Public School, Homeschool, or Unschool
Recently on the Dr. Phil show the subject of how best to educate our children was addressed. I only caught a bit of the show, but from the sound of things over at the forum it was like many other discussions on the show with some of the guests believing their way is the right way.
The show included parents who send their children to public schools, those who homeschool, and those who unschool. It is always nice to see others points of view on certain issues, but I wish people would respect the fact that what works for some doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else.
Dr. Phil and I were in agreement on unschooling and I know I likely differ in opinion from many. Here’s my opinion (want it or not) hee hee.
Life is all about meeting deadlines, completing projects...all according to someone else's standards. There are few exceptions.
On the other hand, I think kids need more time to be free and to do things that interest them. The homework thing is out of hand and kids spend too much time on school, in my opinion. There isn’t a one size fits all in this situation, but I do think extremes in either direction could have unwanted effects on our children.
What’s your take on the best way to educate your children?
The show included parents who send their children to public schools, those who homeschool, and those who unschool. It is always nice to see others points of view on certain issues, but I wish people would respect the fact that what works for some doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else.
Dr. Phil and I were in agreement on unschooling and I know I likely differ in opinion from many. Here’s my opinion (want it or not) hee hee.
Life is all about meeting deadlines, completing projects...all according to someone else's standards. There are few exceptions.
On the other hand, I think kids need more time to be free and to do things that interest them. The homework thing is out of hand and kids spend too much time on school, in my opinion. There isn’t a one size fits all in this situation, but I do think extremes in either direction could have unwanted effects on our children.
What’s your take on the best way to educate your children?
posted by Alice at 9:31 PM
NEW! 
3 Comments:
I'm not a complete unschooler since Sean is following a curriculum but I have a lot of unschooler tendencies. I didn't test him at all for two years (6th and 7th grade) and that would just freak out many people.
It worked for Sean. It removed the stress and fear of failure and left only the wonder of learning something new.
The tests returned in 9th grade when we picked up a more traditional curriculum so that he'll have transcripts for college and he does alright with them.
I think every parent has to know what is going to be the best fit for their child. If my son were interested in being a doctor or veterinian or lawyer, we would be handling his schooling a lot differently.
His interests are more towards computers and consumer technology. For that, our internet heavy learning program is a very good fit.
You're right about deadlines and even though Sean's deadlines are sometimes fluid - life has a way of teaching kids to prioritize smartly or lose out on fun stuff :)
Sometimes I envy homeschooling moms. I wish I could do the same with my kids - but besides the fact that I work part-time outside the home, I just don't think I could do it.
I wish there was a homeschool personality profile somewhere - LOL!
Even if I did homeschool, I know I would give the boys tests and deadlines. Not only to see that they are progressing well, but to make sure I'm covering the information well too.
All that to say, I'm a public school mom. If I lived in a school voucher state, I'd send them to a private Christian school.
I do agree with you Alice - I wish people could share what works for them without judging others and condemning what works for them.
Chanda
Homeschooling didn't work for us. My son needs deadlines and structure to function. My daughter LOVES school and would be most distressed if I told her she was going to be homeschooled.
We would ideally like to send the kids to private school and are weighing our options. It's much more expensive in the UK though and x 3 kids that's a big chunka money!
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