Deschooling Question
by Barbara D. Martineau
(West Warwick, RI, USA)
How does one "deschool" when the state requires proof of "credentials" (attendance & grades) at the end of a school year? Please help!!
Good question Barbara.
Deschooling (and unschooling) can be trickier when you are required by your State to submit detailed records about your homeschooling. But there are some things you can do.
Starting deschooling at the beginning of summer vacation will give you a head start - you won't feel so pressured and will be able to relax for the length of the vacation. This will give you a chance to ease into it, and plan carefully how you will handle the first term.
Some States do require records of what you have accomplished - but they don't need detailed records of every little thing your child is doing. You have a lot of flexibility in when and how you do things.
If you recognize that your child's learning starts the moment they get up, and doesn't stop until they go to bed EVERY day of the week, then you will be less anxious about doing the 'right' amount of hours each week. You don't need to feel pressured about fitting learning type activities into normal school hours.
You can act as a buffer between your child and State requirements.
Just because the State requires records in the form of 'education speak', doesn't mean you have to use that terminology with your child. There is a big difference between saying "come on, lets play with some water now" and "it's time to do some water experiments".
You can impart a sense of freedom to your child by refusing to think in terms of 'schooly' subjects - and then privately translating what you have done into 'school-speak' when you are preparing your credentials.
With your child you may 'build a model airplane' - but later you will see you have have studied design and technology, developed construction skills and you maybe even looked at history of design and the aeronautical industry!
Don't talk in terms of lessons, but let your child's activities flow naturally from one thing to another.
There is a nice example of educationese phrases here and an example of an unschooling curriculum on Sandra Dodds website.
I mostly think record keeping is unhelpful when deschooling, but in some States it just can't be avoided.
Records keep us tied into what we are 'supposed' to be doing, so try not to let your records panic you. Don't let the records influence you or make you judge what you do. See it as a recording exercise - keep a notebook with you and record the little things you are doing, and how long you spend at them.
A lot of unschoolers use a grid type schedule to keep a track of their activities. It can be difficult to decide exactly where an activity can fit - but just make your best guess. If you know any, I would recommend you talk to unschoolers in your State. How do they cope with the State requirements? What methods of record keeping do they use?
I think you will be surprised at how many activities can be educational. And how much time you spend doing them! Even a conversation can cover a lot of ground. On a walk recently, my daughter had an in-depth conversation about politics with her Dad. They probably covered more in that half hour than we would have managed if we had sat down and studied, because she was interested in it at that moment in time.
It is difficult when you feel the State is looking over your shoulder.
Try to stay confident and trust both yourself and your child. Children really do WANT to learn - you just have to let them!
Click below now to get inspired!
Comments for Deschooling Question
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
Click here to add your own comments Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Deschooling. |
