Unschooling Bentley Family on KTVU FOX 2 Unschooling segment, November 4, 2011

[siliconsannyasin]

I once knew a family who practiced 'unschooling.' True story, this kid woke up and kicked off his day with about three hours of Minecraft...until he became bored, at which point he'd zone out for a couple of hours watching Youtube. Eventually, he'd get antsy enough to trek to the kitchen for some soda and popcorn before a few more hours of Minecraft, with occasional interludes of Borderlands on the Xbox interspersed.

[domenicagiovanna]

i LOVE UNschooling. The Bentley's are doing a fabulous job. We have children 28 down to 9 and our adult children are all grown and on their own after Unschooling. They all have careers they LOVE and are thriving. All our 20 somethings are wonderful *well rounded Human Beings*. It is frustrating at the end of a great representation of Unschooling , we get a *professional* to question an unschooled child's *well roundedness*. WHEN does real life EVER look like a *school*?

[siliconsannyasin]

@domenicagiovanna

"WHEN does real life EVER look like a *school*?"

Gee, I don't know. Do you know of anything in real-life that requires you to wake up at a certain time, appear at a certain place, sit and stand at another's behest, respect a heirarchy of superiors, accomplish assignments by due-dates, etc.,?

Hmmm....

[domenicagiovanna]

@siliconsannyasin ~ only if you are *trained* that way...like a robot. Kind of like the poor children who are forced to go to school. If you desire that as an adult because you know no other way, that is sad. The great thing about unschoolers is they THINK outside the box. They choose to make a living doing what they enjoy. What they are passionate about. Most are self employed and creative with their talents. We are to FREE to be tethered doing a monotonous job ! take

[siliconsannyasin]

@domenicagiovanna

You say the 'great thing about unschoolers is they THINK outside the box," but rest assured, if unschooling produced that sort of effect it would be destabilizing to society. It will continue to be permitted so long as (just like any other kind of schooling) it refrains from challenging the paradigm.

The idea that 'limitless possibilities' abound (universal entitlement to one's piece of the 'American Pie') steps right in line with that paradigm. (Q.E.D.)

[domenicagiovanna]

@siliconsannyasin ~and you *think* our society is stable?How boring this world would be. Unschooling is not permitted, it is a parent's RIGHT. And parents with Unschooled children who are thriving and passionate and full of LIFE and JOY will in turn~ Unschool their own childen and they, their children and so on.......until hopefully the one size fits all, 30 in a classroom days of *education* will be obsolete and all children can learn in FREEDOM.

[siliconsannyasin]

'It is a parent's right.'

Sort of like the same 'right' that a parent has to indoctrinate his/her children? To feed them myths and superstitions?

There's nothing essentially 'free' about mediation between one's self and the outside world--but that's civilization in a nutshell. Unschooling or not, the context is always discordant, exploitative industrialization.

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. "

[domenicagiovanna]

@siliconsannyasin you must have had a terrible childhood if you were fed myths and superstitions. That is sad. Hopefully you heal from that. There are a LOT of myths fed to children who *GO* to school . Another benefit of unschooling...... They discover the world about them without interference. Afterall ~they are just little human beings and curious about the world about them, and they have the FREEDOM to discover all they desire. We just enrich their interests and nurture our kids with LOVE.

[siliconsannyasin]

"They discover the world about them without interference."

Not true of a single soul living in an industrialized nation.

The difference between fucked up beliefs (FUB) passed down in the public school system and FUB passed down from parent to child is that in the public system, you have instant accountability. Only the subtlest of falsehoods and FUB touch the light of day; patently FUB don't stand a chance, since the other students at the very least serve as a kind of safety net.

[domenicagiovanna]

@siliconsannyasin ~ Also, if you think the outside world is in discord, exploitive and industrialized...do something to change it. That is some of the reason We unschool ~ it is peaceful, natural, and fulfilling beyond measure.

[siliconsannyasin]

This world can only be purified with fire. The ascendent hope of humanity-as-defined-by-itself is extirpation. I'll act to remove the lynch-pin when this world is about to collapse; but reforming the system from within is impossible. It needs to be destroyed, not changed.