Educators weigh in on "Unschooling"

My wife just read to me an article from the May 22nd issue of People about the "new" tradition of "Unschooling" children. More often refered to in Homeschooling circles as "Child-driven learning," it's method is letting children learn what they're interrested in, not what some institution or parents think their children ought to learn.

In this article a homeschooling mom said this about unschooling:

"I'm just trying to get out of my kids' way, and let them learn what they love." - Ren Allen, Unschooling Mom

Their father says this:

"Our philosophy is that it doesn't matter if a kid learns to tell time when he's six or when he's ten. If he learns what he's interrested in, it will stick." - Markus Allen

And that, from my experience is crucial. I can attest to the fact that while in traditional school, if a subject just didn't interrest me, I didn't learn it well at all. When something grabbed my interrest, I learned it better than the teachers did! (Just ask my Mom!)

Another unschooling mom, who's daughter, Aidin, was taking college credit courses at Harvard at age 15, and now attends on a full scholarship, said this:

"If they're allowed to be themselves, and develop themselves, children do amazing things." - Maureen Carey

But what do educators and education professionals have to say about this?

Frederick Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute:

"It's true that schools are immensely boring for some kids. But for disadvantaged kids, or those who don't have a stable family or community support to help them master basic skills, unschooling can be a recipe for anarchy."

Ok, so he's got a point. But the fact is, most homeschooling parents don't educate their kids because they're poor, and those who have "disadvantaged" kids find alternatives for "traditional" homeschooling, and find them the help they need in other ways.

People magazine's own staff writers said this:

"There have been no studies on unschooling's long term effectiveness and whether it works for kids who are less gifted or motivated than Aiden (Carey) is what worries educators."

My problem with this statement is this; what about homeschooling doesn't worry educators? If more people homeschool their kids, they'll be out of a job. So finding problems with it would be a really good thing for them, wouldn't it? I know, and have read about, several homeschooling families and their kids. And my unscientific research shows me that these kids are far better at handling academics than their traditionally schooled counterparts.

Now, I may no longer be the best person to talk about this, (my daughter will be attending public school this year, but that's due to the great opportunity as it is a Spanish Immersion magnet school, where she'll be bathed in Spanish, and be better for it) but we have homeschooled our daughter for her kindergarten year, and she has done just wonderful! She's learning maths and reading quite well, and does a great job (when not under pressure to read aloud to us ;) ).

Fact is, if push comes to shove and we don't like where things are going, we'll take her out again just as quickly, regardless how great an opportunity this is. We want her to have the best education, and if she starts struggling, or falling to the horrid effects that we have seen growing recently in public schools, she comes home to finish her education. End of story.

"We're just extending the same freedom to our children that we have as adults. To learn what we want and when." - Ren Allen, Unschooling Mom

And we agree as well.