail in his newest book, Linchpin about public education being established to train factory workers – cogs. Factory owners supported this because the less people think for themselves, the easier they are to control. Big business shaped public schools into what they are. A lot like they pushed to have birth move to hospitals. But that’s another can of worms…
Julie

Though my homeschool experience wasn’t what could be considered unschooling, there was more flex and freedom to learn what interested us than what would have been allowed in public or private schools. I plan on unschooling my little boy when he’s older. I’ve already gotten a couple books on unschooling through paperbackswap though so as to read up on it and get ideas for the future…as well as to have a ready answer when questioned about our choices. I’m not afraid of people thinking I’m weird though, as they already think that my nine-month old going poop on the potty is weird!!
Morgan

I had never heard of unschooling until I started reading your blog, and I’ve been fascinated by it. I’m 19 years old, in college, not doing too well. School was always hard for me- Big assignments and homework and presentations always stressed me out and I honestly can’t think of anything I’ve learned in school other than some science and art and maybe a little bit of the lit we read in english class that I truly was even interested in. I wish my mom had unschooled me. We had a “GT” (gifted and talented) program at my elementary school for the kids like me, but after I moved that stopped.
Your daughters are truly in good hands, and I can tell that they will both grow up to be wonderful, well-balanced, wise young women!
http://www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com sheena

wow….I really like you!! so happy to have found your blog:)
http://aklivelovelearn.net/ Anita

The problem I saw with the GMA is not that GMA was biased, they admittedly said that they were, but based on what, the family they interviewed? I don’t think the unschooling family themselves represented unschooling in a good light at all. There is a difference between unschooling and uneducated. In the first episode this family appeared to not be educating which in my opinion made unschooling look bad. I personally know unschoolers and even though they don’t believe in formal education, they give their children plenty of opportunity to explore and learn. Watching TV and playing video games and staying up all night is not my ideas of good opportunities. These children actually appeared to be bored. Sure I agree, GMA may not have given the whole story and maybe focus more on the negative than the positive, but does what GMA saw in this family was uneducation…instead of unschooling? And why?
- Heidi
  
  I agree. Honestly, I didn’t think the family showcased was really unschooling. The mom sort of talked the talk, but it didn’t look like they walked the walk, if you get what I mean.
  
  But the gentleman representing Holt in the second segment called what that family was doing “beautiful” or maybe said they are doing it “beautifully.”
  
  In any case, they didn’t act or do the things I’ve seen most unschooling families do.
  
  In fact, they didn’t seem to value education or learning as much as they were just allowing for freedom of choice and exploration of whatever the kids wanted, which, of course, is a part of unschooling, but where was the learning part?
  
  Too bad Good Morning America can’t highlight a successful unschooling family so that the debate and discussion could be more authentic. I hope they can do that in a third segment.
Heidi

Good Morning American should have chosen a more representative family to showcase.

I also think they deliberately showed the kids watching tv, playing video games, and goofing off.

However, the kids themselves didn’t represent themselves very well, and neither did the parents in the initial segment. They were a little better in the second segment. The mom did say herself the kids sometimes choose to watch tv or play video games.

But I do think the question of where and how unschooled children find jobs or go to college is a very valid question that unschooling parents should consider.

Not everyone can open and run their own business. It’s a great model to dream about but the failure rate for self-owned businesses is high. It takes a lot start up capital often.

Kids should have that as an option, but not as the only option, which is why a college degree as a foundation, I feel, is so important.

Also, I feel that many unschooling parents did not like school themselves or perhaps don’t see the value in certain school subjects, and then, unfairly, pass on those biases to their kids.

The idea that kids will pick up algebra if they are so inclined probably isn’t going to work for most kids. Not that many people are passionate about mathematics, but they still should be exposed to it.
http://aklivelovelearn.net/ Anita

BTW, I should learn to edited my comments so I don’t appear uneducated. LOL!
http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/ Sara

Heidi,
I believe the GMA picked a wonderful family to interview. They were very intelligent and well-spoken. I’m going to assume that you have never met the family in person, so I will respectfully ask you not to make judgments about them as to whether or not they are “actual unschoolers”.

However, it was GMA’s hack job editing and taking things out of context that may have made them seem unprepared. When you say that they didn’t represent themselves very well…it’s actually GMA who didn’t represent them well.

As someone who has experienced first hand how the media takes your 2-4 hour interview and makes it into a 5 minute segment…I know that pretty much EVERYTHING wonderful the family portrayed unschooling to be was left on the cutting room floor.

And of course GMA is not going to show the positive side of unschooling because the entire point of the segment was shock and awe.
Heidi

Well, but the kids were shown watching tv and playing video games, and the mom did say that they watch tv and play video games during the day as part of unschooling.

I’m sure there are some educational programs on tv and some educational elements of video gaming, but it wasn’t just GMA’s editing that left me wondering where and when the learning was taking place. I’m going to go back and watch the GMA clip to see what they were watching on tv and playing on the gaming device.

In the clip I saw a large tv, video games, and a Rock Band set up. I didn’t see actual instruments, books, art supplies, etc.

No, I haven’t met them in person. Also, I didn’t say they weren’t actually unschooling.

I said they didn’t seem very representative of most unschoolers and while they talked the talk very well – and very intelligently – they also answered all the questions in the second segment very generally with no specific examples of what they do with their own children to answer the criticisms against them. Again, it seemed like they talked the talk well, and used all the buzz words, but weren’t walking the walk, or at least couldn’t articulate it.

Even the kids couldn’t point out all that they had explored and were intrigued by academically.

I hope I’m wrong.
http://www.simply-rea.blogspot.com Loretta

Funny, I was just thinking of this subject today as I was driving along…I think because I saw a camper. And I was thinking what an incredibly rich education your children are going to get by visiting so many places and meeting so many people. To me the heart of unschooling would be filling their lives with experiences that have meaning and lead them down new paths. (And I say that as the mom of traditionally schooled kids.) I’ll have to actually watch the segments, although I’m pretty sure I can guess how it is portrayed. I think that ANY schooling choice is going to have those who do it well and those who don’t, just as there are going to be children well suited for that choice and children who aren’t.
http://aklivelovelearn.net/ Anita

My previous comment may have sounded a bit odd toward the end there…Let me rephrase what I was trying to ask…What did GMA see in this family that made them biased? Was it the lack of opportunity? Or merely because it was different?

I don’t think it was good to show the kids playing video games and watching TV and the mother did admit that they do that, as well as the daughter staying up all night.

Of course the press is going to go after what makes the story, that’s why I feel this family did not represent unschooling well. I’m sure they are a wonderful unschooling family, but I feel they were not as guarded as they could of been.

This is actually the second time unschooling has been addressed on national TV, Dr.Phil also did a segment on unschooling and it too was not portrayed well at all. Here’s the Dr. Phil on YouTube, the quality isn’t good, but you will get the idea… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9IfxXl5SAc&feature=related
http://tyleralyse.blogspot.com/ Tyler

I am constantly intrigued and curious about this unschooling. It sounds like it can be just amazing for the children getting to experience it. As I get closer and closer to starting my own family I wish this is something I could experiment with. I wish I could change my lifestyle so this could happen. When I share these thoughts and ideas with others they are often so shocked because I am a total academic nerd! I sped through college, am finishing up my masters and getting ready to start my doctorate. To say that my life was greatly shaped by my school choices would be an understatement. I love school and work at a college. But part of me longs for my children to have options, options I didn’t necessarily have. Are there are resources or guides for people who work full time (I work, my boyfriend doesn’t) and how they can still achieve a lot of what is offered in unschooling but with their limitations?
http://theorganicsister.com ~Tara

@Heidi,

I know this family and I know well what was deliberately NOT portrayed…they filmed them describing their extensive traveling, a myriad of amazing interests and all the things they had been learning over the past 6 years out of school. And what did they show? Only the things they could easily vilify: tv, video games, “junk food” (which as already pointed out above, is not uncommon and may be more common in public schooled kids – have you seen their school lunches lately?) and oh. my. goodness. a lack of algebra. (sarcasm implied)

It saddens me that so many people are so thoroughly “educated” by the mainstream as to actually believe the bile it spews out.

Don’t the very people that exclaim the evils of TV realize they are buying into every word it feeds?

As for video games:

I, for one, am tired of seeing them attacked. Video games are not evil and they don’t ‘destroy young minds’. They are tools, resources that children and adults use both in play and in work. A video game buff is no different than a movie buff, except arguable they move more often while they play.

With very few exceptions, computer and video games are amazing, applicable learning tools. They include a phenomenal amount of math, social studies, reading, history, geography and science, as well as typing skills, hand-eye coordination, critical thinking and reasoning, compromise, planning, experimentation, concentration, determination, and team-work (both with friends and often strangers from around the world), just to name a very few. I have known kids who played video games constantly and have grown up to now create them. I have read studies and books that show their worth is greater than our highly worshiped books.

Yes, video games (and TV and chocolate and books and drugs and work and art and music) can all be used as a crutch or as an escape. But if a person is wanting to escape from life, the issue there is their LIFE. And I know countless number of kids who have free-reign over the amount of video games they play and very few want to play all day, every day. Given the choice, it’s just another choice and everything gets boring at some point. I’ve yet to see an unschooler who has NEVER had restrictions feel the need to do nothing but play video games. The only kids I’ve seen who choose that are kids with time limits. Nothing like creating a forbidden fruit.

Some suggested research on the matter:

Start with the book: Everything Bad is Good For You

http://www.adversarian.com/2010/04/10-skills-you-practice-by-playing-video-games/

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2007/12/boy-survives-mo/

Heck, just Google “video games are good for you” and you’ll find plenty more.
- Heidi
  
  I’m not coming at this from a lack of knowledge that video game buffs don’t go on to then design video games.
  
  I also am familar with the argument that video games can be learning tools.
  
  Sure. Fine. I get that.
  
  But they are definitely NOT a replacement for learning the fundamentals of math, the old fashioned way.
  
  And definitely don’t replace books, precious or otherwise.
  
  I can’t believe you would say anything sarcastic about algebra and dismiss the very valid point that kids actually do need it.
  
  The attitude about math, especially, makes me very sad.
  
  I mean this with no sarcasm at all – I really think that (based on your posts to me) that you and Sarah both lack a fundamental understanding of math and the need for it because you’ve not chosen a path in life where it is needed. I know Sarah said she took college calculus, but was it business calc or real calculus? That sometimes makes a difference. And to think that because you as an adult use math only for cooking or shopping and can grab a calculator for long division that your child then doesn’t need algebra is just very short sighted.
  
  I’m not even that passionate about math myself and I never really liked my classes, but I did it because it was needed to understand and do other things. I use advanced math all the time now in my job. I still don’t like it that much! But it’s necessary.
  
  Do you guys not do your own taxes? Do you not ever plan to sit down and have to explain fractions or geometry to a pre-teen or teen? Is there never a point where you need to use basic algebra in every day life? What about statistics? Percentages?
  
  I am sorry that GMA edited the family’s story to the point where it wasn’t their true story anymore. I’ll take your word for it.
  
  But algebra (etc) is still important. I think I read once that as a direct correlation, one of the most basic predictors of success in life in the job world, which OK take with a grain of salt, is the more math classes under your belt, the better you tend to come out in hard economic times. What that boils down to is math is relevant to all fields and you can get a job in pretty much anything if you have skills in math.
  
  I personally don’t want to give my kids a bad attitude about any subject and don’t want them relying on video games and cliff notes. I want them to do the actual algebra and read the actual Shakespeare, not watch it on tv. It’s the active engagement of the equations themselves and reading the words that sparks the learning.
http://railyuh.blogspot.com Annie

Well how many public schooled kids play video games and watch tv for hours every day? I’m guessing GMA says, “Hey, we want to interview you in your home.” And those may be a lot of the things they do when the kids are home. And maybe they think footage of a kid playing a video game is slightly more action-oriented than a kid reading a book. Maybe the footage of the kids reading or doing other things was all left on the cutting room floor. I seriously doubt GMA took the time to follow the family all around town for the day (or the night in the case of the daughter who likes to stay up all night) in order to see what they really do all day.

I don’t think GMA really intended to give an accurate portrayal of a day in the life of some unschoolers. They just found the concept shocking and wanted to interview a family who unschools and show it on tv, clearly showing their bias about the idea in the way they portrayed it. This isn’t news, it is an opinion.
http://www.freechild.info/ Rue

>>Honestly, I didn’t think the family showcased was really unschooling. The mom sort of talked the talk, but it didn’t look like they walked the walk, if you get what I mean.

**I’ve known the Shaun, Kimi, Christine, and Phil for years and they absolutely walk the walk.

>>What did GMA see in this family that made them biased?

**I think they saw an opportunity to sensationalize something in order to get people to watch and talk about their program.

>>I seriously doubt GMA took the time to follow the family all around town for the day (or the night in the case of the daughter who likes to stay up all night) in order to see what they really do all day.

**Everything on the first segment was staged. The family was asked to watch TV, to swordfight in the yard, etc. They spent hours answering questions – talking about their family travels, their garden, Shaun’s interest in mythology, Kimi’s trip to Japan, their interests, and their activities. The segment was designed to shock, to make people talk and tune in for more, not to show this family as they actually are or to give an accurate understanding of unschooling.

~Rue
Lesli

I think it’s a shame that a news spot like this can instigate discord amongst parents who have the best interests of their children in mind. We all know most media is sensational and aims to grab interest as quickly as possible. All kids from interested and engaged parents are unschooled to an extent in my opinion, and many succeed in life. Comparing public school averages to unschooling or homeschooling, for instance, is like comparing apples to oranges. Include only the children in public schools that have parents who are truly involved and the numbers would read much differently, making for a much better comparison.

In any case, I and everyone else should do what they think best for their children, and know that, while opinions are always valid, they can’t know everything about the details of somebody else’s choices to make any sort of well-reasoned judgment for or against them.
http://theorganicsister.com ~Tara

Okay.

I’m going to attempt to answer these concerns. Even if I don’t understand why either of us feel the need to beat this debate to death.

I don’t have a negative attitude toward math.

I have a negative attitude toward math worship. I’m an avid reader and writer, but I feel the same about book worshiping.

There is diversity in life and humankind. We don’t all need the same things, nor should we all pursue the same things. What we should do it pursue what we love. You pursued math – even if it was difficult – to accomplish your goal. Other people will pursue history, writing, programming or sports to accomplish their goals.

You, as an unschooled kid, are successful. Other unschooled kids will continue doing the same. Not because they are made to, but because they want to.

Here’s my question: As a human being with over 200 muscles in your body do you know the origin and insertion of each muscle, as well as the antagonist muscle and names of each muscle group? As a massage therapist, *I* think you should. *I* know it and am passionate about it, so why aren’t you?

My point is not that algebra is unimportant. My point is not that reading is unimportant.

My point is that by pushing children into something, instead of building off their interests and allowing life to show them the importance of such, is directly counterproductive to real comprehension or true success.

Yes, *some* kids will learn by coercion. But there are always hidden lessons involved: that learning is not fun enough to do without force, that the learner is not trusted to learn what they need to succeed in their own life, that someone else’s ideas are more important than their own.

Those aren’t lessons I agree with. Those aren’t things that work for us or other unschooling families.

We all choose what we feel is best. Accepting that those things aren’t the same for others is just as important as knowing what is best for ourselves.
- Lesli
  
  Tara, you wrote “Yes, *some* kids will learn by coercion.” seemingly indicating that somebody argued that kids should learn by coercion, or learn best by coercion, or something along those lines. Did somebody really say that, or was this just meant to be inflammatory? If it’s the latter, that’s the kind of discord and judgment that I was talking about…and it’s sad to see.
Heidi

Oh, goodness.

No hard feelings whatsoever! (I hope).

I definitely don’t think coercion has any place in learning or education. Ever. And I am definitely not the one who said that. That’s not to say there shouldn’t be requirements.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I think the disconnect in what we are each saying is perhaps that we define the fundamentals differently.

See, I think algebra is a fundamental. It’s such a base for all of mathematics. It’s really the beginning of math, truly.

And to skip it means you won’t be exposed to so much more. I seem to recall that chemistry was taken after algebra because you needed algebraic equations to chemistry…and chemistry leads to so much else.

That’s just one example.

Now, obviously, some might not see algebra as a fundamental and think that not everyone needs to be exposed to it, and certainly not if their own interests don’t lead them to that.

Knowing muscle groups and technical aspects of massage is not a fundamental, just as the technical points of my profession are not fundamentals. We each trained for that, specifically.

I wouldn’t expect someone to know my field, specifically, or your field unless they went through the training program.

But I would expect a teen to know some algebra. As a foundation to other things…

It kind of reminds me of the debate when I was in college if engineering students should have to take philosophy. There was a movement underfoot to broaden the curriculum to require engineering students to take more requirements in humanities…psych, sociology, philosophy, literature…to make them more well rounded, to expand their critical thinking, and to expose them to ideas and disciplines they otherwise might not be exposed to.

The argument was that a four year engineering degree, without humanities, was nothing more than a glorified technical degree.

And I agree. I think community college and technical degrees are great as a means to a job. And necessary. And cost-effective. But there is definitely a missed opportunity for expansive university level learning and exposure, and that is something that everyone should have the opportunity to experience whether in formal school, home school, self-study, or unschooling.

Just one last point, and that is that I myself am not that great a student of math. I never really liked it. If at 14 years of age I had been told I didn’t have to take pre-algebra and algebra I probably would have skipped it. It was not easy or fun. I think I got a B and I worked really hard for the B.

Then I took geometry. I loved it! I got an A. I needed algebra to do geometry so I saw the value in algebra, even though I wasn’t passionate about it. Then trig. Not so much for me. Another B, hard earned. Then calculus and it kind of clicked. Another A. It was fun. Then statistics. Ugh. Hated it. Another B or C, maybe. It was hard. But I needed it as a means to the field I was going into.

Do you see my point? If I hadn’t stuck with algebra, even though I truly didn’t like it and wasn’t interested in it, I would not have been able to do geometry, which I was very interested in and really loved.

That is the only danger I see in letting interests only guide academics. So, obviously, unschooling needs a lot of parental oversight and evaluation to make sure the kids are exposed to the options and know what their choices are.

I hope that makes sense. And all this was meant with good thoughts.
reese

just an observation as well, it seems like unschoolers are quite definite on what unschooling is-which really seems odd. If unschooling is not to be bound by labels, then it could include a myraid of things right, then why the defensiveness? Perhaps this isn’t a correct assumption-but when I think of unschooling I think of parents who are along the lines of natural parenting, developing rhythms of the home, living with intention, etc. Therefore the thing with video games is that these games happen to be very mainstream! They are marketed by big companies/cooperations that have a vested interest in making one very involved in gaming (which means more for that company financially).
Another thing that struck me about the GMA interview was that the parents seemed to accept any choice that their children made (not wanting to push the children per say). What if their children decide that working is not part of their life plan, would the parents then support (financially) into adulthood?
- Heidi
  
  I had all these same thoughts, too, especially about the video games and working.
  
  I’m not saying there is no value in video games, and I know that some avid gamers have gone on to design the games themselves.
  
  But video games do not replace foundational learning.
  
  It’s sort of like the Leap Frog games for pre-schoolers. Some of them are actually pretty good at teaching the alphabet or phonics. But they are a tool in a tool kit, not a replacement for foundational learning of the alphabet and phonics.
http://CareysGifts.com Carey b

Did you see that when they were showing the pie graft that it showed the school kids nicely dressed in a line on there way to a bus. the home schooled kids nicely dressed with a parent by there side and the unschooled kid alone in a corner barely dressed and looking dirty. are you kidding me. I may not unschooled but that was very wrong that they put that kind of pic in your head. like saying all unschooled kids are dirty and unloved unlike the other ways. Thats WRONG.
- Heidi
  
  I’ll have to go back and watch again to see how this was set up. I recollect in that sequence they were showing that the kids determined their own schedule and made their own choices – about dressing and when, getting ready in the morning and when, eating and when and what, and where. I think the point was if they wanted to eat a certain food they could do it wherever they wanted to eat, with or without clothes.
  
  My parents were like that too. We ate where ever, when ever we wanted. We rarely had a sit down meal, that I can remember. I actually like that. It makes one’s blood sugar less volatile waiting for a meal. I do this with my own children (it drives my traditional husband batty). Also, we ran around naked a lot when we were kids. Clothes were optional when we were younger, for the most part. So, to outsiders, we probably looked dirty, uncared for, and unloved. If a camera crew had come they would have filmed us in that same state, not out of bias, but because that is what was really happening. A camera crew would never have filmed us watching tv or playing video games, though, because we never did that as part of unschooling. For us, unschooling was climbing trees, exploring nature, knitting, sewing, wood working, reading, writing, McGuffey’s Readers work, drawing, painting, fixing things, cooking, planting, gardening, composting, tending to animals, staying up all night looking at constellations, etc.
  
  We never watched tv. We never played video games. That is what traditional kids did. So, perhaps my background colored my response to that, but I stand by what I said about video games and tv not replacing the fundamentals of eduation.
  
  The above list of my unschooling activities might sound very idyllic, and it some ways it really was, and many of those things I carry on with my own kids. However, none of those activities really prepared me for the ACT, the SAT, and college. Or, really, for my career.
  
  They are all things I enjoy and honor in life, but they are more or less recreational pursuits that made me a well rounded person, not an employable person.
Heidi

Reese had a very good post, I thought, about living with intention and being natural in rhythms. Is this at the heart of unschooling? That is how my parents approached it when they decided to unschool me. Then, when it conflicted with their needs, and their schedule, and when the state intervened and found I wasn’t being properly educated, I went to public school.

I like the idea of intentional parenting, and intentional schooling. Thinking about choices and their impact and letting thought guide the process.

This is definitely what I do with my own children. We are AP, we use intention (and research) when it comes to everything – discipline, food choices, sustainability choices. And education.

For me, though, I see so many people all around me – in society, generally, but also my own friends and family – who do not live with intention and do not do much research (due to lack of time or lack of interest) and do not live with intention, really.

And, like anything, unschooling can be done well and can be done poorly, right?

The thing is traditional school is more of a safety net, faults and all, for kids whose parents are not that intentional and might do unschooling, homeschooling, or public schooling poorly.

I know it is legal and parents have the right in most states to unschool, but if it’s done poorly, wouldn’t those kids be better off in a traditional school? Maybe that is why it’s so dangerous to have no standards. But I do see that with regulation comes unneccessary hoops.

The other thing I like about intentional schooling, if that is the heart of unschooling, is the terminology.

The term unschooling seems like right off the bat, it’s dismissive of any other kind of schooling. You have to “un” do what has been done traditionally? I get it’s like allowing a child to learn to walk or talk without instruction as they do when they are young, but, still, the term itself is sort of divisive and demeaning.

It’s too bad it wasn’t termed something else. “Un” has such negative connotation…”uneducated,” etc.
Jen

I hadn’t seen or heard about these segments, and while they weren’t surprising, were pretty disappointing! I’m glad they had the parents back on for the second segment, but they were still showing clips of the kids playing video games as if to back up their point that the kids weren’t learning.

I tried formal home schooling on & off throughout my kids’ school years (and Lauren still does a combination), but they truly do learn best when it’s interest led. Luke (now 18 and an aspiring artist-blacksmith) hated writing and grammar, but began writing very well and being irked by incorrect grammar usage when he got interested in online forums. The strides he made in his writing abilities in just a few months were amazing and I had absolutely nothing to do with it! That’s just one example.

I always saw education as an extension of everything else a parent does. Just like you make sure there are fresh foods in the house and that your kid eats a variety of them, you make sure to provide a rich learning environment for them, whether it’s educational games, lots of craft supplies, and a garden or lots of trips, museum visits and outside classes. You follow their lead and encourage their interests and they grow into amazing, fulfilled individuals.

I was talking with Lauren about this (she’s 14 now and self-motivated to do school-at-home) & said these people seem to think that not going to school ruins these kids lives. She said it’s just the opposite – going to school ruins your life!
calley

the video game hoopla, been thinking it over I suppose and I had just a thought, just a thought…
the thing about such games it is that they are highly structured, which in and of itself seems not follow the paradigm of unschooling.
For one to reach the “next level” in a game various tasks have to be completed, points earned, and so forth. Also this structure has been designed and modified by someone other than the person that is playing the game-thus creativity and learning are still limited to the boundaries set by the game, and herein lies the irony I suppose. Also we question the intent of some cooperations (especially the industrial food system) yet we are willing to accept that some cooperations (nintendo, xbox, whatever else) are beneficial, yet really its all about the bottom line.
It would have been nice if GMA had done a realistic look at a family who could share some of both of the advantages and disadvantages of this way of learning because like everything in life-pros and cons come with every decision made.
http://beautifulbabyrain.wordpress.com/blog/ Katrina

Hello All!

What a discussion! I’d love to add my story to the pool, for those interested in it! I was home-schooled along with my three siblings and I LOVED IT! http://beautifulbabyrain.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/my-childhood-as-homeschooler/

Sarah, thanks as always for a great post! Rock on home-schooling mama!

Enjoy your day, xo.
http://www.childinharmony.com child in harmony

just happened upon your blog via another blog I follow.

nice to meet another unschooler!

happy day!
~marcia in MA
(http://livefreeinharmony.xanga.com)
intrigued

I’m intrigued by unschooling as my child (3yrs) is very interested in everything and always wants to “figure it out”. The question I alwasy come to in the end though is since there is no grading or transcripts how does one apply for a job, most jobs want to know that your backround/studies are in a field that relates to the job you are applying for. I can see where starting your own business would make this point mute, but not everyone can do that. If they aren’t able to do that has unschooling failed them?
http://www.dryscalptreatment.info Megan Thompson

i was also home schooled when i was younger and it is also a great weay to get your education.’::
http://www.metallicsandals.org Metallic Sandals :

my kids are home schooled and they are always performing well in class during their High School years:-;
http://www.health-juice.net Health Juice

i was home schooled when i was still very young and i have to stay that it is also a great way to educate your kids :~~
http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/2010/04/20/unschooling-buzz/?& Alfie

forums that are on the same subject areas? Thanks a lot!
http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/2010/04/20/unschooling-buzz/?& Corwin

I like this site and now have book-marked it. I‘ll look for read in particulars on my trip