Fabula article
Nora or Devereaux Cannon
Progressive Review had an unschooling article yesterday
(http://prorev.com/indexa.htm) Sam's internal link was not a
direct one; here is the deep link:
http://www.fabulamag.com/archives/matters/0108_unschooling.htm
I am not sure how old the Fabula article is, but it is
interesting in its perspective and sources; FWIW:
SNIP:
UNSCHOOLING AMERICA
HAVING THE GUTS TO LEAVE A CRIPPLING SCHOOL SYSTEM
TEXT :: STEPHANIE GROLL
Junior high and high school were a complete waste of time for me
academically. The bad study habits I'd picked up made my
transition into university harder than it had to be. My attitude
about learning left me disinterested in pretty much everything.
But you can't quit, right? I mean, everybody goes to school. Only
losers drop out.
Not according to a growing group of teens who choose to educate
themselves outside the school system.They call themselves
unschoolers, deschoolers and dropouts, among other things. And
for different reasons, they drop out of school, despite
statistics that suggest that dropping out of school can lead to a
financially hard life.
Compared to high school graduates, dropouts are likely to earn
less money, collect unemployment, and receive public assistance
and be single parents, according to a 1999 report by the U.S.
Department of Education's National Center for Education
Statistics.
What these stats don't measure, however, are the teens who thrive
when they ditch the school system to take control of their
learning process.
What Is Unschooling?
First let's clear up a few things - there's an important
distinction between education and schooling. Education is the
active development of knowledge and lasts a lifetime. Schooling
is merely the act of going to school. The idea is this: If you're
free to use your time, your natural curiosity will lead you to
everything you need to know.
Schooling can be passive. You sit and receive whatever lecture is
on the teacher's syllabus, regardless of what you're interested
in. Attending formal classes is no guarantee that you're
learning, just as dropping out doesn't keep you from getting an
education.
Also, unschooling is not homeschooling, where your parents set up
a school system at home. Unschooling is self-directed education.
Unschoolers can read what they want, volunteer, do internships,
or become an apprentice. The can also write a novel, tackle
advanced math problems, go on hikes, or even audit classes in
college (which are very different from high school classes). The
point is to do whatever they're excited about.
(http://prorev.com/indexa.htm) Sam's internal link was not a
direct one; here is the deep link:
http://www.fabulamag.com/archives/matters/0108_unschooling.htm
I am not sure how old the Fabula article is, but it is
interesting in its perspective and sources; FWIW:
SNIP:
UNSCHOOLING AMERICA
HAVING THE GUTS TO LEAVE A CRIPPLING SCHOOL SYSTEM
TEXT :: STEPHANIE GROLL
Junior high and high school were a complete waste of time for me
academically. The bad study habits I'd picked up made my
transition into university harder than it had to be. My attitude
about learning left me disinterested in pretty much everything.
But you can't quit, right? I mean, everybody goes to school. Only
losers drop out.
Not according to a growing group of teens who choose to educate
themselves outside the school system.They call themselves
unschoolers, deschoolers and dropouts, among other things. And
for different reasons, they drop out of school, despite
statistics that suggest that dropping out of school can lead to a
financially hard life.
Compared to high school graduates, dropouts are likely to earn
less money, collect unemployment, and receive public assistance
and be single parents, according to a 1999 report by the U.S.
Department of Education's National Center for Education
Statistics.
What these stats don't measure, however, are the teens who thrive
when they ditch the school system to take control of their
learning process.
What Is Unschooling?
First let's clear up a few things - there's an important
distinction between education and schooling. Education is the
active development of knowledge and lasts a lifetime. Schooling
is merely the act of going to school. The idea is this: If you're
free to use your time, your natural curiosity will lead you to
everything you need to know.
Schooling can be passive. You sit and receive whatever lecture is
on the teacher's syllabus, regardless of what you're interested
in. Attending formal classes is no guarantee that you're
learning, just as dropping out doesn't keep you from getting an
education.
Also, unschooling is not homeschooling, where your parents set up
a school system at home. Unschooling is self-directed education.
Unschoolers can read what they want, volunteer, do internships,
or become an apprentice. The can also write a novel, tackle
advanced math problems, go on hikes, or even audit classes in
college (which are very different from high school classes). The
point is to do whatever they're excited about.