Sandra Dodd Pt 2: Unschooling & Real Learning

Sandra Dodd discusses how people learn.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• unschooling
• unschool
• homeschool
• home
• school
• homeschooling
• sandra
• dodd
• education

[Fathoms2004]

As a casualty of public schooling I have to say that this unschooling concept resonates on a deeply personal level. I was obsessed with the comic Calvin and Hobbes as a kid in which the six-year old Calvin is seen by parents and teachers as a bad student, who is irresponsible and unreliable, when really his spirit just wanted to be free. I look back on my experience of school now and see how closely it paralleled that dissociative break that happens when a person's essence is treated irrelevant

[beepnuts]

I've learned more from Sandra then I ever did in any formal school setting. I've even unlearned a few things.

Sandra rocks!

[lev24free]

@PainefulMass I believe the reason it took you so long to love math is probably because of public school. In public school, math is just a bunch of worksheets and made up problems to solve. In unschooling it isn't like that. Also, in unschoolling because they aren't forced to learn specific things, the children keep the curiosity and love for learning they had as toddlers and babies so they don't have strong aversions to any subjects.

[omnileader]

Majority of people today go to public school anyway, but even the few that don't go and are provided with different alternatives does not mean anyone should bash on them because they are doing something different. Everyone does not have to fit the uniform structure of society. I believe parents have the free will to help their children decide what they want to do in terms of learning. Anyone can tell me I should send my kids to school, but I don't have to agree with the statement.

[omnileader]

I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion about what they believe is educational. Unschoolers or Homeschoolers are not telling people that the people have to do what they believe, and yet people who are so tied up to school tell them they need to be a part of what they believe. As America, everyone has the freedom to believe what they want, I don't think anyone should have a dominant say in everything because that's not how it works.

[PainefulMass]

I'm a grad student working on my PhD in math. One thing I fear here is that the kids won't force themselves through the basics. I admit. K-12 math sort of sucked. It was tedious and annoying, but you just have to get through the hard work to get to the great ideas. I'm sure an unschooled child that loves math could still take this path, but I didn't love math until after high school, so I'm not sure how to keep this door open for an unschooler which saddens me.

[Nine00]

@jamiedoer2 2pm? HA! Maybe 20 years ago. Kids don't get home out till 3.30 ish today and have hours of homework to complete.

[ion010101]

@TheEpicMeatloaf Coming off like a thug, calling us "pussies", is that the socialization you learned in school? When you get into a fight, or confront someone and end up in a fight, and you're in front of a judge for it, the judge does not say, "good for you handling it on your own". The judge will say, "why didn't you walk away, why didn't you call the police?" When you're forced to learn times tables, you learn t-tables, and you also learn that you need to be forced to learn. You learned that.

[TheEpicMeatloaf]

@BlackToyotaTacoma YES!!! I completely agree with you!!!

[TheEpicMeatloaf]

@jamiedoer2 nothing would ever get done if people just ran away like a pussy every time they have an argument with someone. the reason public school is so great is that it makes kids stay together and build relationships 8 hours a day, five days a week. public schools teach kids how to work together, cooperate and solve their own problems. it teaches kids how to do things on their own without running to someone else to fight their battles for them. btw, when did i say anything about the 60s

[jamiedoer2]

@TheEpicMeatloaf And it's not an hour a day a few times a week. You see people everywhere. At the store, in any classes you take, in clubs, in the park, at the swimming pool. The entire American population is NOT confined to public schools. And they're certainly not in school 24/7. Kids get out around 2pm. That still leaves time for movies, group hang outs, and going to parties.

And some kids who are homeschooled have mental problems. But homeschooling has changed since the 60's, you know.

[jamiedoer2]

@TheEpicMeatloaf You don't "need" to deal with bullying and peer pressure. If you don't like someone at your job? Quit. Or complain to HR. Or move your office. Or work at home. There are a lot of ways to deal with it other than staying. And you don't HAVE to stay at your job. No matter what anyone is convinced, no one is forcing you to stay there. And you really think public school kids "deal" with peer pressure? They've only learned to give in to it.