Tags for "Unschooling"
Unschooling Is About Context
But, my wife and I both have brown skin, and come from backgrounds that don't privilege a free-form attitude about freedom and success, even defined simply as having enough food, clothing and a... 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... Because I’m a part of it
For our workshop, I've invited several students to help facilitate the break-out session of our presentation. I selected students who over the years have demonstrated the product of true liberating education. And what's the litmus test? I am getting wind that these students are getting in trouble in other classes for speaking up for themselves.
This is music to my ears because as our... 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... I Can’t Wait to Have Kids
Right now, I work 3 days a week, and my wife works about the same. We both work at restaurants and make pretty good money. We own our home, have just bought a new car, and we are living very comfortably. If you're wondering what my sort of comfort looks like, after considering that together my wife and I work 6 shifts a week, I am not surprised. We live very minimalist, communal lives. Our bills consist of our mortgage (which we share with 3 roommates), car payment, cell phone bills,... 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... The Unschooler Experiment
Posted on Mar 19, 2010 - 08:31 AM by Khalif Williams in Uncharted Parenting
When my family decided to give homeschooling a try, we knew we wanted to define our own philosophy and approach. Being huge fans of the unschooling concept (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling) we began our adventure with the assumption that our children's curiosity would drive our inquiry, explorations, and adventures. We even use the term "unschooling" often to describe that to which we are up. This term keeps us grounded in our primary motivation for the endeavor: freedom and success.But, my wife and I both have brown skin, and come from backgrounds that don't privilege a free-form attitude about freedom and success, even defined simply as having enough food, clothing and a... 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... Because I’m a part of it
Posted on Jun 15, 2010 - 10:25 PM by Ammerah Saidi in The Learning Curve
School has been out for a weekend now and as soon as the last bell of the school year rang, a couple of my friends and some of my students got right to work on our presentation for the U.S. Social Forum. Our presentation is called "Urban School Awakening: Critical Elements of Urban School Reform."For our workshop, I've invited several students to help facilitate the break-out session of our presentation. I selected students who over the years have demonstrated the product of true liberating education. And what's the litmus test? I am getting wind that these students are getting in trouble in other classes for speaking up for themselves.
This is music to my ears because as our... 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... I Can’t Wait to Have Kids
Posted on Sep 22, 2010 - 12:24 PM by Shawn Strader in Uncharted Parenting
I don't have kids of my own, but I absolutely plan on having some in the near future. It is something I am very eager about, and I can honestly say that I am not very worried about the situation at all.Right now, I work 3 days a week, and my wife works about the same. We both work at restaurants and make pretty good money. We own our home, have just bought a new car, and we are living very comfortably. If you're wondering what my sort of comfort looks like, after considering that together my wife and I work 6 shifts a week, I am not surprised. We live very minimalist, communal lives. Our bills consist of our mortgage (which we share with 3 roommates), car payment, cell phone bills,... 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... The Unschooler Experiment
Posted on May 17, 2011 - 03:14 PM by Melia Dicker in Resources