Life of a Substitute Teacher

Unschooling Continued - Direct Response to CNN Article

Setup: There is an article at CNN about Unschooling, a new trend that is sweeping the world of home-schooling, which is already a controversial topic in the world of education. I suggest you read this article before you read any further below.

This is my direct response to the article itself, and the comments made within it. Quotes from the article are in bold/italic typeset. My responses are in a normal typeset.


"I don't want to sound pompous, but I think I am learning a little bit more, because I can just do everything at my own pace," said Naliah Ellis, a 10-year old from Marietta, Georgia, who has been unschooled for most of her life.

While she is correct to say that she is able to learn things at her own pace, there is no real way to assess how well she is learning what she is learning about. Without a curriculum, there is no way to create a system to measure what the child is learning about or what he/she may need to improve upon. Testing in our schools, home schooling included, is done to see how effectively a student has learned a subject and a teacher has taught that same subject.

Another aspect of this statement is that as a ten year old, she has not yet needed to make the right of passage from elementary school to middle school, a passage that many student need help with. True, eliminating schooling in general will make sure that she cannot fail at middle school, it will also make sure that she cannot succeed in that type of setting. There are published studies available from the US Department of Education concerning bridging this gap. There is a problem at this age in switching analysis of reading from analyzing fiction to analyzing non-fiction. This is one of the main problems with the middle school system at this point in time that qualified teachers across the nation are addressing.

Naliah's day starts about 11 am., her typical wake-up time.

While some studies have shown that childrens' and adolescents' body clocks differ from the schedules kept by a majority of schools, learning to adapt to the corporate work-day is extremely important for success in life after school.

She studies Chinese, reading, writing, piano, and martial arts.

While I agree that these are all important subjects, there are three mainlined areas of the standard curriculum missing: science, math, and social studies. While studying Chinese could include the social issues surrounding people living in China, it often is assumed to mean, "studying Chinese language." Math and science are two key areas that our country needs to catch up on, and while it is possible that she has been assessed as being highly gifted in these two areas, more than likey she is not.

Educational psychology also dictates that a student, if given the opportunity, will only work hard at subjects they are good at, therefore improving confidence in those subjects and decreasing skills in the subjects that are a challenge. If Naliah is indeed creating her own curriculum, then she is not really able to learn about math and science.

She works on what she wants, when she wants.

While this may be okay from an outside observer's perspective, and for a part of her day, there lies a problem in that part of the job of an educator is to teach the child how to fit into our society and culture. A good part of our culture is dicated by routines and schedules. You get up at a certain time to go to work, take your break at a certain time, leave at a certain time. If you need to go somewhere, that is scheduled into your day as well. Occurances like jury duty are scheduled ahead of time as well. We need to learn to live with a schedule as a majority of our culture does.

She'll even watch some TV - science documentaries are a favorite...

While I am not against TV nor am I against Naliah watching documentaries, the fact that she is watching these shows that she is starved for knowledge. The act of watching the documentary is providing her with the curriculum that she is being denied by her unschooling. There is an obvious interest in this subject area that cannot be explored further in her current educational setting. If she does wish to explore this further, she must ask someone she knows to explain it, and at this point I would hope her mother would be able to or least take her to the library to do so.

...until her day comes to an end at 2 a.m.

Why on earth would a ten year old be allowed to be up at this time? What could possibly be this important that she could do other than watch the drunkards going home from the bars? Music cannot be practiced at this time of day due to noise ordinances and the common decency of allowing people to sleep, unless they live in the country. Reading is okay at this time, and studying school subjects as well. But, how often are we adults faced with finding something to do at this time of day?

Another point against this is the fact that our bodies were designed by nature to follow the flow of the sun. The lack of light signals our bodies to become tired and we sleep, the introduction of light reversely wakes us up. Stormy days are evidence to this fact; we are more tired on days with less light than those with more. Seasonal Adjustment Disorder is another example of this problem. Nothing good can really come from allowing a child to stay up until two in the morning.

[Holt] believed parents should not duplicate school in their homes.

This is a statement that I agree with. Parents really shouldn't duplicate schools in their homes unless they themselves live in a school. Unless a parent is fully trained in education, and qualified enough to teach all the subjects that they will teach, then they should not turn their dining rooms into a classroom. Part of the No Child Left Behind Act stipulates that a teacher, including all special education teachers, is certified to teach all subjects that they teach. This is also part of the fair and equal education laws that dictates that a child be able to recieve an education that is fair and equal to the education of every other child within a jurisdiction, whether that be local or federal. By duplicating a school within the home, the parents are going against federal and state laws that protect their child's education.

There are no mandatory books, no curriculum, no tests and no grades. Naliah's parents are in touch with the local school district and she takes the district's required tests.

Generally, these "required tests" are the same tests mandated by No Child Left Behind and are basic proficiency exams. It is good that the local school system is weighing in on Naliah's education, becuase otherwise, she would not be recieving any.

The addition of tests and measurements however is in direct contradition to the idea of a lack of curriculum. There has to be some guidelines set up that Naliah has to work towards, otherwise she would be unable to pass these required tests.

But proponents of the public education system suggest these children may be missing a key part of the educational experience. "There is nothing like the texture of kids having contact with each other, making friends and relating to different adults in a school setting." said David Tokofsky, a longtime educator and member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.

This is one of the main arguments used against home-schooling. Indeed, there is nothing like the experiences gained in school, however, there are still alternative arguments to this.

One argument is the fact that parents already pay school taxes, and their money is going to support this school that their children are not using. It's throwing away money. Another argument comes in the fact that parents are voting for elected officials in the school board to represent their voices for the common good of the educational system. These parents, between voting and paying taxes, are still contributing to the public education system without participating in it. Their loss? Somewhat. At least in Wisconsin, these same parents are still able to send their children to school "a la carte": they can pick and choose what classes their children will attend and teach the rest at home; taking the best and leaving the rest. Children learning within these settings then need to adapt to two separate mindsets: the idea of following the schedule at school, and the lack of one at home.

Naliah, who would be in 4th grade if she attended a regular school, seems to enjoy the "unschooled" lifestyle, even if she's a bit confused when asked what exactly she is learning. "I actually don't know what I'm learning," Naliah said. "I think I'm just having a good time."

While enjoying the act of learning is important to the actual learning process, Naliah still needs to be able to identify what she knows. She would probably say she knows how to play piano, and she knows how to read. She knows she can speak some Chinese, and she can earn a belt in her martial arts. However, without tests of form beyond those required by a school system, a child cannot fully grasp what they have learned and how far they have grown.


My Conclusion:

Overall, there are more scientific studies to prove that this does not work as compared to those that prove otherwise. I am appalled that there are actually people out there who think that it is allowable for a child to do this to herself. Unless Naliah is the exception, and I highly doubt that she is, then she and her parents are causing her more harm than good. This cannot lead her to a successful adulthood that is an integral part of our society and culture. There are multiple aims of schools in our country, one is to educate, and another is to prepare the child for their life as a contributing member of our society. Unschooling can do neither.

As an individual responding to this article, and not an educator, I feel the need to express my opinion that there is also a high risk that the child could easily become lazy. She is missing the experiences of school that lead to good memories from youth. She is missing out on sports and music classes. She is missing out on learning opinions beyond what her parents are influencing her to think. She is missing out on a life beyond just her family, a life that will shape who she will become, if she is allowed to succeed in the world.

posted by Amanda @ 3:19 PM