Search Results for: blog the unschooling dilemma

Why Some Parents are Unschooling Their Kids

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling that involves less structure and more child-centered learning. Parents who are unhappy with the way that learning is presented at schools have been turning to the unschooling movement as their solution for what their child’s education should be like. Unschooling has some similarities with homeschooling. In both cases, a child stays home and receives his or her education there (instead of in a classroom at a school). Each educational style allows parents to be very involved in what their child is taught. Parents can set the speed that information is presented in order to … Continue reading →

Lessons from Unschooling Families: The Jones

In my last two blogs I have covered the basics of what an unschooling philosophy is and I’ve also talked about our own experiences with our own son. But we are not really unschoolers by any stretch of the imagination. In this blog, I will look at some of the elements of successful and unsuccessful unschooling. Children Deciding What to Learn When The Jones are unschoolers that I know who live in Connecticut. At the beginning of every month they ask their kids what they want to learn about. They have four children and as a group they sit down … Continue reading →

Some Unschooling Questions Answered

In my search for blog ideas, I turned to the forums to ask readers for topic suggestions. Mary Ann Romans asked about unschooling. She says she’s a little worried about unschoolers and how they get educated without an educational plan in place. I have a few answers to that, but first I must confess that we are not unschoolers. One reason is that our state’s laws are prohibitive towards true unschooling. However, I’ve watched a few successful unschooling families and one very unsuccessful unschooling family so I’ll share some of my insights from those experiences. The Unschooling Philosophy Explored The … Continue reading →

The “unschooling” in our homeschool

In my last post, I said that we’re “Charlotte Mason-Unschooling-Touch-of-Classical-Unit-Study-Book-Loving-Learners.” Since I’ve already covered much of the Charlotte Mason aspect of our homeschool, I’d like to touch on what we do that could be called “unschooling.” What, exactly, is unschooling? Well, it may just depend on who you’re talking to. One of the problems with homeschooling lingo is that it’s not really standardized. A lot of terms, such as “unschooling,” are used differently by different groups, and that can lead to misconceptions and confusion. But, I’ll try to touch on some general definitions. “Radical” unschoolers generally advocate a hands-off approach, … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

The Unschooling Dilemma

At the core of the unschooling philosophy is a fundamental belief that children will learn everything they need to know by being left unto themselves. Unschoolers would focus on the process more than the outcome, and would say that it is more important to fill a child’s environment with rich learning tools, rather than to purchase a good curriculum. True unschoolers would say that it’s about trusting their child’s innate ability to know what they need to learn and to learn it in the best way for them. For us, unschooling presents a variety of dilemmas the least of which … Continue reading →

How Ridding Myself of Regulations Will Change My Homeschool

It is official. We are moving at the end of this summer. We are buying a house outside of the city with a big huge back yard. My kids are thrilled about the big huge back yard, but I have another reason to be excited. I’ve written extensively about the regulations to which New Yorkers (my current residence) must adhere. There is a letter of intent, an IHIP, four quarterly reports, and an annual assessment. That’s seven pieces of paper. You’re held accountable to 80% of your IHIP and you’d better have an explanation if you fall short. You must … Continue reading →

Reason #2 Why Tax Credits Are Wrong for Homeschoolers

Only one presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has suggested that tax credits for homeschoolers is a good idea. While I mentioned that I like a lot of what he says about education, this is not one of his ideas that I support. I considered ducking away from the virtual tomatoes being thrown but so far those who have commented on my last blog, are willing to hear me out. So here is another reason that tax credits for homeschoolers is a bad idea. Qualified educators currently can claim $250 on qualified purchases from the IRS. Most homeschoolers spend at least that … Continue reading →

5 More Tricks I Use to Make it Work!

If you haven’t read the first part of this blog, you may want to check it out before continuing to read this one. I think that it is crucial to having the right mindset in order to understand how it’s possible to homeschool. Like all good teachers though, I have some tricks up my sleeve that I use to make sure that I get my children’s instructional time in. Note: Under New York State law, I am required to do 900 hours per year, which translates into approximately 5 hours per day. . .if you use a Monday through Friday … Continue reading →

The Sunday Evening Review–December 17

We have been busy here in the homeschooling blog, and despite the upcoming holidays, we have been writing up a storm. Here’s this week’s Sunday Evening Review–in case you’ve missed something. Last week Andrea started what I hope will be a regular feature: the vocabulary word of the day. This week she shares four new words with us: syncretism, autodidact, extreme and mediocrity. Not sure how to use one of those in a sentence? Then you must check out the blog!! In Homeschoolers Control Their Children’s Environment, Andrea shares with us some things that we as parents can “control” such … Continue reading →