Some in Homeschooling Movement Support "De-Schooling"

www.homeschoolzone.com ^

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[JCEccles]

The importance of formal structure in the learning environment isn't necessarily self-evident. When schools become day care centers for warehousing unmotivated and undisciplined children whose parents are disengaged from their children's education, the "structure" is only superficially beneficial and can actually be destructive.

I wasn't home-schooled, but I was largely self-schooled.

I was an autodidact even before I ever started formal schooling, a learning preference that stayed with me and served me well through and beyond graduate school. I read encyclopedias, fine literature, science and history books, anything I could get my hands on. I was usually way ahead of the other students in my public school. I hated to diagram sentences, which seemed to be the preferred method of English instruction at that time. But my reading comprehension was first-rate, and I tended to write well because I generally read well.

Math was about the only area of study in which I had to rely on teachers and I wasn't particularly well taught. It seemed to me that my friends and acquaintances who did well in math all had at least one parent who was willing and able to tutor them in math. Because of my weakness in math I have not been much involved in that aspect of my children's educations.

Now, my youngest son is the best math student in his middle school. Why? Because we live near one of my nephews, a college student minoring in math, who is willing to tutor my son outside the formal structure of the public school. The middle school math teacher does her best, but babysitting the disruptive problem children takes up valuable time she might otherwise be using to teach math to the children who want to learn.

[bordergal]

Be fair.

When you have a classroom of 40 hormonally driven teenagers, you need to have order to do your job.
I have constantly been amazed at the ability of kindergarten teachers to keep up with a classroom of 25 five year olds. I have trouble with just one!

Most of the public school teachers we've had (with one or two exceptions) have been excellent, very professional and dedicated.

The problem that I've seen after volunteering in the classroom is the inexorable pace of school (which is paced to the average student, slower and more advanced students are cheated under this structure).

[boo-boo kitty]

I had the same success with the home-schooling of my 24 year old daughter. Both of my girls were in the accelerated programs in Los Angeles but the public schools here are a failure. They spend far too much time on 'self-esteem' and very liitle on real education.
By home schooling my youngest once she began 7th grade I had the same positive results. She has always loved the process of learning and would study amazing subjects in intense blocks of interest. (And of course this would be easily linked to a broader spectrum of subjects). It's not the bogey-man you might think, letting the children 'lead' themselves. You're still there; you're still the parent/teacher. It all works together and I feel it has worked very well. My second-born is much more confident (and has a good job with a future). She is doing better than my eldest who suffered through the failed L.A. schools.It was a very negative experience as the teachers are NOT doing their jobs. (Tenure rules over qualifications) I wish I had done the same for her.

[savedbygrace]

Deschooling, or unschooling, as it used to be called,

I think those are two different things, Dawn.

Deschooling is a strategy for taking some time off from any learning activities to give the child time to de-stress from the public school culture.

Unschooling is a method of education used by some homeschoolers in which the interests of the individual child are used to direct his/her learning, rather than structured lessons.

For example, if the student is interested (delighted) in dolls, you use dolls to teach history, math, etc., by basing the learning on the relationship between the subject and dolls. The name I've used for this method is Delight Directed Learning.

Some parents use unschooling to allow the student to direct all his/her learning, with the parent in the position of observer more than teacher. IMO, in the extreme, this can be dangerous to the student's learning. But, to each his own, I suppose.

[boo-boo kitty]

Math is the are in which my daughters were seriously NOT educated within the Los Angeles school-system. My girls had the same out-look as you. They are better educated because of their own motivation. These math teachers were protected by tenure. They were not teaching because they lacked the skills or just didn't care anymore. They were often rude and didn't even both to show up for parent nights...They didn't have to.) What an offensive situation! We and many other parents were doing the math tutor as well but isn't that ridiculous?

[little jeremiah]

Please reconsider medicating your son. There is a lot of info on FR about this topic, I didn't check your signup date so I don't know if you've been here a while or not. There is a homeschooling ping list, you should get on it, and there is literally tons of info about homeschooling, and many of the homeschooling threads also discuss Ritalin and its affects (and similar drugs used on children). I've got some stuff saved somewhere, so if you can't find anything, freepmail me later and I'll get it for you.

No kid needs to have amphetimines shoved at them in order to be productive people. Every kid is different, they don't all prosper with the same learning methods and treatment. Some kids need more one on one, some need more physical activities, some need more handwork - thing hammers and nails, or knitting needles and yarn. Some are artistic, some are more musically inclined, some do math for fun.

Your child does not need to become a speed addict. That's all Ritalin is, I know adults who had Ritalin when they were kids and they are angry to this day their parents forced it on them.

[momincombatboots]

I have considered the same thing. Meds did not help, just so you know. My schedule is tough, so it would take a lot of sacrifice, but he isn't learning anything in school. I am the nazi mom, so he would be playing catch up for a while. Homeschooling seems to be the only viable alternative.

[Domestic Church]

I do understand it very well as I have used it in the short term over the past decade, usually for a few days when one child is ill and needs my full attention but we have floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with a diverse array of books, microscopes, telescopes, pcs and educational materials for them to utilize and a bucolic setting for field studies when I pull them off schedule for an unschooling interlude. Most of my friends who have unschooled their children do it year round as a way of life and their national test scores, SATs and CATs etc., are very, very high compared to public school scores.

Some children do better with more structure and some do better with less. The beauty of home education is the ability to tailor it to the individual and the family.

[hinckley buzzard]

have read that the original purpose of public schooling, during and after the Industrial Revolution, was to prepare people for a life of factory work

The Founders understood that education was crucial to the survival of the Republic. There was a great debate in fact about the establishment of a National University that would be a model for the new nation, as it would need to produce and maintain an educated citizenry.

.If you like reading about the history of education try reading some that relates to America instead of England.

[This Just In]

As one of our fellow FReepers mentioned, "ISP" stands for Independent Study Program. And by "Independent", I do not mean the kind of independence which has been expressed on this thread.

You could describe ISP's as a formal group of home educated families that are involved in providing record keeping, extracurricular activities, and presenting classes for individual members.

I can understand, to some extent, with you being a Special Education teacher, the higher number of students formerly home educated, but I find that to be interesting also. We have a friend whose child is autistic. After years of battling with the local public school, who had failed to provide the child with a program that was designed to educate students with special needs, she pulled her child out.

It is an unfortunate fact in our society, but you would hope that with a situation such as our friends, parents would be diligent in finding or providing the best opportunity for their child. No individual loves a child more than a parent.

If you have provided such an opportunity for these students where their parents could not, I commend you.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

I understand there were thousands of people that were "deschooled" living in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.

[napscoordinator]

Please get your child out of school as fast as you can and homeschool at least for awhile while you work on the esteem. Why should he have to put up with that? I think you can give him the gift of life by homeschooling. I am not a big advocate of homeschooling, but your son needs some time out to learn in a loving environment. Just my opinion. I wish you and your son the best of luck.

[randog]

Is it possible, just possible, that schooling, as it exists now, crushes the desire to learns stuff out of you?

Absolutely, but swinging to the other extreme and providing no guidance or structure is equally detrimental.

[Halls]

I'm not asking for opinions on whether I should medicate my son or not but thanks anyways.

I have heard just the opposite of stories like yours and some on your side as well. I believe whatever I choose it will be the right decision for my son.

I've been around here a while and am very conservative. I myself have grown up with dyslexia, hyperactivity, auditory issues, dysgraphia, and all sorts of other problems, including depression. And I was never medicated. I feel whatever I decide I think I know enough based on my experiences what is best and what is not.

It is a tough decision and has been on my mind over a year now so it isn't something I have taken lightly. Like I said though, he isn't on meds now and I'm not sure if he will be ever. I'm patient and doing what I can for my son and know if i choose meds for him it is right and if I don't than that is right. No one can tell me if I choose something for my son if it is wrong or not. Everyone situations are different.

[SALChamps03]

This seems to be an issue that would need to be decided on its merits by each parent or set of parents; just as the decision to homeschool or not would need to be decided by parents.

[Halls]

thanks, I'm debating that heavily right now and will likely take my son out and home school him after a few more expert opinions, lol. I plan to talk to his teacher, a close friend who is a special education teacher, and GOD! I think my son has suffered enough and I'm tired of it!

[SoftballMominVA]

.....parents would be diligent in finding or providing the best opportunity for their child. No individual loves a child more than a parent.

Well said! That is why good home-schooling is great choice for many kids! One-on-one with a flexible setting with comfortable surroundings? That's primo right there.

But for whatever reason, not every parent makes that choice. In our case, my girls are public schooled educated. In complete truthfulness, my older might have done better at home. It's a tough call for her as she has emotional issues. Home schooling may have exacerbated those issues. My younger could not have possibly done as well at home as at her school. By any measure one could toss down, be it academic, athletic, musical, citizenship, leadership, she is superior. The only thing I did as a parent was ferry her around, write the checks for equipment, private lessons, etc, and basically stay out of her way. When she and her guidance counselor cooked up some cock-eyed plan for her to skip science this year, double up on math, and accelerate her languages, I cringed and signed the permission, thinking inside, "this isn't going to work, she can't handle this many AP classes this young...." but it was successful for her.

We are in a great school district and she has done well. Had we been in a weak school district, I would have made different choices. But we took what was offered and ran with it.