Léo's Insights
A place where issues related to the Christian walk and its application to home education is discussed.
Topics are meant to challenge you to think differently, to make a difference in this world, starting with the children you have been blessed with.
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#21 Unschooling – A Summary
Concern regarding schools in the media usually has nothing or little to do with academics but something to do with it being a bad environment for students and teachers. There are two thoughts that should spring from that observation.
The first is why are people so concerned about “socialization” issues when it comes to the home educated? Do they know that they are saying every child should be exposed to a self-esteem destroying, violent social environment? Do children really need to be subject to abuse, bullying and jungle warfare to develop normally?
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#20 Unschooling – Unschooling or Unhoming?
Now that we have reviewed what unschooling is and isn’t, I would like to challenge you to think in a different way.
Tell me what to do! This is what we have been trained to ask. We naturally avoid taking risks so it is easy to default to having someone or something direct our thinking and actions. The big question is: what is all this based on? What worldview premise are we establishing our thoughts and actions on? There really are only two options available as far as the Bible goes: We are either for Him or against Him. This is not to say people are cognizant of this choice, but in the end, either things are based on faith in God, complete with all that brings, or we find ourselves on the other side of street, whether we have made a conscience effort to be there or not. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most people have no idea they are on the wrong side, including professing Christians.
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#19 Unschooling – Sending Them Off
Life can and does throw us lots of curve balls to tempt us off the straight and narrow. One of the big temptations is doubt, and it is the reason why the fourth set of fears and concerns descends upon us. We mastered the first set at the beginning, got past the fears and concerns set at puberty and finally made peace with our post-secondary issues. Then it happens, especially with the first or “experimental” child.
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#18 Unschooling – The Post Secondary Level Pt. 2
Although few people give the future of a newborn child much thought, as they grow and mature there is a greater temptation to want to assure that future. Worth repeating is that parents are not responsible for the children’s future other than to prepare them in a general way so as not to limit their possibilities. This is where unschooling has an enormous advantage over any kind of school.
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#17 Unschooling – The Post Secondary Level Pt. 1
Fears and concerns part three involves post-secondary training. After having negotiated parts one and two, this set of fears is largely based on monsters created by both parents and students regarding which post-secondary options exist and how they can be attained. These fears are rooted in the false assumption that parents must find the child’s place in the world. Not so, and to do so is likely going to set the child up for a life of misery. Have you ever been with a teacher, doctor, dentist, lawyer or other professional who obviously hates their job? This is usually due to parents pushing children to pursue higher education without regard for who the child is and what they are interested in.
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#16 Unschooling – The Secondary Level, Pt. 2
In the past, I have addressed what I call the four sets of fears and concerns in home education. The first set of fears is understandably in the beginning of the home education program, as it is new and filled with uncertainties.
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#15 Unschooling – The Secondary Level, Pt. 1
Nothing scares home educators and unschoolers more than the possibility of ruining their children’s potential prospects for post-secondary advancement. The idea that government sets the standards for education and calls the shots regarding post-secondary admissions is so ingrained in the minds of the masses that it causes parents to capitulate to public programming far too often. It is not uncommon to see very successful unschoolers fully lose their resolve and faith once students reach high school age. I personally see this as having the student go backward in order to advance.
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#14 Unschooling – The Primary Level
Let’s focus on what to expect at the primary level. If we describe the primary level as starting when the child is ready to read, that could be anywhere from age four to puberty. Bearing in mind that dyslexics are late bloomers, they can actually start reading post-puberty, but do not worry. They usually learn to read and very quickly surpass age-appropriate expectations.
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#13 Unschooling – Learning Levels
Have you ever noticed the levels of learning the world has invented?
Someone or something, somewhere at some time determined there is a perfect time to incarcerate children in an institution for learning. Unfortunately, the age is getting younger, as the true nature of the school system becomes evident. It doubles as a daycare system.
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#12 Unschooling – “School Age”
Once children have reached “school age,” most parents simply do as expected and send their children to school. This often comes with resistance and tears. Why? Children know they are safe at home. They know school will not be a place where they will be coddled and loved like they are at home. A question worth asking is what part of tears do parents not understand? Keep your children safe at home while remembering that learning needs to be age appropriate and ability based. Not every five year old is ready for the “rigours” of school programming.