September 7, 2004

• A brief blog this morning about Unschooling should probably be done. 

  
  

  I homeschool (obviously)  But there's about as many options in homeschooling as there are colors in the color box.  *snicker*

  
  

  As any well rounded person will tell you the best option is to pick and choose and use what works and gets the best results. 

  
  

  I graduated from homeschooling in 1989.   My mom did a lot of textbook education.  And a lot of hands-on-learning.   The learning that stuck with me was the hands-on stuff.   Or self-initiated learning.  For example we'd watch one of our many classic movies based on a period of history.  When I was done watching I'd want to know what parts were true and what weren't.   On my own without prompting  I'd go to the library, encyclopedias etc and find out.   This stuff I still remember to this day.

  
  

  The stupid history book my mom tried to pass off on me for awhile...oh that was the most boring thing in the world.   The first time I took the standardized test's to evaluate where I was at I tested at college level.  (This in the 8th grade.)  My mom ditched the history text book and let me continue to research on my own.    I probably had a masters level in history by the time I was done highschool....and never opened a history text book.  Just read voraciously because history fascinated me.

  
  

  This kind of learning is deemed unschooling.   Its deemed that because the child choose what they wish to learn and pursue's it until their satisfied.  Some how my knowledge for history will never be sated.....so I will always be in school.   

  
  

  A lot of parents ONLY unschool.  It works well for them.   They take teachable moments (like my kids catapault.)  and run with them.   According to their standardized tests, and teacher evaluations they are exactly where they should be grade wise.   

  
  

  I'm not completely sold on unschooling.  I have reservations.   I.E. who in their right mind would voluntarily learn math????    Can you tell what I hated in school????    This being said I've spent the last several weeks researching how one *would* unschool math and found it fascinating.  Maybe I wouldn't have hated math, if my mom had used a few more teachable moments, and a few less "You will do this, because I said so, and if you don't here's the spanking stick."     I learned math...but it was definitely unwillingly.

  
  

  Now the math I do remember???  I'm awesome with fractions.  I'm a music major of course I am.   Fractions are an integral part of music.  I'm also a reasonably good cook, cooking and fractions go hand in hand.    I can go to the grocery store bimonthly, keep a running total of what I've spent in my head, and always come out of the grocery store having spent no more then $180.     Leaving me $120 to spend on diapers, etc at Walmart.   So I do math...just never did under stand why two negatives make a positive.  

  
  

  My sil on the other hand who is an accountant...can NOT do math in her head.  Period.   That's what the calculator is for.   So as an adult I've learned I *am* good at math....the math that is practical for ME.   The rest of it can go be hanged.  ROFL  I can even balance my check book these days....though freely admit I don't enjoy it

  
  

  Maybe unschooling math will work.  I'm still thinking on that.  

  
  

  I guess my fears would be what if my kids miss something?  This is why I voraciously research, and evaluate, and I can steer them gently into a direction if we miss it.  For example Zanzivou venting about her niece not counting to 100.  I hadn't ever sat down with Zeria to do that.   Although she *has* done curriculum math all year.   I was rather curious if she could.

  
  

  I asked her...she can.  So can Sam.   Neither of them learned it sitting down and doing it in a book....

  
  

  So I'm not a true unschooler, because I *will* be teaching my kids to read, rather then waiting for them to ask.   And I will be gently steering them.    But more and more I lean that way...as I find my kids learning so much...without me having to make the process a miserable experience.

  
  

  They have a active sense of curiosity that I hope they never loose.  I hope I never make them loose it, by force feeding them when their not mature enough to handle it.  

  
  

  And now we return back to my normal mom type blogs.  *grin*   But feel free to ask questions.....I love to gab homeschooling. 

  • 11:55 am
  • 7 Comments