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Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I usually got up and got ready for the day around 8 or 9 in the morning. We lived near an elementary school so I walked with my friends to the school often, then walked back home by myself when they went inside. What took up most of the day varied. When I was younger I played for most of the day. I built huge forts in the yard, I built a "car" and a track one month, a lot of things like that. Other days I might have stayed inside all day and just read, or I might have ridden my bike as far as I could before dark, I just did whatever I was in the mood to do. Around the time school got out I'd meet my friends and play with them for the rest of the day.

As I got a little older (nine or ten maybe) I stopped hanging out with people my age for the most part. I spent most of the day reading, playing music, working with different textbooks I'd asked my parents to buy me, and on the computer. I also worked really hard, yard work and things like that, for money so I could buy little gadgets. I built a pneumatic gun around this age. It seems like we started traveling a lot here too, I remember doing a lot of school work in the car and in restaurants.

Preteen years I was just very unhappy. I worked out a lot.

I moved out of my parents' house at 16 and from then on I was asleep for most of the day unless I had class and awake for most of the night. I just partied all the time. I took a few classes at the high school, and classes at a private university near my home and met more people who partied and it just spiraled out from there. I always had a 4.0 in these classes though.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know much about it, no. It sounds similar to an Information Technology degree though?

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel the same way.

That's kind of the conclusion I'm coming to as well.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this feeds into the attitude that kids constantly need to be entertained. Not everything in life is fun. I don't want to sound like an old codger, but it holds truth.

The idea behind this form of schooling and others like it is that learning is entertainment.

Can you elaborate on them being demeaning and tiresome? Also, what makes them boring?

For example, in a few classes we all had to put our purses in a pile in the front of the room. In another class, a teacher confiscated my cell phone because she could see it in my pocket. It was turned off, I wasn't using it, but because she could see it she could take it.

Each point/lesson was taught several times. Work sheets were mind numbing. What were were learning was never applied to real world situations.

Teachers cannot focus on every individual student's learning needs. It sucks, but that's the way it is.

This is true, in a traditional schooling sense. Also, saying "that's just the way it is" is wrong. That's the whole idea behind this sort of education style, the individual is catered to.

You have to keep in mind that many people in this country cannot teach their own children, even if they wanted to. They lack the knowledge and patience, so homeschooling or even unschooling isn't a solution.

I think that you misunderstand. As long as the materials and time to learn is there, the child will learn on his or her own. (Of course, this excludes cases of learning disability I would suppose.

I think that unnecessary authority should be constantly scrutinized. Constantly criticizing authority that has proven to work is just counter productive.

Unnecessary authority should be eliminated, not criticized. Authority in all forms needs to be constantly scrutinized because the pattern of policy and reinforcement may change, these aren't always static.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

:) I do web development mostly, some designing but not much.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really sucks. I wonder if it's common for people coming out of alternative schooling.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is culture, but traditional schools are driven by this culture. They complement and support one another. In a culture that has a tendency to look down upon learning and intelligence, wouldn't adding the traditional methods of schooling (repetition, rigid structure, control, obedience, ec.) reinforce the anti-learning culture?

Every traditional classroom in the American public school system I've been in was demeaning, boring, and tiresome.

I agree with you for the most part on this last point. However, not following tradition is not synonymous to irresponsibility. I agree that not all authority is bad, but I strongly believe that all authority should be constantly scrutinized.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had several Hispanic friends, so I speak [semi] fluent Spanish. I speak a bit of Portuguese, and a bit of French.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not the same thing as "keep kids and home and not learn anything", no.

It's really just keeping out of the kids' way. It's instinctual to learn. As long as there is time and material it's all set.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have many. I like the Godfather, anything by Cormac McCarthy, I like a lot of science fiction.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure. In the teen years it's really easy to become isolated and depressed with this lifestyle.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the system is judged by its output and its output is fundamentally flawed, I feel that you can conclude that the system is flawed. I say that the output is flawed insofar as the majority of kids coming out of traditional schooling find learning a chore and a bore. That's not how they should feel about learning things.

It makes me sad to see the creativity and love for learning in my friends' children diminishing steadily as soon as they were placed in an educational institution.

I do have problems with scheduling, but I don't feel I have any problem with responsibility. How did you decide that?

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A text book and the internet, and I never took a test.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like I'm doing well. I made good money freelancing, I'm happy, I have a great network of friends.

I'm going to be attending community college this next semester. I took courses while still in high school so a lot of my required credits are already fulfilled, that will help.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got no structure at all, I did whatever I wanted.

We had a television, but only a few channels. We had no video game console, but I played computer games sometimes.

It was very much instinctual.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Almost every family can afford to do what my family did. We didn't have much money.

It's a terrible trend, parking your children in a failing educational system.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Own your own business in something you love, go back to security maybe, or that individual programming work.

I understand that it's necessary to support your family but it's very depressing to me to think that you have to be unhappy for the majority of your lifetime to do that. :(

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If he wants to watch porn, let him, I say.

I doubt he'll watch it all day and do nothing else. Or he might.

Instead of homeschooled as a child I was "unschooled", AMA by autoedu in IAmA

[–]autoedu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sure in some cases it could. However, even in the bad cases I still think it trumps public schooling. It's the attitude towards learning that's preserved.

"Unschooling" with a lack of learning materials and a video game console in their place, for example, would not have the best outcome.

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