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 recently spoke with a parent struggling with her son over “schoolwork”. She entices his cooperation with the offer of participation in “enrichment” activities with other homeschool kids. It’s not working. He refuses to complete work and consequently, does not participate in many activities with his peers.
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.
