Tags for "Homeschooling"
Seeing Through the Public Paradigm
I've been reading the very excellent (though very disturbing) book The Story of Stuff, and in it, author Annie Leonard raises a very important concept that I've never been able to put into words myself: the American paradigm. Leonard maintains that because we see practices so often in our society, we're so familiar with it, and we do not... Support in Unexpected Places
Fortunately, where there is despair, there is always hope. People who support our decision have been coming out of the woodwork--friends, acquaintances, people at the library... I can't believe how many people say they'd like to homeschool, too, if only they didn't have to work, and especially how many people there are... In Defense of Unschooling
My family and I are not technically unschoolers. I'm very attracted to the word and what it means, and we do "unschool" in some ways, but we still prefer to use some Waldorf curriculum in our life. That works for us. Different methods work for different... 10 Reasons to Unschool
If made aware of all of the different options available to them, I believe that many parents would not choose to send their children into public schools as they are currently... If You Give a Kid a Piece of Paper
Of course, she may stop asking entirely.
She may just take the paper, smile, and start creating. She might fold the paper into different directions, making a brand new-to-her origami shape. Maybe she'll fold a paper airplane, show it to her friends, and then, after showing them how to make one, have a flying contest to see whose plane flies the highest, the fastest, the longest.
Maybe she'll tear it up into confetti and throw an instant party. Maybe she'll cut a continuous spiral in it... Aren’t You Worried About the Socialization?
"Well, that's not for us," a relative says. "We want our kids socialized!" another agrees. "Aren't you worried about her... The Homeschooling Disclaimer
Each time I criticize the American public school paradigm or talk about homeschooling, I always feel like I have to preface it with a disclaimer about how much I support teachers, public schools that work, etc. But this little disclaimer feels so hollow; I've encountered just as many awful teachers as I've encountered amazing ones, when I add them... A Parent’s Take on Alternative Education
But people generally are interested in other forms of education that are possible, which is fantastic. I think a lot of people simply don't know... 10 Essentials for Democratic Homeschooling
Though this list is of intangible items, I felt that another list of intangible things that we've found helpful in homeschooling would also be helpful to share. Here are 10 additional essentials in the intangible realm.
10. Flexibility
While many homeschoolers do adhere to a strict schedule, many democratic homeschoolers create a fluid, daily agenda that changes in accordance with the whole family's input. Many... Sometimes You Have to Just Sit Back…
If we want our kids to be autonomous, we can't expect them to want everything we want, or be the same as we are. This means that their goals may be different from ours--from the smallest things to the larger ones. I'm thankful that I'm learning this early on as my five-year-old expresses herself and often has different ideas about things than I do.
One thing that she's been surprising me with lately is her arts and crafts projects. She comes up with some pretty amazing uses for our projects, and while sometimes I am just astounded by how cool they are, sometimes I am... less than enthused. Still, I have to maintain my neutrality and let her use her creativity... 10 Keys to Real Education Reform
Of course, there are dozens of things I'd love to see changed in schools as they are. I'm only writing about the top ten on my own list that pertain to kids. Plenty of other issues, from teacher variables to school bus safety to administrative checks and balances, are also on my radar, but I feel that factors... Coming Out of the Unschooling Closet
When I answered today's prompt, which was to discuss a defining moment in your life this year, I found myself recalling some ugliness directed at unschoolers earlier in the year and my own reaction to it:
Until the reaction that people had over that piece made the hair on me bristle, I didn't really want to claim that word. I'm still not a huge fan of it, as I don't think it truly describes what we do, and I hate labels anyway; I like... Making Changes & Need Your Suggestions. Thanks!
I just had my spring break at Green Mountain College (GMC), and instead of going out, I stayed on campus. It was a rejuvenating experience, as it allowed me to focus on my work (and get crucial experience on the campus farm, Cerridwen). For my Voices of Community writing seminar this semester, I am working on a ten-page paper on a community and an issue it faces. This is the first paper I have written of that length. The community I have chosen is the higher education community. My thesis is, broadly, as follows:
*In recent times, college has come to be seen as an economic venture, with the end result being access to current, high paying jobs, and a boost for the economy.... The Unschooler Experiment
For unschoolers like us, there is no back to school. There is continual learning, all of the time. We don't buy a bunch of supplies (unless we find something incredible on sale, like my new $4 planner), we don't buy school clothes (we tend to get messy in whatever we wear, to be honest with you), and we definitely don't need Kindermats or other special, expensive items. I always have to laugh at the people who tell me that homeschooling must be expensive; most of what we do is free, save for special classes like taekwondo, which kids in school do, too.
I've been finding myself in rather hostile territory--or, perhaps, I am just hostile. All of these parents are posting pictures of their...
Posted on May 19, 2010 - 04:43 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Now that my little girl is nearly five years old, we've been experiencing some opposition to our choices from some friends and family. While many of them are supportive of our choice to homeschool--in fact, in some cases, they are very supportive, though we are still the first in our family to "officially" do it--some remain quite skeptical, even critical.I've been reading the very excellent (though very disturbing) book The Story of Stuff, and in it, author Annie Leonard raises a very important concept that I've never been able to put into words myself: the American paradigm. Leonard maintains that because we see practices so often in our society, we're so familiar with it, and we do not... Support in Unexpected Places
Posted on Jun 04, 2010 - 12:53 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Last week, I wrote about how bummed I was because so many people--especially one or two people that we are very close to--do not support our decision to homeschool. It is very distressing, especially when you provide explanations and clear reasoning--that we really shouldn't have to provide in the first place, to most of these people--and you're still met with disapproval.Fortunately, where there is despair, there is always hope. People who support our decision have been coming out of the woodwork--friends, acquaintances, people at the library... I can't believe how many people say they'd like to homeschool, too, if only they didn't have to work, and especially how many people there are... In Defense of Unschooling
Posted on Jun 10, 2010 - 01:12 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Lately, there has been a surge of questions, comments, and in many cases, diatribes against unschooling. Most of these have been spawned from two very brief, very biased (in many peoples' opinions), news-oriented television programs--not from actual research completed on unschooling itself. In response to so much misunderstanding and heated--even hateful, in many cases--commentary, I decided to write out my own defense of unschooling.My family and I are not technically unschoolers. I'm very attracted to the word and what it means, and we do "unschool" in some ways, but we still prefer to use some Waldorf curriculum in our life. That works for us. Different methods work for different... 10 Reasons to Unschool
Posted on Jun 14, 2010 - 12:17 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
There are so many different philosophies of education in the world to choose from. It's a rich, diverse world, so it's only natural that there are so many different ways to learn and grow. It's a shame, however, that most of these paths toward learning are concealed from the majority of people. If asked what education means, most people cite the public school method; and though others might also toss in private or homeschooling, there are still so many variations out there that go unnoticed, or even unheard of.If made aware of all of the different options available to them, I believe that many parents would not choose to send their children into public schools as they are currently... If You Give a Kid a Piece of Paper
Posted on Jul 25, 2010 - 06:02 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
If you give a kid a piece of paper, she's going to ask for a crayon. When you give her the crayon, she'll probably ask you for more crayons, or maybe some stencils, or perhaps some stickers and glitter.Of course, she may stop asking entirely.
She may just take the paper, smile, and start creating. She might fold the paper into different directions, making a brand new-to-her origami shape. Maybe she'll fold a paper airplane, show it to her friends, and then, after showing them how to make one, have a flying contest to see whose plane flies the highest, the fastest, the longest.
Maybe she'll tear it up into confetti and throw an instant party. Maybe she'll cut a continuous spiral in it... Aren’t You Worried About the Socialization?
Posted on Oct 14, 2010 - 02:12 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Most of the misgivings about homeschooling that I've ever had came first from ignorance as a teenager, when I could definitely empathize with the questions that people ask me today. As an adult, most of my hesitation came from external sources; I didn't have many doubts until well-meaning relatives and friends (or even web trolls) started to interrogate me. I use the word interrogate rather than question here because that's how it's been feeling most recently. Rather than asking simple questions, which I never mind, I'm posed instead with accusatory tones and eye rolls."Well, that's not for us," a relative says. "We want our kids socialized!" another agrees. "Aren't you worried about her... The Homeschooling Disclaimer
Posted on Oct 22, 2010 - 10:08 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Why is it that when we criticize the government or welfare programs, immigration policies, health care, or any of its other arms, it's considered valid--but when we move toward criticizing education, it's either A. taboo, something that's too sacred to dissect, or B. something that should be blamed on the children and their "lack of motivation"?Each time I criticize the American public school paradigm or talk about homeschooling, I always feel like I have to preface it with a disclaimer about how much I support teachers, public schools that work, etc. But this little disclaimer feels so hollow; I've encountered just as many awful teachers as I've encountered amazing ones, when I add them... A Parent’s Take on Alternative Education
Posted on Oct 28, 2010 - 12:46 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
When I talk about my issues with the public school system, many people counter my comments with, "Well, what kind of education do you support?" The short answer is whole child education--education that supports the whole child. Of course, I could go on and on about how the education I want for my daughter is holistic and healthy, relevant and meaningful, play-based, nature-based, and real-life based, with goals and a definition of success that are meaningful to her and not randomly appointed (or elected) officials who deem it necessary for her.But people generally are interested in other forms of education that are possible, which is fantastic. I think a lot of people simply don't know... 10 Essentials for Democratic Homeschooling
Posted on Nov 04, 2010 - 06:34 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
I don't, of course, mean for this list to be some sort of authoritative guide for all unschooling or homeschooling parents; there is no such thing! But here are ten things that we've found to be vital and necessary in our daily learning. Hint: workbooks are not included!Though this list is of intangible items, I felt that another list of intangible things that we've found helpful in homeschooling would also be helpful to share. Here are 10 additional essentials in the intangible realm.
10. Flexibility
While many homeschoolers do adhere to a strict schedule, many democratic homeschoolers create a fluid, daily agenda that changes in accordance with the whole family's input. Many... Sometimes You Have to Just Sit Back…
Posted on Nov 09, 2010 - 04:28 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
...and watch the destruction.If we want our kids to be autonomous, we can't expect them to want everything we want, or be the same as we are. This means that their goals may be different from ours--from the smallest things to the larger ones. I'm thankful that I'm learning this early on as my five-year-old expresses herself and often has different ideas about things than I do.
One thing that she's been surprising me with lately is her arts and crafts projects. She comes up with some pretty amazing uses for our projects, and while sometimes I am just astounded by how cool they are, sometimes I am... less than enthused. Still, I have to maintain my neutrality and let her use her creativity... 10 Keys to Real Education Reform
Posted on Nov 22, 2010 - 10:19 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
In honor of the National Day of Blogging for Real Education Reform, I thought I'd write a bit about what I'd like to see done in public schools if real reform were enacted. I've already written about what education for the whole child might look like, but I thought I'd touch on ten specific, major things that I'd love to see either added or subtracted from public schools as they are.Of course, there are dozens of things I'd love to see changed in schools as they are. I'm only writing about the top ten on my own list that pertain to kids. Plenty of other issues, from teacher variables to school bus safety to administrative checks and balances, are also on my radar, but I feel that factors... Coming Out of the Unschooling Closet
Posted on Dec 29, 2010 - 03:38 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Throughout December, I've been participating in the Reverb 2010 challenge, which includes a daily prompt designed to help one reflect over 2010 and plan for 2011. It's been a fun, enlightening, and sometimes painful process that I'm truly grateful for.When I answered today's prompt, which was to discuss a defining moment in your life this year, I found myself recalling some ugliness directed at unschoolers earlier in the year and my own reaction to it:
Until the reaction that people had over that piece made the hair on me bristle, I didn't really want to claim that word. I'm still not a huge fan of it, as I don't think it truly describes what we do, and I hate labels anyway; I like... Making Changes & Need Your Suggestions. Thanks!
Posted on Mar 14, 2011 - 11:25 AM by Zuleka Irvin in Op-Education
Hello folks,I just had my spring break at Green Mountain College (GMC), and instead of going out, I stayed on campus. It was a rejuvenating experience, as it allowed me to focus on my work (and get crucial experience on the campus farm, Cerridwen). For my Voices of Community writing seminar this semester, I am working on a ten-page paper on a community and an issue it faces. This is the first paper I have written of that length. The community I have chosen is the higher education community. My thesis is, broadly, as follows:
*In recent times, college has come to be seen as an economic venture, with the end result being access to current, high paying jobs, and a boost for the economy.... The Unschooler Experiment
Posted on May 17, 2011 - 03:14 PM by Melia Dicker in Resources
What Back to School is Like for An UnschoolerPosted on Aug 21, 2011 - 08:07 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
For unschoolers like us, there is no back to school. There is continual learning, all of the time. We don't buy a bunch of supplies (unless we find something incredible on sale, like my new $4 planner), we don't buy school clothes (we tend to get messy in whatever we wear, to be honest with you), and we definitely don't need Kindermats or other special, expensive items. I always have to laugh at the people who tell me that homeschooling must be expensive; most of what we do is free, save for special classes like taekwondo, which kids in school do, too.I've been finding myself in rather hostile territory--or, perhaps, I am just hostile. All of these parents are posting pictures of their...