Parents across the country are preparing for the end of the school year, wondering what they will do with their children for a few months while they don’t have a structured school experience on which to rely. I for one am trying to find ways to keep my son’s learning up to date while he is out of school. I bought a workbook that uses coloring and games to teach letters, numbers, patterns and other skills. It looks like a fun way to learn.

A few weeks ago “Good Morning America” ran a segment about a movement in the homeschooling front, called unschooling. “Un what?” I thought, when the piece started to air. They promoted it as a kind of no books, no tests, no more teachers’ dirty looks. OK, they didn’t say the part about the dirty looks, but they might as well have.

Even though home schooling has been around for years, it’s still a bit taboo in certain circles. Now, enter, unschooling … it’s a form of homeschooling, but there is no curriculum. No books. No teaching. No structure. Children are encouraged to learn based on what they want to know.

I think homeschooling is just starting to come into its own. I even think the bias toward these families who choose to teach their kids at home is slowing going away since there seem to be so many families who elect to keep their children at home during their school years. We used to wonder: What will happen to them when they get into the real world? How can a  parent know everything to teach them? What about sports? Socialization? The hub-ub has quieted as people learned more about homeschooling, saw educated parents successfully teach their children and we’ve have seen success stories (think Tim Tebow).

So, will unschooling have a similar track as the traditional homeschooling? I think it has a much harder road to travel.

Unschooling parents claim that the children will learn by doing what they love to do. They will learn when the need arises. One article I read even went as far to say that kids can learn algebra by painting a room. I’ve painted a lot of rooms and never learned algebra. Admittedly, I took several years of algebra throughout high school and college and still can’t say that I’m any good at it, but I would be in far worse shape if I’d never attempted a traditional math class.

JuJu Chang interviewed an unchooling family for the piece and asked the teenage girl what grade she would be in if she were in a traditional school. The girl said she honestly doesn’t know. When asked if she will go to college and if she thinks she could succeed in college, she says she doesn’t know. She realizes that students in college use books and, that if she wants to go to college, she will open a book and learn.

Another family is profiled in the piece, that seems to have similar “teaching” styles. They say that:

“There is no hierarchy in our house. So, there is no punishment, no judgment, no discipline.”

She goes on to say the “kids just get what they need to breakfast and go wherever it feels comfortable for them to eat” — this is said as the little boy grabs a donut and eats alone on the stairs. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

What will happen to these kids when they have a boss? Will they have the knowledge, experience and skills needed to thrive in a work environment?

I’m all for different learning styles and teaching kids in more ways than memorizing information for tests, but this style is too unstructured. I don’t think children have the knowledge yet to make the decisions that these families are leaving to them. ABC Parenting Expert, Ann Pleshette Murphy says,

“This to me is putting way too much power in the hands of the kids, something that we know kids can often find anxiety-producing, and it’s also sending a message that they’re the center of the universe, which I do not think is healthy for children,” she said.

School’s out for the summer: no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks. At my house, we’ll add in a lot of fun activities and learning by adventure and experiences. But, we’ll keep the pencils, the workbook and I guess I’ll be the teacher with the dirty looks.

What do you think about unschooling?

Photo credit: lusi

• ABC’s News article, “Extreme Homeschooling: No Tests, No Books, No Classes, No Curriculum
• Ten Unschooling Myths Debunked
• FAQ about Uncshooling High School and College
• The Unschooling Web site
• How Is Unschooling Different From Home Schooling?

My son’s preschool is having a no trash day on Thursday, Earth Day. For lunch, we are not allowed to send anything that can be thrown in the trash. All items, containers, etc. must be able to be reused. Basically, everything you see in the picture above (except for the actual lunch box) is going to be a no-no on Thursday.

It’s a cool idea and has really has me thinking. What do I typically put in his lunch that gets tossed at the end of the day? I know I use a lot of plastic bags for sandwiches and snacks. Occasionally, I send a pre-packaged PB&J. The wrapper wouldn’t be allowed on Earth Day.

I’m good about not sending juice boxes — we use a thermos for juice or milk.

What about a napkin? Yup, we put one in every day. Thursday it will have to be a cloth napkin.

Utensils? Admittedly, we use plastic sometimes. I’ve been known to reuse plastic, even running them through the dishwasher, but eventually they end up in the trash.

I’ll be working hard to have a zero-trash lunch on Thursday for my son to take to school. I think I’ll do the same for my lunch that day as well. Maybe, it’ll be so easy that we’ll continue it all the time: I think that’s the idea.

Why not try it with us? Let me know what you think of the challenge.

Photo credit: Stock.xcng via artist anissat.

Sir Ken Robinson’s latest book (2009), “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” tackles how to live your passion — how to be in your element. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Robinson speak in person when he was a guest at the University where I work, and enjoyed how he spoke so freely about creative minds, education reform and how to be authentically you. It’s clear that Robinson’s own passion drives his talks and books.

Creativity VS. Intelligence

Robinson gets people to think. He easily engages his audience with questions of creativity versus intelligence. He has the members of the audience raise their hands based on a scale of how intelligent they think they are. Then, he does the same for how creative they think they are. Then he explains that intelligence and creativity are “blood relatives” — most people think they are one, but not both.

If you’ve never seen him speak or read his books, you should take a moment and read through this engaging book about life and how to make the most of your time. It’s not an organization or time management book, it’s a book of thought. How to think differently. How to realize that what you enjoy doing is probably what you are good at doing. The two go together.

Parenting and Education

It’s the perfect book for parents: especially if you have a creative child. Not every child is going to go to an Ivy League college. Some may be better off following a different path. And, that’s OK. Robinson is an advocate for education reform and is known for working with school and universities.

Throughout the book there are great stories about how people became successful after great adversity. Two of my favorite stories he tells are about Elvis, yes, the Elvis Presley and the Paul McCartney.

• Elvis wasn’t allowed in his school’s glee club.
• Paul McCartney didn’t enjoy music at school. He applied to the choir and was turned down.

Can you even believe this? And there are more stories like this in the book. Stories about now famous people were bored in school or didn’t do well in school. The schools did nothing to help figure out how to help these kids. To find out what makes them tick. It’s only by luck that they were able to find someone who did help them become the person they are today.

What is The Element?

Robinson covers a lot in the book, but here are some main take-aways:

• “The element is the meeting place between natural aptitude and personal passion.“
• “Do what you love. It will feel like you. It will be authentic.”
• Being in the zone –when you are in “the zone” time moves quickly. If you watch the clock at your job, it’s probably not the one in your zone.
• Is it too late? Julia Child didn’t start living her passion until she was in her 40s, yet she’s one of the most famous cooks of our time.

I can’t summarize this book enough in one blog post. Robinson is a great storyteller, sprinkling humor with his own personal stories as well as stories of triumph about others. It’s a great, inspiring read. Find out for yourself.

Photo credit: Stock.xchng by artist ngould

Related:

• Sir Ken Robinson’s official Web site
• “The Element,” book information
• Sir Ken’s “Do School’s Kill Creativity?” on Ted.com
• An excellent review of “The Element,” by Heather Davis, a Ph.D. candidate. She mentions that “his [Robinson] book sits nicely with Malcolm Gladwell’s … “Outliers” (2008) where Gladwell argues in a similar vein that success is due, mostly, from luck, circumstance and openness to new ideas.”