With skyrocketing numbers of kids diagnosed with ADHD or living with obesity, it’s clear that changes in the way we raise and educate our kids are necessary. One of the biggest problems with both public and private schools in the United States is that the rigid structure that enables teachers to handle 30+ kids at a time stifles innovation, creativity, and self-motivated learning. There are some progressive schools across the country that afford students a great deal of control over the classes they take and the material they study, but those schools are few and far between. Something like 1.5 million students are homeschooled by their parents. Usually, these families follow a set curriculum that mirrors what’s taught in schools, though the days are more flexible and students can adapt their lessons to a certain degree. Over the last few years, another alternative to traditional schools has gained in popularity- unschooling. Like homeschooling, unschooling families don’t enroll their students in school. The families don’t teach their kids material that would appear on a standardized test, nor do they engage in traditional “lessons.” Instead, the student can control his or her own learning by pursuing whatever they’re interested in. Some students study on a film set and then create their own films, some receive on the job experience with police officers, and all students get to pursue what they’re passionate about. This can be an incredibly beneficial way to educate children, especially for kids who don’t take well to the rigid environment of schools today. Our kids sit from 8-4 with few breaks and have virtually no control over what they study.
But unschooled kids can’t pass standardized tests!
Does it matter? Some unschooling students will be able to pass standardized tests and some won’t. The resounding feedback from those who have been unschooled, however, is that that they have garnered real life skills that are far more useful than a good score on the PSAT. Whether or not students are getting a well rounded education via unschooling is really up to the parents. For all the years that our kids spend in elementary school, middle school, and high school, there’s plenty of time to study virtually any topic. Parents who choose unschooling for their children should make sure that they expose their kids to a diverse group of subjects and historical events. With the right encouragement, students will pursue almost any subject, and they’ll probably retain a lot more of the information than they would if they’d memorized it for the Chapter 12 test.
Can they get into college?
The short answer is yes. As colleges start accepting more and more diverse applications, students are often able to get into school with a killer essay and an interview. Another bonus is that unschooling students often have an impressive body of work to show for the time that they weren’t in school. A student dedicated to learning, truly passionate about a subject, with a produced film or published book, can be a great addition to a college campus. And if necessary, students can get their GED- or even enroll in a conventional high school- to get into college. The great thing about unschooling is that is completely circumvents the “teaching to the test” that happens in schools and allows students to take control of what they learn- and by extension, their futures.
