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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#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.
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#11 Unschooling – The Primary Years
Now that we understand that unschooling starts at birth, let’s take it one step at a time. Before we begin, we must acknowledge one necessary element of unschooling. It cannot occur outside of the home, which requires a stay-at-home parent, usually, but not always the mother. The moment outside childcare is utilized, the default belief is that others, including government, will have equal authority and positive impact in a child’s life as parents. This is NOT so.
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#10 Unschooling – Quick Review
Let’s start the new year by first stating that most home education providers and facilitators do not wake up in the morning with the objective of obstructing the unschooling approach to education. Most, in fact, have never given unschooling much thought at all. They simply advance the only thing they know which is something aligned with public programming, as most everyone has adopted the idea that government knows what children need. Nonetheless, how can an agency incapable of procreation know what is best for children? Furthermore, how can a one-size-fits-all system accommodate the incredible diversity seen in humanity?
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#9 Unschooling – Parental Motivations
As modern schools became bastions of compliance for secular ideology, the home education movement in Alberta grew. Wanting to preserve their faith from erosion, many parents chose to escape schooling, entrusting dedicated home education providers to support their programs, as parents believed these providers held a common objective of faith in God. However, with home education being funded in Alberta, the character of home education began to transform into being more of an industry than a ministry as nearly every school began providing for home education with the intent of increasing cash flow.
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#8 Unschooling – School Motivations
Last time, we ended by questioning the ultimate goal of modern schools. As long as there have been schools, there has been an overarching motivation toward some sort of universal compliance. Perhaps some of these motivations have been of a good nature, but then again, whenever something becomes mandated by government, the objective should be suspect.
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#7 Unschooling – What is School?
The “best” dictionary definition of school is: “An institution or place where people, typically students, are educated, instructed, and taught, often by teachers, to acquire knowledge, skills, and understanding to function in society.” At first brush, this definition seems to be accurate and non-threatening. However, it may be a good idea to look into the history of compulsory education before coming to any foregone conclusions about what school was and what it has come to be.