I’m not sure if I understand unschooling. How will this help if this child wants to go on to pursue a college degree? Where you open up a textbook, listen to lectures, and have to take notes on what’s said in what’s in the book. They will have to learn to study/take notes in college? A little bit too late to learn on the fly. Will these kids tell their advisor, “I’m not really interested in learning 12 credit hours of a foreign language that my degree requires, because I’m not really interested in that” ??
Good for YOU if you use note-taking, lectures, etc. to learn. Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks, as the saying goes.
How will this help if this child wants to go on to pursue a college degree
Well, you could ask my youngest son, who was largely unschooled and is now an Electrical Engineer with his own startup company. (No brag, just fact… well maybe a
littleW brag
. When ppl really, earnestly want to accomplish something, they will. Simple. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Colleges & universities are actually looking for applicants from hmschling bc they tend to be able to work independently, have intrinsic motivation, and have proven to be good students. There are helps for those who need it (say, in How to Write a Term Paper or the like).
Our kids grew up with the idea that they are capable of learning, that the world is an interesting place, that adults are there to help them. They wanted SO much to be part of that adult world and grow up to get to be part of it, which spurred their self-motivation.
Please, if you wish to criticize homeschooling of any sort, first read 3 to 5 books on the topic, a few blogs or mags, and talk to ppl who are doing it or have done it.
Homeschooling is not for everyone, but more & more are finding it a good option, sometimes just for a season.
Mimi
– veteran hmschl mom of 3 great grownup boys
