The freedom to Learn ◇ Is Traditional Education Child Abuse?
I am very fortunate to be with and have a child with someone who's head is in the same space as mine. We agree completely on the subject of "traditional" school education. While we would rather chose a form of home-schooling, unschooling to be precise, neither of us have quite the time and resources to stop working entirely.
Sure, we could have just the one income and we have lived that way before, but until there are more children in our Neo-tribal Village, we have put our child in a Sudbury school, the next best thing after true unschooling!
From time to time my wife sends me really interesting articles, on this subject. And I wanted to share. This here is a quote from one of those articles:
Children's education is children's responsibility, not ours. Only they can do it. They are built to do it. Our task regarding education is just to stand back and let it happen. The more we try to control it, the more we interfere.
You can read the whole thing right through the link below.
Our traditional education systems sould really be looked at as child abuse when you really think about it!
Couldn't agree more!! We (my wife and I) are also very interested in unschooling for our son.
I for one, certainly experienced traditional education as child abuse..
If my son wishes, for whatever reason, that he wants to attend traditional school, I will of course allow him, as I would never deny the opportunity from him. But it is crucial for him to know it is always his choice (which isn't usually the case),and so he never has to attend when he doesn't want to,and,that what he is told in school is not the whole truth, but one aspect of it. (something that is very hard to convey when you test children on right or wrong answers...)
I just need to add that I think the biggest danger of any form of homeschooling, is a lack of social interaction. (I know a few homeschoolers, particularly those who homeschool to prevent their children from mixing with the 'wrong crowd', who's children barely spend anytime with other children, and no time without adult supervision.)
It's for this reason that we want to join with the other families that will be in the ecoVillage, to unschool all the children together.
As long as social interaction with other children (older and younger as well as same age) is provided significantly, then there is really no need for any traditional form of education.
Carry on the fine work you seem to be doing, and wishing you and your family all the best!
Ah thanks @orlev, I appreciate what you said and can completely relate too. Part of me really really wants to join all of you in Portugal because there seems to be so many things that are aligned with what we want to build here!!! But I have quite a lot of family here too and I am sure that patience will provide something great for us as well.
You have more of a traveler scene in Portugal than in New York for sure and that's what I miss most from Europe
Well you know I am on the same page with you guys on this one, it is all about giving the the freedom to learn and making sure they have the resources to do so. My ex is in a constant battle with me over this, he wants them in school and puts the down when he sees them and is constantly making them doubt themselves, it is shit really. But I trust my girls and they are amazing and the skills they have are amazing too xxx
That is shit. But the fact that you trust your girls is very powerful. They know it for sure!