Mom Is Teaching

I’m not sure what I thought this type of education would encompass so I went in search of a definition.  Here’s what I found and basically it is from Wikipedia and states that the term was coined by John Holt in the 1970’s and he is also widely known as the “father” of unschooling. 

Here is the definition that they gave:

“unschoolers believe that the use of standard curricula and conventional grading methods, as well as other features of traditional schooling, are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing the education of each child”

I wondered if there were visitors coming by here who also read the word unschooling and then wondered to themselves exactly what it was.  Basically, I formed my own idea about what unschooling referred to before looking for a definition. 

I did this for two reasons, one because I’m stubborn and I was gonna learn the definition by the context of the sentences it was used in (well, that’s what they taught me to do in public school :)) Secondly, I wanted to form my own opinion before having one pushed on me.

And, that is exactly what unschooling is my friend.  It is basically moving from that structure that says you must learn this way or that way, you can learn the way you learn.  Parents or educators in general who unschool are typically known for allowing children to learn through life experiences, including game play, household responsibilities and social interaction.

Here are a few thoughts that Wikipedia (not normally my source of information but in my opinion, they did a doggone good job with this one):

Children are Natural Learners

I agree with this very much.  I was educated in the traditional manner.  But, it has been my experience that children want to learn.  They may push and tug with it when it is forced upon them but in their own way.  My five-year-old is just begging to be taught anything and he remembers almost everything that comes his way and seems out of the ordinary.  For instance, yes he is learning to read, he knows how to spell this word and that word, but he was more amused by his lessons on fresh water fish and salt water fish.  He gave me a lesson as a matter of fact, on crabs to be exact. 

So, does this make me an unschooler if I do believe children are begging to learn and are begging to learn what they are interested in most…even if, for now, I’m still enjoying the fact that someone else is teaching him (he is exhausting with the questions, which is one reason why I’m not sure I’m ready - he is going to require a lot of time and energy to educate - do I have it in me)?

Children do not all learn the same way

Hummmmmmmmm, of course not, who ever thought they did?  Well, according to the unschooling philosophy, the traditional public school way is to assume that everyone is learning at the same rate, in the same manner and even want to learn the same things at the same time.  This seems like a no-brainier to me.  Does that make me an unschooler?

Developmental Differences

Just as they learn to walk and talk and heaven help us even if they don’t learn to use the potty until they are over 3.75 years of age (hello young son, please?), it should be fairly obvious to folks that children are going to learn almost everything differently, just as they do their developmental milestones like eating with a fork or drinking from a regular cup instead of a sippy cup.

Does that make me an unschooler?

The Role of Parents

I don’t think I’ve been even a little bit vague in my ideas of how important the parental unit plays to the education of a child.  It is important.  Period.  No negotiating.  I don’t think this one would be argued by anyone - unschoolers or traditional educators.

Criticism of Traditional School

I think that the following quote by John Holt is about how I felt as a student:

“the anxiety children feel at constantly being tested, their fear of failure, punishment, and disgrace, severely reduces their ability both to perceive and to remember, and drives them away from the material being studied into strategies for fooling teachers into thinking they know what they really don’t know”

I was anxious, I depended on that number or letter grade to evaluate my abilities.  I need to know if I had succeeded or failed.  And, I know without a doubt, I learned less trying to cram in a bunch of temporary stuff than I would have if I had just made a better effort to apply what I did learn to some facet of my life…even my childhood or teenager life.

Does this make me an unschooler?

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If it sounds like I’m trying to convince you that I am a fan of unschooling, it is because I am.  But, one of the things I would like to see happen is to see this be possible in a setting outside the home.  I know expecting it to happen in public schools seems like a lot, but it can be done. 

If you are now shaking your head and thinking, “nope, she didn’t get it”, hear me out.  I owned a daycare and it is so easy to allow unschooling to happen in that setting, so why is it that at the magic age of 5, our children are then sent to public school where the unschooling stops and this stuff known as traditional education takes over?

There’s nothing magic about carrying out unschooling in a pre-school setting and there shouldn’t be anything magic about doing it as kids continue to grow and learn. 

I’m sure there is a point where if a child is in a public school, the more traditional method of educating would have to take over (even though homeschoolers tend to unschool for much longer) but it doesn’t have to start at a magic age of 5 and just because a kid is 5 doesn’t make him a candidate for the traditional methods.

Now, does that make me an unschooler?