What We Teach, Or Don’t Teach
You know about traditional schooling. You’ve heard about homeschooling. But have you heard about unschooling? Or, what about radical unschooling?
Well, Good Morning America did a segment this past week on radical unschooling. Watch it below:
You know about traditional schooling. You’ve heard about homeschooling. But have you heard about unschooling? Or, what about radical unschooling?
Well, Good Morning America did a segment this past week on radical unschooling. Watch it below:" mce_src="
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I’ve known some unschoolers. Perhaps they weren’t the radical type, but they explained the process in ways that made sense. You were simply supposed to follow the child’s passions to find topics to learn about. For example, the kid loves cooking. Then you do math, science, language arts, etc. all about cooking. You could do science experiments baking bread with or without yeast. Measuring seems an easy one when it come to math and cooking. Reading recipes, biographies of chefs, or even writing your own recipes are all great language arts exercises. History and social studies on cultures and foods. It seems logical.
But what about what these families are doing? Personally, I think they may be losing a little bit of intentionality for the idea of freedom. I don’t think that everything has to play out traditionally with textbooks, test, and grades, but can you really expect a child to know what’s best? I have friends who are trying to study for their GED’s because they dropped out of high school. They wish they knew then what they know now: better jobs need education. The way things are here in this segment it all seems a bit, well, not thought-out. At least that’s how it’s portrayed (biases in media being another subject altogether).
What about you? I bring this up here because (while I have no official stats) I feel like we have a lot of different types of schooling going on as Christians. Any thoughts? Traditional schoolers? Homeschoolers? Unschoolers? School me.
Jamie Lath
Jamie Lath is a middle child that has no baby picture without her older sister in it. Even with only two siblings, she grew up with family everywhere because all her aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and even second-cousins lived in her hometown. With forty people at her birthday parties (all relatives) and her sister in every picture, she knows a little about community, and it's everlastingness. This has brought most of her ministry focus into meeting people where they're at, listening closely (especially to those who feel voiceless and like no one is listening), and helping them find God's voice in the mix. Jamie graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas. Following a year of teaching English in China, she returned to the states to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. She received a Th.M. with a focus on Media Arts. Her background in the arts (ballet, writing, and acting) has given her an understanding of how creative expressions can give people a safe place to begin exploring how to use their voice and how it can touch hearts to hear God’s voice. She also blogs at I just called to say "Olive Juice."
4 Comments
Nathan
Kids are not capable of
Kids are not capable of understanding what is best for them. Even many, many adults don’t: how do you think America got into a credit and debt crisis? Many necessary things seem to have no purpose, so how will they learn to do those things. Freedom is not the highest good, however much that myth might be ingrained in and perpetuated by American ways of thinking. Unlimited freedom is a myth: bad choices can be both destructive and enslaving. Why should we require children to learn the difference between good and bad choices the hard way when we are capable of teaching them otherwise?
Jamie Lath
Doughnuts
I think the best example of kids and their choices was the kid who chose his own breakfast: cut to video of kid on stairs eating a doughnut. A kids idea of best may has more to do with sugar content than nutrition, that’s for sure. : )
Rebecca
Amazed!
I was amazed at the video. We homeschool and love the freedom, yet at the same time we are still the teachers/parents. Biblically, letting the children control is wrong. The parents are in charge and are to lay the boundaries and the teaching out for the children. That is a crucial part of God’s instructions.
This is a radical version of this and I was disappointed that the video didn’t stress that. We have a cousin who is unschooling and it taking their interests and teaching the material through those interests. I hope that painting such an unfavorable view on this that it doesn’t come back to hurt homeschoolers.
Jamie Lath
the next day
They did allow the parents to come on the show and talk about it more the next day. I think it cleared up a little bit more. I didn’t realize it was "radical" unschooling though until I was writing up this blog. You’re right. They could’ve emphasized that more.