God created humans with a natural curiosity and desire to know. Institutionalized education tends to squelch that God-given curiosity, imagination and creativity; unschooling tends to do the opposite. It is delight-driven learning. Many times we parents need to de-program or 'de-school' ourselves before we can unschool our
children. After all, we were taught in these same institutions that we have chosen not to allow our children to attend. We were taught the importance of bells, scheduled bathroom times, studying for tests and working for grades. Are bells and schedules and grades more important than studying those things which truly interest us? There's a huge world beyond the scope of what any text book can teach; why not utilise the texts as resources rather than letting the texts dominate our schedule and control us?...Does a child need to keep abreast of 'his grade level' in all subjects- held back in those things he excels in and prodded and pushed to keep up in those areas that come a little harder? Why isn't a child allowed to forge ahead and soak up knowledge at whatever pace that is possible? Where is it
written that child cannot take extra time needed to truly learn those things which don't come easily and use various methods of doing it--like experiments or manipulatives or unit studies?
Here's a couple of shorter articles by Gatto available online
You talk about my kids having to go out and meet the world face to face. Well I have news for you....they LIVE in the real world, it is the public school that is the sheltered environment. My kids get "real life" experiences every day. They go shopping, they run errands, they do housework. How much of what goes on in a classroom is what YOU do every day? There will be no great "shock" for my kids, they are already LIVING in the real world. Why would I want to take them and pen them up in an institution for 12 years?
Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains
nothing that it takes in. --Leonardo da Vinci
The first article I read that took me on the path I'm on today. A HOME*schooling Inquiry: What is Your Child's PURPOSE?
When YOU ask the questions, teaching is going on.
When the CHILD asks the questions, learning is going on.
The difference between teaching when a child is ready and eager and teaching a structured curriculum to a large group according to the curriculum's timetable is immense. It doesn't mean we never teach: we just take our cues from the child and not a set-in-stone lesson plan.
Testing doesn't accurately reflect what has been learned. It only reflects what has been taught. It a test was to include all the things a student had learned, only the student could create it. And by society's standards, what good would that be? Plus the student is bound to leave something out, with all they have learned.
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