LIVING IS LEARNING: Amazing Unschooled Babies Learn to Walk & Talk .... and more!

in unschooling •  7 years ago 

If Babies Were Placed Into

Government Infant Schools From Birth,

The Same Government

That Has Convinced The Masses

That Children Need Public Schooling

To Learn Reading, Writing and Arithmetic,

Would Soon Have The Public Believing

That No Baby Ever Learned To Walk Or Talk

Without Their Assistance.

Image Source

Please read the above quote again if it didn't sink in.

If our governments took our newborn babies away for most of the day ... and sent them to the "experts" to teach them to babble, roll over, crawl, then walk and run and talk ...

... would we soon be thinking that a baby couldn't learn these things on their own at home with their parents?

If a parent refused to put child into government baby school, would they be labelled as 'neglectful' parents?

Babies learn all these basics because LIVING IS LEARNING.

They want to do what everybody else can do, and they will get there no matter what! It doesn't matter how many times that they fall down -- they will keep trying again and again and again until they can stand and walk without falling.

When they first start talking and nobody can understand them, they don't give up. They keep listening, trying to comprehend, and trying to speak until they figure out what works.

image source

This is the way that older children learn too. They don't stop learning on their own once they reach the 'magic' age of 5 and public (or private) school begins!

If children want to learn something badly enough, they will!

Of course it helps to leave lots of resources available to them, and to be a resource when they request help from you.

When your child, whether age 5 or age 12, wants to read, or realizes finally that they need to read to get what they want in life ---- THEY WILL LEARN IT! Same thing with writing or math.

It's pretty hard to get by in today's computer world without reading skills, and using computers may be the way they learn those skills.

My three children are Unschooled.

This means that they learn what they want, when they want, and in the manner that they want.

In an earlier article I wrote (below) about my Right-Brained 12-year-old son. Typical reading expectations and methods did not work for him. But that's okay because he is learning it in his own way --- largely through typing commands on Minecraft and typing to his friends on Minecraft actually!

Right-Brained Children Discriminated against by a Left-Brained School System

Honestly, "Google University" has helped my son in tremendous ways! He has watched hours upon hours of videos on things like electricity, repairing eletronics, building computers, and a host of topics.

At the age of 9, we had a visit with an electrician and he had a long chat with my son who was showing him the remote control car that he was modifying and repairing. He later informed us that our son already knew all the stuff that they teach when you start out in Electrician Training at Tech School. He was very impressed that a young child already knew it.

My husband operates Excavators and my son had helped him a few times with work around our property plus visited his dad's job sites. My husband showed a video of our 9-yr-old boy running the Excavator to his employer, and the boss remarked that our boy could operate that machine better than several of the grown men that he had hired!

Isaiah also fixes many of the broken machines around our house and repairs things when needed. In fact, his friends bring their malfunctioning computers over to our house for him to repair.

This is an example of what a child can do when they have the time and encouragement to follow their own interests and passions!

Stories abound of unschooled children who taught themselves 3 or 4 school years worth of a subject in a matter of weeks or months, all because he decided that he needed or wanted to. Simply waiting until a child is older and ready and able to learn something can save years of drudging through the subject before he was ready.

I believe that academics are usually "Better Late Than Early."

In the young years, let them play. Afterall, playing is a child's work!

Read more article like this one at my Blog @canadian-coconut

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Wow @canadian-coconut! So much knowledge and information just in one post and a thread of comments. Thank you for this post and bringing so much interaction amongst like minded people. I definitely have found more people just from this comment thread that I would love to connect with. I agree with your stance. If a child is ready to learn that child will learn. I have been homeschooling my children since they were born. I never listened to the "law" of my state that says we have to start schooling our child by the time they turn 7. Well my children have been reading since they turned age 3. You know what their first language was...sign language. I wanted my children to be able to communicate with me at a very young age so I started teaching them how to sign when they were 6 months old. They were signing more, eat, mama, dada, all done, sorry, milk, up, help, friend, sister, brother, aunt, uncle etc by the time they reached age 1. No daycare taught them that, no trained teacher taught them that I and their father did.

I feel that I add unschooling with my homeschooling. Due to the laws of our state we do have to record subjects and hours that they complete but at the same time I get creative with what I record. All of the time we spend outside of our home i.e. museums, parks, grocery stores I add that into our curriculum according to what subject it may line up with. We give our children choices because we want them to be strong decision makers now and as adults.

When my first born started reading at age 3 (on a kindergartner level I kid you not) she was ecstatic that she was doing it. But when she reached age 5 for some reason she got discouraged and didn't want to pick up a book. I took her to the library, drove around town for her to read signs, left new books on her bed when she wasn't there...I tried everything to get her interested in reading again. Well finally I just stopped and said maybe she will just read when she's ready. Well 1 year later (yes it took that long for her to be interested in self reading time again) she found a new interest in insects and bugs. I let her go outside and explore and get dirty in the mud. We saw that she really loved roly polys. So we purchased her a little home for a roly poly which you can buy online. We let her take it into our home during the day to feed it, give it water and to study it's nature. At night she had to let the roly poly back outside. Well guess what, she wanted to start reading about them. So we got books on roly polys and other insects and whaaalaaa her joy of reading was reborn!! Now at the age of 7 we can't get her to put a book down to eat dinner. When an interests is sparked in your child, run with it and encourage it. Our support and attention helps them blossom.

I shared that piece of my life to say be patient with your children and they will blossom right before your eyes. When you give them space and let them gravitate toward their interests, they will have joy in learning! This post was right on and so very true. I have seen it with my own eyes. I am blessed to have 4 children that interact with each other everyday. They learn how to problem solve, share, help one another, serve one another and to live peacefully with each other. I don't need an institution to instill that in my babies. We as parents were equipped for this and no one can do it better than we can because we know our children best. So for those that think they are not getting socialization skills you are mistaken. My children interact with other children and adults quite well. When we go out into public people are amazed at how well mannered and intelligent my children are. We are blessed~

Great examples!
Thanks so much for sharing your story too.
I'm glad that we 'met' here on Steemit!

Thank you so very much! It's a pleasure sharing with you and others who are on the same journey. Thank you for sharing about your son. That was so inspiring and encouraging. My oldest son loves to build with blocks and create massive towers with legos. He also loves fixing things and putting them together. We're not sure if he'll gravitate toward being an architect, electrician or mechanic but whichever it is we're excited to support his interests. Continue to be an inspiration, this is what keeps me loving Steemit! 😉

I feel a beautiful team growing here :)

@chron, myself and @jockey are very much enjoying your posts from around our table here in Bali and we are all extremely grateful for your ongoing support. Thank you so much for this. We were just saying tonight how much we would love to Skype chat with you?

I do believe that the subjects we share here are amongst the most important of all on Steemit.

How can we best assist our NEXT GENERATION toward a better world for all? I cannot think of a more pertinent subject.

So, thanks again. Upped & resteemed ;)

And let us think about how the four of us might potentially collaborate on a vaccine awareness project.

Or something along these lines...

P1020620.jpg
Me & Esteban ;)

Thanks!
I am getting so much LOVE lately on Steemit that it is truly amazing.
Many of us have found our 'tribe' on here.
I look forward to future endeavours together

... to be continued

Hi @canadian-coconut I've published an article about you, check it if you can, thanks.

29 Best Steemians Of The Day To Follow 29th July 2017

https://steemit.com/blog/@jzeek/29-best-steemians-of-the-day-to-follow-29th-july-2017

Tribe!

My 3 year old is learning to read and write by herself. Not because we are trying to teach her, but because she wants to. Guess what. We are unschoolers. There is no way on earth I'm sending her to school to have her love of learning replaced by drudgery.

We saw sandra dodds speak last year, and she was a great reminder of exactly why unschooling is the way forward if you want a kid to grow up with a natural inquisitiveness which will never be diluted by government indoctrination. Keep up the great work @canadian-coconut. We are right with you!

I agree entirely with the idea of unschooling, however I do think sometimes we all might be going to the extremes. Perhaps I was blessed with luck or ADD, but in many ways I did enjoy going to school. Let me explain why though. I didn't take school seriously, and so whenever I felt comfortable in a subject and if the subject was worthy of my attention, I would pay attention because I did want to learn about it. Whenever the subject was too boring my mind drifted. I was always rebellious in a silent way, I felt that if I needed to fail the subject then so be it. In general some of my teachers were cool but this has nothing to do with the main reason I liked school and that reason is that I had friends and was surrounded by others my age. I never had any problems being bullied, nor did I ever witness any of it, so like I said perhaps I was blessed. I was also well-protected from good friends. I can't help but remember that at the time the most important thing for me was to have fun, and I think that's ultimately what schools should do. They should provide a safe space for children to socialize and make friends, and probably do whatever they want. It should be free-flowing and kids should be able to choose what they want to learn. To not make this into a big essay, my point is that I do wish to see schooling reinvented in as many ways as possible. If we were to say open-source schooling, then we could all have a base to work on and improve, and it will constantly be improved over the years and this is how it Should be. Now with the internet, perhaps all schools need are computers and supervisors and the tools for kids to put what they learn on the internet into practice. Our public schooling system as it is is usually not that good, mine was ok and I enjoyed some of it though I wished I didn't waste time on things I didn't care for, but the point is we could be doing way better than we are doing now on so many different levels.

I think it's important for kids to socialize and have a place where they can always meet with their friends. Playing, in my opinion is also important because it will reflect how the mind prefers to develop and can signal important things about the children. This can help further guide them into a direction they will enjoy in their studying. If you were to have classrooms that taught X subject, and only kids who really wanted to study X subject attended it, then they might have an easier time making friends who are on a similar path with similar tastes etc. This might even make learning Subject X more enjoyable since they are surrounded by friends who enjoy the subject and could probably help each other

I don't think anyone is actually saying schooling is bad, but rather the way in which we are taught.

I think one of the things that people often think about unschooling is that the kids don't interact with and socialise with other kids. This is a massive misunderstanding. My daughter is brilliant with other kids, very emotionally stable and intelligent, and enjoys being with other kids on a daily basis. Unschooling is far from keeping them from other kids, more observing what interests them, and providing them with the resources for them to learn at their own pace the things that they are curious about in that moment.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

At a loss for words. You are so right! This is such a thought-provoking post. Starting with the oh-so-true it's unmistakable like a slap on the face John Holt quote on living and learning to your own story about Google University and how your kids are learning hands-on especially the amazing Isaiah.

We had considered home schooling for our daughter when we returned to our country 2 years ago from Indonesia, but didn't have the guts to go ahead with it. As a result, my daughter who's in the third grade spends 6 hours every day at 'school' and then 2 hours at home reluctantly doing further homework from school (practise cursive writing, answer questions on how the inkjet printer differs from the dotmatrix printer, perform endless addition and subtraction problems, mug up English words for a dictation test and what not: none of which I personally feel are particularly meaningful for a 7 year old) when all she wants to do is go out and play!

And life is flying by fast. I do my own type of home schooling the rest of the time, but I'm not satisfied by it ... I'll have to ramp up my efforts. Probably take her out more, let her feel life more. Thanks so very very much for this @canadian-coconut. You woke me up with your inspiring post. Upvoted and resteeming.

What a great comment.
You are a very thoughtful, intelligent person.
I wish you the best in determining a way to make your daughter's childhood as great as possible!

You are very kind. Thank you so much @canadian-coconut! You are an inspiration.

Wow, you know how to generate some comments - LOL. I am the second oldest of seven and my older sister ( @uglysweater ) and I were 'homeschooled.' Thank you, thank you Mom and Dad for never sticking us in an institution. Due to some radical changes in our lives, i.e. moving to Chile, my younger siblings have pretty much been 'unschooled.' My parents try their best to provide material for everyone's interest. Me being here on steemit is a perfect example. My Dad discovered steemit last July and did everything he could to convince me that it would be a perfect fit for me. I didn't listen immediately and it took a whole month of convincing before I jumped in. And during the beginning and through the $0.08 price of steem, my parents made sure all my expenses were taken care of, ( their version of venture capital, I guess you could say ). In recent weeks / months, others of my family have joined steemit. It is turning out to be a great source of learning. My younger siblings are learning to write, meaning express thoughts through the written word, for example. Of course, they are learning very basic web development in the process as well. My Dad likes to use the following statement a lot "I never let school get in the way of my education." Thanks for being willing to throw this subject out there for others to consider.

Thanks for sharing your story here!
That's really neat how your parents are helping basically start your own business by supporting your writing here on Steemit.
I've been trying to convince my son to start posting but he doesn't want to yet. He does have an account and has only used it to leave a couple of comments.
But perhaps that is all for the best as now the rules are that you have to 13-years-old.
He will be 13 in September, so I'll try to encourage him more then.

Anything I can do to help, please let me know. I've been mentoring many family members, so I'm seeing real time examples of what works and what does not and I'd be glad to help him.

I'm so glad to have stumbled upon some other homeschool/ unschool families here on Steemit. When it comes to choosing this way of life (it really is a way of life ) it's good to have other people around with shared experience and understanding. So much time can be spent just trying to explain to people 'how do your kids learn anything if they don't go to school' it's good to get a break from that and know we're not the only ones.
The internet is an amazing resource for children and parents, if used well. What's happening here on Steemit is very encouraging.

Totally enjoyed reading your post! Yes, this is what unschooling is all about - children's natural desire to learn! My son goes to YouTube University and today he was telling us something about Pascals and Newtons! And later, in the park, he lectured me on the importance of the sun in vitamin D production. It's amazing the quantity of information they absorb while doing things they enjoy!
Thank you for writing this. Public schools cannot be changed, but maybe mentalities can!

thank-you! That's an awesome example!

Very amazing indeed @ladyrebecca !
My five year old tells me things I didn't know all the time, about dinosaurs and wonders of the natural world. He's always surprising me with his knowledge about things like freshwater sharks and Australian cone snails.
Meanwhile, my fourteen year old has a deep, instinctive understanding of internet algorithms. He just knows this stuff. I didn't teach it to him. In fact , when I joined steemit, he took one look at it and told me exactly how it works. Go figure!

Wow I really do applaud you on your stance. I agree that the most worthwhile things you can learn do not come from a formal education, they are things that you can learn on your own accord, either through necessity or through a passion.

I did the whole formal education thing right to university and there is no way I would force my kids into it. The social aspect is fantastic but the lecturing is less than useless and does not provide you with the skills you need for the working environment.

I don't think we could unschool our kids in this country without getting into some serious trouble, you can home school but I believe you have to show the curriculum that you are working through.

What country are you in?
Some parents do unschool but get creative about their reporting.
Basically you have to write down what your child has done for the day, and find a creative way to make it fit into the Learning Outcomes.
So if your child played with frogs that day at the swamp, you turn it into how they learned about amphibians and their habitat, and figure out how to check off some of the science outcomes that are expected of you.
The natural learning can usually fit most of the required categories if you are creative.

But you will probably have to do a few planned out lessons to fill in the missing gaps.

I am VERY fortunate where I am, because I have the choice of requesting a teacher to oversee us, where I would have to meet provincial learning outcomes (albeit in a creative way without curriculum) OR ... I can simply register that my child will be learning at home and I alone am responsible for giving them an education that I deem appropriate. So I can truly unschool without the headaches of reporting and trying to fit my child into any sort of a box.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I feel this is ridiculous and I think it's sad that one must report everything and conform to their imposed culture of authority. It is We the people who should be supervising and asking questions to politicians, not the other way around. We the people Should have Freedom to the point where a report would look like "What has your child done for the day" And you respond "Freedom." It enrages me that these harmless creatures blessed with innocence and purity must be questioned to why they are not attending the institutions that would turn them into slaves of authority and enforcers of the crimes that are committed on a daily basis by authority (War). If they were not concerned with brainwashing everyone into this culture of authoritative crime, they would not have any reason to question your freedom and the freedom of your child.

Yes.
I am definitely using the educational freedom that I have in my province, because it is RARE in Canada or the world.
Our province allows us to educate our children how we wish without reporting to anyone other than a simple registration each year.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I completely agree, specifically with the 'slaves of authority'. However it is sad to say that some peoples circumstances don't permit home-schooling/un-schooling. So if we do have to send our children to school we need to be extra mindful that we teach them the truth or more importantly how they can work the truth out for themselves. I think we need to teach our children to 'Question More' and not just believe the fallacies that institutions/people of power preach.

An example, this is the most disgusting piece of homework I have ever seen and if my child were given it I would have been straight down the school to tell them whats what. But it would have at least started a dialogue between yourself and your child, about not only world politics but the importance of self-education and to not mindlessly believe everything we are given.

palestinian-terrorist-coursework-primary-school.jpg

We currently live in Scotland and upon reading your response I wanted to do a little research and find out the legalities. It appears that it is nowhere near as strict as I thought. I don't know where I have got this misconception from but I guess it is just drummed into you from a young age, that your kids must attend school. Oh no have I turned into a sheeple? Lol.

My kid has just finished his first year of primary and I think the best thing he has accomplished is his social confidence. He has really come out of his shell and actually loves going to school to see his friends. Most of the other parents are worried about their reading and writing levels and why they haven't brought the next level reading material home yet. I think my son has learnt to read more in the summer holidays watching and navigating YouTube videos, on the rainy days of course, than he has in the whole of his first year at primary.

His extra curricular activities definitely teach him a significant amount, but now we have started with school I don't know if I could take him out because of his fondness towards it (actually towards spending time with his friends).

Now that you have enlightened me my opinion may change when he reaches secondary school level because in my opinion that is when you are taught things that are less than useless in everyday life.

Why are we taught trigonometry but not taught how to grow our own crops, or find water (in Scotland this one isn't too difficult, lol) or make a fire?

My wife was talking about an alternative private high school she read about in the Highlands where they actually teach you useful life skills. I wonder why there can't be more state schools like this?

I love your question "Why are we taught trigonometry but not to grow our own crops or find water or make fire."I wish more people asked this question

Thanks, friend, for this remarkable article.

I am a "right-brained" person who never fit in or felt comfortable in the "educational settings" I was compelled to suffer during the first part of my life. I learn what I am motivated to learn, and I do so very rapidly and intensely, as needed.

I abhor compulsion in all of its guises. Thank you for such a clear presentation of the advantages of unschooling!

😄😇😄

@creatr

Amen ^^ Though I have to say, the experience itself led me to the insight I have today. So in some way, I am thankful.

Do you mean "the experience" of being schooled?

I would agree that negative experiences can teach us, but I would much rather learn positively.

Won't go in too many details as to my whole life story :p But yes, mostly the experience of the schooling itself, together with many other factors, has eventually led me to great insights. Of course I would rather learn and experience in a positive matter as well. But then again, if that were the case, I would be a completly different person right now..

I guess I should send my computers to your kids so they can REALLY get fixed and cleaned up eh?

LOL.


I like the quote at the beginning and how you even know some people need to read that a 2nd time, it can honestly slide by some people for sure.

Statists gonna state Linda.

I used to be one, but once I saw for myself as an activist actually DOING stuff, going to council meetings to see where my tax dollars were going, and the crap these sociopaths pull daily with our taxes and civil rights --- I learned awful fast they are not the solution, with all their laws and their gov't paychecks to infringe on us.

You are a good parent, and have ID'd your kids areas for strengths/weaknesses and can help guide the next gen. better than any statist propaganda nonsense ever could.

TY for LMK you had a post up!!!

Thanks so much Barry.
I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it.
That saying at the top of the article has really stuck with for years, so I'm glad that I could write about it today.

You have become a favourite over the last year by what you write, how you write it --- and how you conduct yourself.

We are lucky to know you.

You are welcome my friend.

We are better here with your truths and decent behaviour as an example to all.

Thanks for all that.

Great post! I'm someone who went through school and university. I did really well in both and got my first job straight out of uni. On day one of my job in my chosen career I realised I knew NOTHING. I didn't have the skills to do the job even though I knew the theory and had the paper work to prove that. It took a good 6-12 months before I felt confident about myself to do it. I didn't even know what I should say to the person on the other end of the phone. I was clueless!

Now that I have a daughter I am very keen on homeschool/ unschooling her. However when I raised this with my partner he's adamant that she's going to school. He refuses to even listen to me to hear about the benefits. She's still a baby so I have a few years to work on him. It makes me sad that I might lose this battle though and have to send her to school where she will learn useless information that doesn't really set her up for life.

Our school system here is so behind. Only recently have they been talking about teaching computer skills like programming in school. This is something that should have happened years ago. Now, there's a discussion about teaching kids how to drive. Hurray, finally a life skill of some sort might get taught here, but knowing how slowly things move my daughter will be an adult before the curriculum changes!

Well said. I homeschooled my kids for a decade and they learned so much "naturally." I had never given them a test. No need. We talked. I knew when they "got" something & when they didn't. When they finally took a standardized test for the first time, it was for entrance into highly selective, competitve schools. They both got in easily. Other parents were amazed and congratulated me. They asked me what my "secret" was. I just told them, "Well, we stayed creative, enjoyed our freedom & kept a zeal for learning, all while living everyday life."

simple registration is what we need in the Philippines. Sadly, here you have to enroll and still pay for a tuition if you want to homeschool your child.

That is awful that you have to pay tuition for a school that your child doesn't use!
Thanks for reading and commenting!

Great article! As a former teacher in the USA penal public school systems, I learned from my authoritarian mistakes that kids are just as smart as adults and deserve to direct their own learning. Will the system ever allow this???

yes! Kids are great and they deserve more respect.
You are right about public school being a penal system.
Children who don't want to be there, are forced to be there by the law. Sounds like an 'institution' to me!
We have a joke inside our house where we call school, prison.
My son's friends will come over and complain that they have to go back to prison, and that they wish they could stay at home like we do.

Gosh!! This whole unscholling concept - quite a bit to get your head wrapped around it. So different to what we're used to...
I wonder if that would work on my son?? There are certain things in school he LOVES (he's actually quite bright) but other things he almost just refuses to do because it bores him...
Thanks for a super article!! Following and waiting for future posts :)

Thank-you for reading and commenting.
It is good to open our minds to new possibilities,
and yes, unschooling is something most people don't even know about so that they can consider it.
We are so conditioned to believing that school curriculum is the only way that children will learn and get by in this world.

wow nice post. It is amazing how much your son has learned and that an actual trained electrician even recognizes it.
I will definitely take a look at the vaccines posts too since me and my gf are expecting a baby and we strive for a more natural lifestyle.
She is super concerned about all that. I think this is good information to show her
Thanks for sharing all this
Soy tu tio

Awesome!
I'm glad that you enjoyed this post, and will read some of the vaccine ones.
We need to learn as much as we can before we start having our children, and while they are still young.

I know, this society we live in when just a couple wants to be on top and raise everyone has live stock it is just sickening. I definitely want to look into it since I have a baby on the way. and unschooling seems amazing too as that quote I read said. school is good but once grown up.
:) I totally agree with it. I think children should play although have them inside certain discipline is not bad at all. Basically just from them the right way. Make them responsible for their own acts and a good person <3 and that comes with so many qualities that they can explore once they realize that is what they want to do and luckily enjoy their whole life. I do not desire anything less for my children.

Ahh brilliant!
As a teacher, I mostly try to unteach all the nonsense people learn in school. They all think learning should be boring or that the teacher needs to present them with some kind of magic material and lesson plan that will allow them all to learn. Many of them think they are not smart enough, or they think they are too old. I prove to them that taking a true interest is just as powerful as natural intelligence or ability and then I teach them how to be curious little kids again.

I'm going to go through a bunch of your posts, I want to learn more about unschooling, especially directly from someone I can interact with like you. I don't have kids yet, I need part because I'm terrified to put anyone through the education system.

Thanks for the great comment.
Nice to 'meet' you!

Oh! I am so glad you made a post about this subject!! I'm actually getting together with my family this weekend, and now I'm armed with so many great posts about vaccinations, and this is a PERFECT addition as I plan to talk with my brother about this subject as well! My brother whom I am also going to be giving that extra nudge to join steemit, in fact I just posted about that. I think it would be so beneficial to him, and not just for his music, but also to meet and talk to lovely people like you Linda. Cross your fingers for me about all of this!!

Thank-you so much @dreemit!
I'm glad to hear that you think this is exciting enough to share with your brother.
All the best!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I'll go along with this. My youngest was home-schooled as we call in here in UK and learnt precisely what he wanted to learn - fast! And just about all that he learned remains useful knowledge to him.

@canadian-coconut

Wonderfull post , you are an exemple !!!
I am totally surprised to see how committed you are.
You are very brave not to leave your child in the hands of a school teacher, I imagine you have had to pay the price and face a bunch of test
I fully agree with you, a child can be much more fulfilled if accompanied and lets choose his method of learning, his way of discovering things, it is the best way to offer your child The opportunity to be autonomous and self-educated

@geemo-from-paris

Thank-you so much!

@canadian-coconut
You welcome , it's really sincere.
@geemo-from-paris

Amazing content as always @canadian-coconut

@jockey, myself and @samstonehill were just discussing how amazing and grateful we are for your support. We shall educate the masses, it is what we must do for our future generation!

Thank you, Upped & resteemed :-D

Thanks. You 3 are amazing yourselves!

Loved the post @canadian-coconut. We are born into a prison. Most people don't realize how chained up they are. Steem On!

You are so on the money it's amazing. I'm going to put this post on my facebook twitter and Reddit as it needs to be heard and understood.
Unfortunately, Governments also inflate everything to get a bigger slice of the pie, over spend etc, forcing most parents to work. even if they wanted to homeschool. Montessori schools are a great option if money permits and hold your beliefs on learning. Why don't welfare parents homeschool? probably many reasons, but probably would get cutoff if they did.
Nuff said, for now.
Thanks for the post :-)

Thank-you @codypanama ! I'm glad you read it and found it amazing and are sharing it too.

The great content and new friends are really the highlights of steemit to me.
Coin is just an added rush :-)
I got lucky on this post, as I've been to sore to use the comp. But a repost by someone brought it to my attention.
Life is Good

This is such an inspirational post, for so many reasons! There's nothing like too much formal 'education' to squelch our love of actually learning, not to mention thinking, dreaming, and creating! Humanity thrived for centuries without 'public education' and nowadays with so much information available at our fingertips via the internet, they really have become antiquated. It's fortunate you live in a country that still allows you, as the parent, to guide your children's learning path rather than having it dictated by the government.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I love the curiosity a child has, then he is send to school, and lost it is. Instead of looking at a child's imagination and interest, we iterate what is told. I can relate to this post, as to my own experiences. Think u might like this video from Freshtastical:

Yeah, he makes some GREAT points in that video. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks for taking the time to watch it :) He is one of my favorite youtubers around!

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Great post @canadian-coconut as usual. Unfortunately, many can't resonate with this type of thinking and would not like this post. They'd think you're anti-science or something. But the truth is that our "educational" system is not teaching kids how to think. It's teaching them what to think. By the the time they learn how to think, they've already made way too many mistakes! Upvoted and resteemed...

Thank-you. Yes it is a BIG leap for people to really understand what I have written here.
But I am so pleased to see that many people who commented do get it!
Steemit has a lot of people who know how to think outside-of-the-box.

A child is a best learner, sometime we need to learn from them how to never give up at any trial in life, u are a great parent, the best teacher is a mother, so be a smart mother for child

Great read. You learn from the environment you are in. Babies will learn to walk and talk regardless where they are. Youth learn to mimic and grow from their environment. We even do it here on Steemit. You hang out in a barber shop you are bound to get a haircut and even learn how to cut hair. However the job of raising children should still be left to the parents and not the government. At the moment a lot of childcare agencies are raising our children rather than parents. I would think that childcare providers are a stepping stone for government to raise your children. Thanks for a great read. I posted a few blogs too recently. I am learning a growing here on Steemit and loving it. Again thanks for the post. - Troy

I had thought of adding a section to the end of the article about how I am continuing to "Unchool" myself as an adult.
Every adult should! And you are right that Steemit can really encourage people to do so.
I am constantly learning.
The hours and hours and big effort that I spend learning new things is valuable.

Sometimes people will make fun of someone who learned online or by reading books,
and say that they can never be anywhere close to the level of knowledge on a matter that someone who studied at a prestigious university is ... but that is not necessarily true.

Learning comes in many forms and is not limited to those who can afford an expensive education and have degrees behind their names.

Thanks for your comments!

When I was young I was book smart and life dumb. I have learned more from life than I ever learned in a book. They say all centurions have a desire to learn and grow, I understand the concept of unschooling. Much of what we learned was bull and we need to learn the truth. Principles standards and values are not taught in schools and yet go a long way in life. A lot farther than that multiple choice quiz we took in 11th grade. LOL Again thanks.

I am a college dropout, and I have had a long and quite successful career as an engineering consultant. Most of my clients have preferred working with me over folk with strings of degrees. I "get the job done" because I am a bulldog when it comes to learning whatever is necessary to complete the task.

Some folks are self-made and motivated. That is the way folks used to be. To get ahead in life you need to be self-made and determined. My best friend is a mere high school grad yet he had a successful hardware business and is a phenomenal father. I am proud of you Creatr for being a self-made man.

absolutely!

Though I believe it to be very difficult to "unteach" something as an adult when it is learned as a child. A child's experiences and teachings usually are what shape and define ones believes as an adult. Another reason why schooling by regulations of a government is somewhat dangerous..

In the almost 2 months here on Steemit, together with the tool called "internet." I probably learned more than I did in a few years of high-school.

Thank You... There is so much in Your post...

I liked the part about Your son running the excavator better than some of the adults.

Also liked the diagram listing of Traditional Schooling vs UnSchooling... excellent comparisons.

"Living IS Learning"...

Edit: Just read Your comment about Finland... this information needs to be spread far & wide.

Well done Linda... Hope You're having a Good Week !!

Thank-you my friend!
I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Another great article you've written here. I'm soooooo happy for the success of your unschooling, it's Mom's like you, Parents like you, who by sharing your stories and successes will help shatter the traditional schooling paradigm. Well done Mama! You are such an inspiration!! :) :) :)

I love your statement "Living is learning". I 100% agree. :-) Sounds like you have a very gifted son. Maybe someday your son will use his current gifts as part of his career. Unschooling/homeschooling does allow the freedom to be able to focus in on a particular subject or life skill. I am glad your son is able to pursue his interests through unschooling. :-)

Another great post @canadian-coconut

State run education produces nothing but drones ill equipped for functioning in the real world. Although my children go to school, they are intelligent enough to absorb knowledge at home and often question their teachers.

Keep fighting the good fight.

Big respect for this article and what your doing for your children. It is so healthy and creative, wish more where doing this.

The problem is we are giving the governments to much power over our lives and choices.

The same theory of the kid learning on there own should be applied to us as citizens. We do not need government assistance on everything!

Thanks so much and I agree!

One of my favorite topics.

Vacating the state funded indoctrination day camps.

When I was a kid in school I felt like I was doing a prison sentence, AND I WAS!

Home educated my children and guess what? Basically every single thing the school-bots warned us about turned out to be the exact oppisite.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Am speachless !

Beautifully presented!

Ive been reading about home schooling and saw few successful examples !
But i believe in the middle east its not as much as outside it ! Not too many ppl can take the decision to do it!

I wish I can do it with my kids!

I would love to read more about ur experience.

Lovely post @canadian-coconut
Upvoted, and definitely followed u

Ah thanks! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it that much!

Thanks for posting. I agree with your assessment that public schooling currently produces drones and not well educated individuals. But would you agree that the system was created in a different age and could consequently be updated? Unschooling ideas are not incompatible with government/public schools. They just haven't been adapted to them yet. Could we update the public school system to reflect these new ideas?

I don't think that the public schools will adapt.
But private schools could.
There is something called the "Sudbury School" where they Unschool at a school.
From what I understand, the children have no schedule for the day. All ages are mixed together.
There are sections of the building that specialize in different topics like a science lab, music room, math skills room, etc. And the learning assistants (teachers) are available in each room. The child decides what he wants to do that day and goes and does it. He can ask for assistance when he wants to.

I would love to have something like that around here where the children could go a couple of days out of the week.

I regularly invite parents (for example fellow parishioners and educators) to bring their children to visit my workspaces. One of the most inspiring activities for bright young people is seeing "how it is done" in terms of a skilled designer working with tools. In my case, those tools tend to be CAD programs on computers (circuit design, PCB layout, 3D modeling), 3D printers, and electronic measurement equipment like multimeters and oscilloscopes...

I also design and build astronomical equipment, an interest I've enjoyed since childhood. My granddaughter has accompanied me to the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference more than once.

Informal, voluntary settings for learning are optimal.

I'm guessing you live in Canada based on your username. Why do you feel they can't adapt? After all they're government controlled and we are in principle the government. (Democratic countries of course) Public schools produced a well educated population in the past. I'm not convinced that it can't do it again given some reform efforts. Many people rely on public schools and a democracy relies on a well educated and discerning population. They're mutually reinforcing elements of a strong civil society.

So many people have tried to change the public schools, and it just hasn't worked. Meanwhile their children suffer in the schools while the parents fight for change.

Public programs tend to be run badly.
I think that the only thing that might change public schools is if enough people leave the system, either to homeschool or by choosing private schools instead. If enough people do that they just maybe they will start to realize that they can't continue to be as terrible as they are because they are losing their 'customers.'

I hadn't heard of unschooling until I joined this forum. If I understand it correctly, the difference between unschooling and homeschooling is that there is no set curriculum? I was a teacher for many years before becoming a counselor. I can say with certainty that the subjects students were the subjects they learned most quickly with a thirst for more. As a teacher, I always tried to give students the opportunity to learn about their passions while at the same time hitting those things I was supposed to be teaching. I do like learning how many different ways there are to be a learner! Thanks for sharing!

Yes, unschooling is not using a curriculum,
unless the child happens to ask for a curriculum for a certain subject.

There are not set expectations of what they need to learn that year.
It is interest and passion based.

Thank you for the explanation! It's fascinating to learn about!

Thats very interesting. I can't say I agree 100% but I definitely don't disagree.
I do think our current system of schooling is broken and a more interest based approach is needed.
School is really just training you to enter the work force.

School is training you to be a compliant worker, yes.
I would rather help my children gravitate towards owning their own businesses.

I'm glad that you found it interesting and it is food for thought!

The best school system that I have ever found described is in Finland. I should probably post about that some day. They start school at age 7, and spend 60% as much time in school as Americans. They do not give out homework or do tests until the last couple of grades. The teaching style is VERY different. Yet they score # 1 in the world on exams.

Yes I have read a little about the Finnish schools.

My kids school (shes only in pre-school though) spends a fair bit of time doing play based learning, so its not rope learning at a desk.

I do agree about the business though, I'm trying to teach my kids even now, do you want to work for little money like me and mommy or do you want people to work for you to give you ALL the money. Its starting to sink in slowly.

how glad I m to find so wise woman like you here!
we think the same about 2 important subject - vaccines and school.
In real life I cant find people with support because all live in the illusion world where they live how they are said to live. They don't analyze and don't think at all.
I want the best for my baby, he is only 2 now but I think abaout schoo, already. We don't go to a kindergarten either. We don't make vaccination and that;s why we are like strangers or monsters from another planet for the whole society.
But I don't pay attention. I have my own truth. And when I meet such people like you I am so happy because I feel them like a native soul)
Thank you!!

In Nigeria, i marvel at the curriculum for toddlers and the weight of the assignment given to them over the weekend. Even though studies states that they grasp fast at a very tender age, that doesn't mean to over work those tiny lil brains..........Nigerian Story

That is a bit sad to hear. Young children should be playing. They might even get get stressed from too much pressure.

Exactly....

I am homeschooling too and very attracted to the unschooling model! I definitely incorporate the student led learning philosophy and our home is happier and more tranquil for it! I'm posting also as a bookmark because you get such quality comments under your posts, I want to remind myself to come back and read them thoroughly. Thanks!

Yes, the comments are great, aren't they?
I'm glad to hear that you incorporate child-led learning.
All the best!

I love this story. Natural and valuable education including love and moral thing doesn't only starts at schools from an infant. Nice sharing. @canadian-coconut

Awesome article! As a mom who is embarking on an unschooling journey with my 4 and 2 year old, I found this very useful! Following you and upvoted.
I noticed you upvoted my post to! Big thanks for that. ❤ one love xx

I am so happy I found your account! You are amazing! I am an unschool mama, too. THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU!!!! <3

Thank you for an enlightening post. I have long been a believer that if a child is interested in something they will indeed take the time to learn about it. Direction and encouragement is the roll of the mentor. Why do our school systems fall so short? No answer to that one needed. Great post! 🐓🐓

I love this! I don't have kids yet, But I would never send them to a public school either. It really crushes creativity, and I always hated the lack of recess I had when I went to school . We don't all learn the same way. And school fails to provide a variety of learning methods.

Living is learning! Yes, I do agree with you! Such a good and informative post!
I upvoted and resteem and also followed you to read the next awesome blog!
Thanks you for sharing this wonderful post!

I home schooled my son, and he is now in boot camp for the Coast guard, he loves boats and wants to design them later. He is also fluent in 3 languages, which he would never be if in regular school

John Holt is one of my favorite "experts" in this field. Thanks for sharing your experience. If a parent decides that they want to do something different than the current prison system, there are options.

I have a dream to adopt a little girl. I hope to at least partially homeschool her -- depending on work schedules and all that. Thanks for sharing. Really dislike that the centers of learning have become indoctrination centers!

Love it :) forcing anyone to do anything is never going to get good results, some people treat their kids the way governments treat us, "if you don't do as I say then this will happen"

I love this place, so many like minded people under one roof :)

Keep spreading the word, the people have a right to know.

Yes, it's a great place!

You touched the untouched points which never ever will try to post
i read it and found out quite interesting your nicely narrated with a creative way of explaining the things i like that its a great pleasure to see you post on steemit

Thank you very much for your post! Loved it! Read, resteemed and upvoted! =)

As a new dad, this article certainly struck a chord! This is definitely food for thought, and I look forward to teaching my kid stuff as much as I can. I might not teach as "well" as the "authorities" but heck she's gonna have much more fun :D

This is such an impressive post touching a big reality of our society but which most of us cannot escape! In my country you feel pain when you see these small kids going to school with huge bags on their shoulders on a daily basis! They are forced to believe in the system and after school, again rush to have private tuitions just to get better marks at the end!
They are indoctrinated with this competition ego since their early age! Sad!
And if they don't follow these steps, they are rejected and will suffer for the rest of their life! Finally no choice!
Thank you
@progressivechef

Thank-you! And I'm sorry to hear that it so much pressure is put on little children where you live.

I am from Mauritius btw! I have a daughter of 3 yrs old , she is not yet attending school though! I'm a bit scared for the future!

Yes, I saw that on your profile.
Nice to meet you!
I hope that you figure out the best options for your daughter.

Thank you so much for checking it out!
I am really glad to meet you too @canadian-coconut!
We really don't have too much options if i can say, but for sure I will take a lot of examples from you in upbringing her!
Thank you
@progressivechef

“Schools train you to be ignorant with style they prepare you to be a usable victim for a military industrial complex that needs manpower. As long as you're just smart enough to do a job and just dumb enough to swallow what they feed you, you're going to be alright So I believe that schools mechanically and very specifically try and breed out any hint of creative thought in the kids that are coming up.”
― Frank Zappa

Great article! All the problems of the World could be fixed by fixing the way we educate our children. The best teacher for a child has always and will always be their parents. Steem on!

Better late than early is an awesome way to say it. I think school systems were pushing me down a lot. This should not happen to anybody. And yes if a kid wants to learn something it will! Great publication :)

He later informed us that our son already knew all the stuff that they teach when you start out in Electrician Training at Tech School.

What a perfect example of learning by living. Isaiah sounds like quite the mechanic already.

Also, love the quotes from John Holt - saving those for later.

Yes thanks. He is a mechanic already. He somehow knows how to fix his dirt-bike whenever it needs repairs.

My brother is the same way. Never was one to enjoy his school books much, but he could work with his hands easily. The local vocation/mentorship classes were a big help for us.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I am very new to homeschooling and unschooling and learning so many things from people who blog about their experiences. There is not much local information but joining support groups help along with research. Sometimes I feel doubt if I am doing things right but your posts are very reassuring. :)

It is definitely a new way of thinking.
It takes time to adjust, but I'm sure that you are doing great.

Wow! This is such a powerful post. Thank you for sharing!

Thanks so much my friend!
I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it.

Good post
I feel it is important to be noticed by parents who have babies,
Because of love the parents are in give for very important for the life of little children newborn baby will grown up to adult
Thank you @canadian-coconut ,Thank you very much for sharing this good post.

Great informative article. I love hearing how other home schoolers are doing. Your kiddo sounds like an amazing kid.

Thanks tecnosgirl!

That's interesting. I agree 100% with you.

Our system of schooling is broken.

Thanks for sharing!

isn't that funny? I retired from teaching to write full time and now I'm learning all kinds of things!

awesome! Don't stop learning.

I have definitely found this to be true! As a homeschool mom, I find it is much more enjoyable that way. In fact, just the other day we were having oatmeal and there was a question about who had the idea to make oatmeal first. And then we did a google search on the history of porridge and how they ate it and stored it and the nutritional benefits etc. It was fascinating for me too!

I feel like the education system does not prepare you for 'life'. Once we finish school, do we really have the life skills we acquire? i feel like we all learn so much more once we finish school and learn in our day to day 'real life' struggles and achievements.

I think you've made some important points here that I hope more parents will read and contemplate and then put into action.

Certainly. Our governments want to install to our thinking that we need education. Nowadays, parents send their kids to compete at schools and not to learn. Parents brag with other parents how their kids did well the other day.

Nice looking article, we contemplated homeschooling, very cool, and we definitely had Mom at home as much as we can. Children are amazing ! peace

I believe a child must grow with his parents till 7 years. Then go to school...

This is similar to what Dr. Raymond Moore talked about in his book, "Better Late Than Early."
Except that he said they should stay at home until between the ages of 8-10 when school should start, depending on the child's readiness. He said that they would catch up quickly to their age mates once put in the age-appropriate classrooms.

Interestingly, in Finland, school does not begin until age 7. Students spend only 60% as much time in school as American children do, they have no homework until the last grades, and no tests until the last year or two. Yet they score #1 in the world on exams when they are finally tested.

Thanks for your comment!

In Romania we have also to change this mentality some mothers going with his baby at 4 years to those mini schools lol

We have the same thing here in Canada.
In fact the stores of full of "teach your baby" type of learning programs.

As usual government just gets in the way. We need to 'go around' government at every turn including education, monetary system, commerce, justice, etc.

I loved this arcticle. We will be homeschooling and sometimes it seems as if I'm in way over my head, but I think everything falls into place if you just take time to listen to children and let them lead and show you. Thank you for the inspiration.

Exactly! So well said @canadian-coconut
The main job of any teacher is just to be there to help and most importantly - not to put children off learning. The biggest failure of the school system is that it makes children feel like failures if they don’t fit in or conform to artificial systems, so they give up. It's very sad when that happens. Learning is something we all do naturally from the time we are born and so long as we're not put off, should continue our whole lives.

This post makes me remember my past, where our happy time with life without burden

In many cases i do agree but i have to say that there were many teachers i admire because of whose assistance and teaching my eyes were opened to a different dimension and the school that i studies was not that bad too and i understand that maynot be the case everywhere.

And btw its not easy to teach kids nowadays with the distractions all around, i know many kids and adults too who want to say,learn Guitar but never get around because Netflix is easier!

And more importantly unschooling is awesome but only for the rich!

Many teachers are great people, but their hands are tied by the system.

Maybe the reason that children get distracted by Netflix and don't learn something that they want to like the guitar, is because they are so exhausted from spending most of the day at school and all the homework afterwards ... so they need to unwind in front of the TV or playing games.

In my experience, most of the homeschoolers and unschoolers that I know are far from rich. Several are quite poor. They are people who choose to live on one person's income (usually the husband) and they have to sacrifice lots of things that other people can afford.

But that is the way that it is for those who choose to have a parent stay at home with the children.

The homeschooler/unschooler families that I know live very frugally, make things from scratch, buy used clothing and used household items, and just go without.

That includes me. My husband does have a pretty good job, but without me working we have little extra money. But my wonderful husband, Raphael, works crazy hard because he knows how important it is for the children to have their mother at home with them.

You have a lovely family @canadian-coconut and Hey Raphael!

My mother studied a lot, to have a Masters Degree and couple Bachelors for a less fortunate girl child 30years ago was a hard thing in my hometown. She was working , my dad was working too. Then my sister and i were born and 80% of the time until i turned 18 she was always there for us. She didnt get the Masters Degree to be a stay home mom, just saying and i sometimes do feel sad that she sacrificed everything, her work, friends, life for my sister and I. Even though i have been schooled lot of knowledge and love was imparted on me by her. Infact i learnt to read and write my mother tongue (Malayalam) from her. So i can say i have been both schooled and sort of homeschooled.

What im saying is and as you have mentioned homeschoolers/unschoolers have to sacrifice a lot of things and in some countries just to survive on one income is just not possible. And hey, why not im all in for homeschooling as i mentioned before but much easier for the rich!

Im currently based in Singapore ,to own a landed property for a common man is impossible, condo impossible too. You can only afford to pay for a 3BHK apartment(its called HDB here) if both partners are working and guess what thats on lease from the govt.We don't own our house, literally!

Btw i do get what you mean too, about the 'system'(institutionalisation) they taking over our minds. Glad that transition is happening, towards decentralisation.

I understand that for many people it doesn't seem possible to have one parent at home with the children.

We can only do the best that we can for our children.
Of course love is the most important thing that we can give them.

Working hard to be able to homeschool my children too(in future). Hope steemit would skyrocket . And @canadian-coconut, great to meet you and glad to connect. :)
and good luck for your family. Cheers~

Excellent article. Thanks for some real truth.

Good job

nice
i follow you and you follow me

A child will always be a child for to the parent and they should enter school once they are able to start developing their brain

Yes it is true the Children will seek for themselves what he wants, but without guidance, it will be difficult for him to adapt.
School is also important, because at school he can interact with others, the school can also be said to train children, so he knows what he will choose for the future.
Schools also have a role as a substitute for Parents who do not have the opportunity to guide children.

Homeschooling or unschooling will certainly work much better if a parent is involved and caring and emotionally capable of handling it all. The parent is the guide, or the parent can connect the child with other people interested in whatever the child is exploring and let them mentor them.

School should still be there as an option for parents who need it.

I do not like the type of socialization that occurs at schools though. There are lots of bullies, and some kids thinking that they are better than others because their grades are better or other reasons. School can be like a prison for children.

An unschooled child is not locked up at home. They get out to enjoy the real world, run all the errands with their parents, meet all types of people, and most of the time they get together with other children who are learning at home or have friends in the community that they play with.

Thanks for commenting,

You make a good point about bullies. My parents ran a book shop and being surrounded by books, I could read by the time I was four. Once I started school I was mercilessly bullied, and for the next six years or so learned only how to run as fast as my little legs would carry me.

@canadian-coconut

Amazing article and so true in many points - I am myself very fascinated of the dokumentation ALPHABET, which points a lot of things out - highly recommendable.

A lot of people don't know that it is not obligatory for children to go to school. It's just obligatory to get an education.

OF COURSE UPVOTED! Thanks for sharing!

very interesting as always coconut :)

Big ups

Brilliant little boy you have indeed ♥

I have one question that maybe you could help me with..PLEASE!

Mikayla (7yrs old) is extremely bright but ever since she figured how to work youtube she is simply addicted to Vlogging shows (this to me seems to be completely dumb! Although only recently it hit me that maybe its her way of having "family time" with this vlogging family lol. with all the chaos of her school, our work, me caring for my mom our own little family's bonding time has taken a huge knock, but we are working on fixing it but she remains fully absorbed into her youtube vlog family!!

Do you have any suggestions on how I could grip her attention to really anything else on youtube which has a bit more intelligence to it?

Great research and work

Good post 👍
thanks for sharing
Kata Kata Semangat Motivasi buat Pelajar 1.gif
Upvote and Resteem..^^
Dear friend @canadian-coconut

good post master @canadian-coconut
i,m follow you,upvote n resteem.

Not every child will appreciate musea as much, besides...will they have more trouble finding a job when employers find out they never went to school? I assume you'd say that is wrong too and ideally it shouldnt have to matter to employers but reality says it is, unfortunately for anyone without a degree

Homeschooled and unschooled children can easily get into college or university if that is what they need for the field that they are interested in.
I haven't researched the details too much yet since my children are still young,
but I believe that one way is to make a portfolio of all the things that you have done related to the field that you are interested in.
They could list volunteer work (that they had time to do while all the other kids were in school,
photo of the things that they have built or created that are related to the field, etc.

In fact many colleges are eager to have homeschoolers because they realize that they actually WANT to be in college and are the eager students, and they usually know more about the field already because they have had tons of time to specialize in it already.

Thanks for your comment.

Agreed! Colleges love homeschooled kids. Traditional school does not teach about scholorships for college that you can get starting at 13. They do not give our children the opportunity to move ahead. Homeschooled children have all those advantages because their parents are looking out for their best interests.

I get your point and although you could indeed make that list, i bet they would value an independant source to verify knowledge or activities being transferred in the form of a degree, over that of a parent who obviously doesnt want his children not to get a chance. Dont get me wrong, im not saying homeschooled children are educated less than schooled children, im just thinking about future employers and how they value homeschooling.

Also wouldnt volunteer work be considered as child labour?

Another option here, is that a child can start schooling at Grade 10 and complete Grades 11 & 12 as well which will give them their highschool diploma.
No type of schooling prior to grade 10 is required to enroll. I would not have to show them any proof of work, but of course the child would need good writing and math skills by then.

So if by the age of 15 my son has an idea that he would want to pursue post-secondary education where proof of schooling is needed, he can start at that point.
There is no need to put younger students in school though just to get a diploma.

Okay so were talking abou this in terms of being educated and qualified for further studies or jobs...but im missing the part where schools are also learning grounds in terms of being social, how to behave in groups, children sharing information parents wouldnt know about etc. Dont you think your kids will be missing out on the social aspect of schools?

Just found some people interested in homeschooling by the Looking for Niche project. Thanks for building such a nice community and thanks for upvoting Linda!

been rooting for this new kind of knowledge maam @canadian-coconut!! nice blog indeed!!

failure should be seen as a ladder to success not the end of life

Is a great article as it is very interesting and we can reflect on this topic. My sincerest congratulations :D