Tags for "Curiosity"
The First Three Minutes of Unschooling
We want our two young boys to remain the wise, compassionate, and engaged souls they are today. We want them to avoid the coercive, limiting regime of schooling we experienced which might, as with us, render their learning passive and repress their will to freedom and self-expression.
At four years old, after weeks of talking over educational options, my oldest son Ezra decided he wanted to go to pre-school. After visiting several, we... Aren’t Facts Important?
In a word... yes.
But I'm not going to stop after one word. Yes, there are absolutely things that people need to know in order to thrive in the world, but we will never be able to teach people everything that they will need to know for their life. And people, depending on the life path that they choose, will need to know different facts at different times. So rather than filling our young people's heads with facts, we should teach them how to find the information they need and give them the skills to analyze and interpret that information for themselves.
If our schools... Lost and Out of Control. . . At Last.
Falling in love, finding that perfect line to finish your poem, stepping in to break up a fight -- some of the most valuable and rewarding things in life simply cannot be done by following a plan. And so goes parenting. And so goes democratic education at home. And so, now that I think about it, goes a life worth living.
I envision my life with my wife and 2 sons as an exercise in liberation, for all of us. As my wife and I attempt to liberate ourselves from some of the less-than-helpful cultural habits of parenting (maintaining control and power at all costs, or needing to be “right” all the time), we are hopefully liberating our children. We're allowing them to maintain their... Of Life and Learning
It would be wrong to say that we are not learning when people show us how to do things we otherwise would not know how to do, or when they assist us in challenging matters. Even with the help of somebody who does not break down step-by-step how to perform whatever task is at hand, we as humans still observe and take mental note. We have an amazing ability to... The Freedom to Do It Wrong
It's funny; I can remember how it all started. I was a super quiet kid around those I don't know--my daughter is, too. People were constantly telling me to talk, to speak up, to be louder. And when I finally started to do that--to make them happy, as I was perfectly happy being quiet--I was told to be quiet, to not talk in class, to stay in silence. It was the first punishment I ever received in school, a humiliating sentence of corner-banishment in front of all of my peers, and it was enough motivation to get me to shut up once again.
The expectations set in front of me were quite obvious--succeed or be met with disapproval.... Education or Indoctrination?
Hi Jonah, I saw that you were presenting a workshop at the Left Forum in New York this weekend entitled "Fertile Grounds Project: Spaces for Youth to be Youth/Education over Indoctrination." I will not be able to attend the session myself, but I was wondering what you meant the difference between "Education" and "Indoctrination" to be. Even if you are "educating" people towards democracy or social justice, isn't there still a certain level of indoctrination going on?
-Anne M., Toronto
Hi Anne,
Not only is...
Posted on Oct 26, 2009 - 12:06 AM by Khalif Williams in Uncharted Parenting
Even though we went to mediocre public schools and are the products of lovingly conventional parenting, my wife and I are trying to create our own family quite differently by embracing attachment parenting and, more recently, unschooling our children.We want our two young boys to remain the wise, compassionate, and engaged souls they are today. We want them to avoid the coercive, limiting regime of schooling we experienced which might, as with us, render their learning passive and repress their will to freedom and self-expression.
At four years old, after weeks of talking over educational options, my oldest son Ezra decided he wanted to go to pre-school. After visiting several, we... Aren’t Facts Important?
Posted on Nov 11, 2009 - 08:25 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
This "democratic" approach to education seems nice, but don't kids need to know certain facts to thrive in the world?In a word... yes.
But I'm not going to stop after one word. Yes, there are absolutely things that people need to know in order to thrive in the world, but we will never be able to teach people everything that they will need to know for their life. And people, depending on the life path that they choose, will need to know different facts at different times. So rather than filling our young people's heads with facts, we should teach them how to find the information they need and give them the skills to analyze and interpret that information for themselves.
If our schools... Lost and Out of Control. . . At Last.
Posted on Nov 18, 2009 - 02:46 PM by Khalif Williams in Uncharted Parenting
Falling in love, finding that perfect line to finish your poem, stepping in to break up a fight -- some of the most valuable and rewarding things in life simply cannot be done by following a plan. And so goes parenting. And so goes democratic education at home. And so, now that I think about it, goes a life worth living.I envision my life with my wife and 2 sons as an exercise in liberation, for all of us. As my wife and I attempt to liberate ourselves from some of the less-than-helpful cultural habits of parenting (maintaining control and power at all costs, or needing to be “right” all the time), we are hopefully liberating our children. We're allowing them to maintain their... Of Life and Learning
Posted on Jan 05, 2010 - 01:08 AM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Isn't it great how when we are struggling with something, the people who care about us will sometimes help us through our challenging times so that we will prosper? Great not only because of the loving sentiment that arises from helping one another, but great also because that learning is many times a byproduct of such group efforts.It would be wrong to say that we are not learning when people show us how to do things we otherwise would not know how to do, or when they assist us in challenging matters. Even with the help of somebody who does not break down step-by-step how to perform whatever task is at hand, we as humans still observe and take mental note. We have an amazing ability to... The Freedom to Do It Wrong
Posted on Jan 28, 2010 - 11:50 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
As a child, I developed a "Type A" personality pretty quickly.It's funny; I can remember how it all started. I was a super quiet kid around those I don't know--my daughter is, too. People were constantly telling me to talk, to speak up, to be louder. And when I finally started to do that--to make them happy, as I was perfectly happy being quiet--I was told to be quiet, to not talk in class, to stay in silence. It was the first punishment I ever received in school, a humiliating sentence of corner-banishment in front of all of my peers, and it was enough motivation to get me to shut up once again.
The expectations set in front of me were quite obvious--succeed or be met with disapproval.... Education or Indoctrination?
Posted on Mar 19, 2010 - 09:52 AM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
Education and Indoctrination: Is there a difference? In this post, Jonah explores the challenges that face those of us who want to give young people an indoctrination-free education.Hi Jonah, I saw that you were presenting a workshop at the Left Forum in New York this weekend entitled "Fertile Grounds Project: Spaces for Youth to be Youth/Education over Indoctrination." I will not be able to attend the session myself, but I was wondering what you meant the difference between "Education" and "Indoctrination" to be. Even if you are "educating" people towards democracy or social justice, isn't there still a certain level of indoctrination going on?
-Anne M., Toronto
Hi Anne,
Not only is...