Unschooling... Good or Bad for Children?

[JPoy85]

We homeschool...not unschool but homeschool. Doesnt Unschool fall under Homeschool as far as the laws on what certain (well all) states REQUIRE for "home" schooling?

[llamalluv]

Trusting kids to make their own good decisions is ridiculous--kids always go for what's fun and easy. I believe that children need lots of structure and parental-imposed limits, so obviously I am not a fan of child-directed parenting. That being said, I also believe that children need a good bit of unstructured playtime as well, but not all day every day.

So just exactly where does one purchase a brush that broad, and do you know where I can find a coupon for it?

[clippyclippy]

Sorry I have not read this whole thread, so this may have been communicated all ready...

For those of you who call unschooling "lazy parenting":
There are a range of unschoolers out there. Some would be lazy parents, but you find those kinds of parents in every setting:

Lazy parents in traditional schools- those who send their kids to school because they are too lazy to take on the responsibility of their kids education, and believe the school will do it all.

Lazy parents in the homeschool world. This is my world. We homeschool and I see it around me unfortunately. I think it's not a large number, but as it gets more popular, there are more parents who think it's easier to keep the kids home believe that "whatever we do it's better than the public schools". That is just wrong.

Lazy parents in unschooling- they just do nothing. And believe the kids will learn by osmosis. Unfortunately they are right...the only problem is what it is the kids are learning.

But if you compare dedicated parents in each area, you can make totally different assessments.

A dedicated unschooler can absolutely not be called lazy. In fact, it takes an incredibly creative, energetic parent to do it right, and there are people who are very successful at it. I admire them, their philosophy of learning and their boldness to go against tradition. I wish I could be that way.
I need structure in my life though, I would fall apart without it.
But I do believe it can be a good choice for those who don't fall into the lazy category.

[TheyCallMeMom]

I was able to read some of the comments but not all

I think this is an extreme case of unschooling. I know some unschoolers and their children have a natural passion for learning so that setting works well for them. This is NOT unschooling. This is a lack of parenting. Using the label unschoolers is just creating a negative image for those who do unschool.

In regards to laws, can we hold the public school system just as accountable for students they "educate" who as teens and adults, act like these kids do? Because this happens in both types of education environments. This is not isolated to unschoolers. Do we hold parents accountable in both scenarios? I agree with what one poster stated. This is bad parenting, but can we really begin to prosecute that?

As far as homeschool laws go: I do not feel the government has any place in our private family affairs except when the child's life is in danger.. and even then its a fine line depending on ones interpretation. ie, if a child is being beaten vs a religious/moral reason for not vaccinating or having blood transfusions.

Each state, via the 10th Amendement, has its own homeschool laws. Therefore, as a homeschooler you can choose which states have the appropriate laws for your family. When it comes to regulating quality of education, do we really think the USDOE is in a place to tell us what quality education is?

What this story boils down to is Parental Rights. We cannot afford to give up any more of them then we already have. We are not to far from losing them completely. You will be told how when and what to feed your kids, what they can and cannot be taught regarding science, religion etc. We will be told how to discipline. We will no longer be allowed to be parents. Just sperm donors and incubators. This may seem a bit extreme but step back and look at exactly where we are now. Not to far from this crazy idea. Closer than I am comfortable with thats for sure.

[phoenyxstarr]

I just want to preface this by saying that I didn't read all the replies... However I feel I have to say something.

I was homeschooled, more unschooled though. My parents homeschooled all 4 of us. I homeschool my 3 girls. I do things very different with my girls than my parents did with us.

First, my mom was all gung-ho with the daily school assingments when we first started school, even though she worked full time & had 2 kiddos under 3. I will applaud her for that. However, as time went by, I'm not sure if she just got lazy or what but the daily assignments started becoming weekly assignments (with no change in the amount of work given) and finally she just quit altogether. All of us were put in regular school again but I was pulled out to be 'homeschooled' but really (again, to me) to be a free babysitter. At this time, is when I became an unschooler. My day was typically - get my sister up for school (K), walk her there since school started at 9 & my parents had to be at work at 7:30, pick her up at lunch (still halfday K at the time, we're talking 15 or so years ago), clean the house (since I was home & 'not doing anything'), and watch my 4yo brother. I would read as many books as I could, I made sure I read some history books, got books on math, etc so that I could go to college. Because of this, I could have gotten my high school diploma at 13 but I didn't.

I've tried the unschooling with my oldest, she just plays video games all day. So I've had to do the daily school assingment. Especially since I have a 4yo & 5yo. They are both in 'kindergarten' to them. They do almost the same assignments, 5yo is ahead a little since she has better fine motor skills. My 4yo has her school in the morning, 5yo gets to watch Super Why or do puzzles, something educational. My 5yo has her school in the afternoon, after lunch & chores. My 4yo is usually laying down for 'quiet time' because she still gets tired after lunch most days. During all this, my 14yo is also doing her lessons. She has some subjects that she does everyday, IE math, reading, etc. But she has a more or less college-type schedule. She does main subjects for 1-2 hours 2 or 3 times a week. Plus her electives are added in, 4 different ones, 30 min twice a week, 2 on each day. Then she has her once a week classes, which I can't remember right off the top of my head... But as you can see, there is definite structure there.

I guess the whole point to that novel (sorry guys) was that while some children do good with unschooling (me) others don't do as well (my daughters). Of course, some of that has to do with age & others to do with motivation, but it all boils down to doing what is best for your child & you. Since I'm home all day, I couldn't do the whole unschooling thing with my kiddos. Maybe if I worked outside the home, but even then I'm not sure.

All this talk of homeschooling reminds me I have math sheets & a history test to grade... Bye for now y'all!

[nwonder]

The concept of unschooling is very interesting. I have made an attempt in my class, but adapting lessons for 30 minds is a little daunting. The idea of using a child's interests to encourage them to learn is awesome. The parents in the OP, just lazy (IMHO). I think anytime you do something to an extreme it ends up not so great.

[clippyclippy]

I consider unschooling to be a sort of Montessori at home type of philosophy.
True Unschoolers would be offended at the idea of being lumped in with people who are just too lazy to do school at all.

[RosieG]

Saw this today:

50 Best Blogs in the Unschooling Movement