Valorie Delp is one of my favorite homeschooling bloggers on the net. In a few recent posts she discusses the ups and downs of unschooling. This is something we tried for a while while my wife and I were still together. Now that we are divorced, my ex-wife would like to unschool completely. I am not on board.
Let me start out by saying that I am not against unschooling. My problem with doing it personally is that I don't think either my children's mother, or myself, have the time to unschool properly. In essence, I think there is a huge difference between unschooling and no-schooling.
In my understanding, unschooling requires the participating parent or parents to be available on a near full-time basis, and dedicated to pursuing the child's interests to whatever degree the child's attention span will allow. This may mean using text books, literature, the internet, the local museum, whatever is needed to encourage learning in whatever direction the child would like to go.
No-schooling, on the other hand, requires little work on the part of the parent(s). I actually overheard an unschooling mother say she simply can't imagine doing school work at home as she doesn't have the time or energy. This type of approach is doing a disservice to the children involved by not encouraging growth and an apatite for learning.
So, while I would love to have the time to unschool my children, I think the semi-structured eclectic homeschooling rout will have to suffice for now. What do you all think?
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3 comments:
Hi! Stumbled across your blog and found this post interesting. Here is something to think about...why can't you find the time? If you have the time to sit down with books to teach, don't you then have the time to go explore nature? There are tons of single parent unschoolers who do it; with determination, you could too! Best wishes!
Always testing boundaries,
Tara ;)
Hey there,
I personally think that using labels in this kind of situation is problematic. The reason being, is that the term "unschooling" means different things to different people. It's hard enough when there are two people who are living together to talk about what kind of homeschooling to do. But when it's a divorce situation, you aren't there to see the interactions, and to understand first hand how it's working. (Assuming that the kids are with your ex-wife most of the time.)
Basically, you're their dad, and you have a vested interest in their lives and learning, but you aren't there to share it with them. You want to know they are learning and you have every right to know that. And to see that.
So, I think instead of looking at it from an "unschooling" or "not unschooling" perspective, perhaps work to find the specific things you would like to do to stay connected with your kids and their growth. The more specific you can define your needs, the easier it will be to find a solution. If you look at the big picture of "education", that's impossible to tackle. But if you look at specific things, like, say, "making sure that their needs are being met. When they are curious about something, do their questions get answered? Are they being exposed to new stuff often? Are they being given opportunities to practice things they like to do? Do they get a lot of human interaction on a daily basis?" Things that don't fall under a category of "homeschooling styles", but rather fall under the category of "the important things in life." If you and your ex do not agree on the "important things in life", then THAT's the issue, not unschooling or eclectic schooling. If you can figure out how to pinpoint the actual issues and deal with them on an individual basis, the "way" to homeschool will become clear. Not on the grand scale, but bit by bit, small thing by small thing, until eventually, it will add up to one big thing.
Make sense?
Good luck with everything.
http://justenough.wordpress.com - my alternative education blog
I think that both of you are disgusting freaks:
A former Topaz Ranch Estates resident was jailed on $100,000 cash bail accused of engaging in sex acts with her husband and two young girls.
Stacy Marie Thoman, 32, is accused of four charges of lewdness with a child under 14 and two charges of child abuse or neglect (sexual) of a child under the age of 14 causing substantial bodily harm or mental harm.
According to reports, the crimes occurred from October 2004 until February 2008, while Thoman and her husband, Kevan, 35, lived on Granite Way in Topaz Ranch Estates, and continued after the family moved to Reno.
Kevan Thoman is in Washoe County Jail on similar charges. The girls, now 12 and 15, are in the custody of state Child Protective Services.
Stacy Thoman was arrested Friday.
She appeared before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl on Monday and asked to be released on her own recognizance which drew an objection from prosecutor Karen Dustman.
“These are extremely serious charges,” Dustman said. “We believe it’s a pattern that has been going on for a long time.”
Thoman said she faced no criminal charges in Washoe County, but was involved in a custody case with the children.
EnEarl refused to change the bail terms and set another court appearance for Wednesday.
“If convicted, you face life in prison,” EnEarl said. “You’re coming back Wed nesday. It would better serve you to have an attorney with you.”
She told EnEarl she could afford to hire her own attorney.
According to prosecutor Tom Gregory, Kevan Thoman is awaiting sentencing in Washoe County and has not been charged in Douglas County. He said the allegations came to light last summer after the couple began divorce proceedings in Washoe County and Stacy Thoman went to the Reno Police Department.
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