I first came across Peter Gray’s work in a Psychology Today column. He’s a brilliant psychologist and unpacks the value of play and unschooling using solid research.
This talk once again reinforces to me how much I’ve been brainwashed by the education system.
Schools today have shaped most of our thinking…to our detriment and to the detriment of society as a whole.
Filed under: Free Range Education, Uncategorized | Tagged: Peter Gray, play, unschooling | 1 Comment »
Our schools are not working. The drop out rate in Montana alone is 16%. (Here in Helena it’s around 20%) For American Indians, only 63% will graduate.
Some say we need to throw more money at the problem. (As it IS a real problem; we are talking about young people with no sense of who they are, no marketable skills or a diploma. (I could debate the true value of a diploma but the bottom line is that most employers want to see one.)
One mom, desperate to see her son’s low GPA increased, resorted to having him hang out on a street corner announcing his apparent failure to the world. (That poor kid. Read about it here.)
I think the problem is more fundamental than a money or humiliation fix can address. Maybe…just maybe…SCHOOL is the problem.
People far smarter than I have given this great thought. Consider this jewel by Ivan Illich:
Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or, escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby “schooled” to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new. His imagination is “schooled” to accept service in place of value. Medical treatment is mistaken for health care, social work for the improvement of community life, police protection for safety, military poise for national security, the rat race for productive work. Health, learning, dignity, independence, and creative endeavour are defined as little more than the performance of the institutions which claim to serve these ends, and their improvement is made to depend on allocating more resources to the management of hospitals, schools, and other agencies in question. Ivan Illich Deschooling Society (1973: 9)
Filed under: education, Free Range Education, homeschooling, PDD-NOS, Special Needs' Kids, The Mother Lode Project | Tagged: Ivan Illich, Public schooling, Tampa Mom, unschooling | 3 Comments »
It’s been a struggle for a long time. I’ve never quite felt right. Fear and shame have kept me from admitting who I am. Christian circles in particular don’t know what to do with people like me…overall a good gal who loves God but…geesh….there’s those differences.
Initially I thought it was just a passing stage. Certainly everyone experiences those, right? But then I realized I was born this way. Wired differently. But I’ve been keeping it a secret because I know even those who love me…sometimes don’t know what to do with my differences.
I am an unschooler.
Those are the words that could suck the air out of the Abeka conference. Bob Jones acolytes would politely clear their throats and discreetly seek the closest exit.
I am an unschooler. I see educational opportunities everywhere and I chose real life over a text book.
I am an unschooler. The words of Robert Frost buoy my spirits when I read the words, “I believe in education, I don’t believe in school.”
I love open source education and believe the WalMart clerk is just as qualified to teach me something as a pedigreed professor.
I draw courage from great men like Louis L’Amour who dropped out of school at the age of 15 because he felt school was interfering with his education.
Do I believe every child should be bounced out of school? Not on your life.
But as I have watched my nearly 16-year-old unschooled son grow and develop into a skilled worker and a confident young adult…I am convinced that sometimes the best educational model isn’t a model at all.
I am an unschooler.
Filed under: ADD/ADHD, education, homeschooling, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids | Tagged: compusory education, education, Education of a Wandering man, educational models, Louis L'amour, unschooling | 9 Comments »
Just had to post this link to an outstanding article on unschooling. I found myself nodding along in agreement as I read it.
Our experience has been similar to this man’s. Caleb and Molly both were quickly in step with what was going on in their public school classrooms. They are both extremely bright and I believe this is in part because they’ve had the freedom to explore their interests.
Will they always be in public school? I don’t know. They see the flaws of system and as I said when they were home educated, we’ll take it one school year at a time.
Now Daniel on the other hand. He has never been in school and I doubt that he will ever be in school. Which is fine with me. The drive and brilliance this kid has amazes anyone who spends time with him. I told you not that long ago that he received a job offer working for a radio station.
99% of the technical knowledge has come from Daniel’s own initiative. (With the help of many willing mentors and experts- God bless them all.)
Of course, not every kid is going to have the drive that Daniel has. But that’s the whole point…You and your child find out what makes them tick. And for some kids, it’s going to take more time than other. (This does NOT mean that you let your kid sit around on his butt all day and watch Sponge Bob Square Pants. I know you know that but I just had to say.)
Anyway. Check out the article.
Filed under: education, homeschooling, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, Personal development, Public schooling | Tagged: Good Morning America, homeschooling, Lee Stranahan, Sandra Dodd, unschooling | Leave a Comment »
