On April 20, 2010 The Young Turks – a YouTube show – uploaded a video about unschooling. The video shows an ABC news segment on unschooling. The hosts of The Young Turks follow the video screening with commentary. Ana Kasparian blogs about her thoughts on homeschooling and unschooling. I am truly amazed by how uninformed these individuals appear and how little investigation would seem to have gone into their reports. True journalists seek information rather than toss about unsubstantiated information.
Unschooling is a form of homeschooling. It is an educational philosophy. Homeschoolers are diverse as are their educational methods, not unlike schools. Unschooling is not about letting your children do “whatever” in a careless, neglectful manner. It is about non-coercion. Obviously, Ms. Kasparian at age 10 preferred television over reading a book — she wasn’t unschooled. And yes, Ms. Kasparian if an unschooled teen decides she truly wants to go to college, she will acquire the knowledge she needs to do it.
Watch the video and judge for yourself, “Unschooling vs. Homeschooling vs. Formal Education”.
“I’m going to homeschool Hannah,” Valerie said, referring to our seven-year-old granddaughter. She said it very calmly, which is the way she announces significant decisions she has made. I couldn’t believe Valerie wanted to homeschool. Isn’t that the main purpose of kindergarten and grade school, to give a harried parent a few hours off to repair the wounds and get ready for the afternoon onslaught? I thought it was a crazy idea but I didn’t advise against it.
Homeschooling is a parent’s decision to assume the sole responsibility for a child’s education. Homeschooling is establishing a personal education program for a child’s success in life based on the child’s individual abilities. Homeschooling is providing the knowledge and skills necessary for a child to become a responsible, contributing member of society. Homeschooling is different from schooling because the parent decides what constitutes a solid education and how to effect that learning. Homeschooling is a different way of life.
