Comments on: The Resistant Child

By: AK Homeschool Fun

AK Homeschool Fun — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:54:48 +0000

Yes. I see the troll was here too. I made a post from his questions thinking we could have a good discussion. Well, it was the most pig headed discussion and I finally had to block Mr. Black as his comments turned into insults against me and my other commentors. You made a great response to him though.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:46:55 +0000

Laura, I just stumbled onto your site through Sandra Dodd’s. I am really enjoying it so far.

Your last comment was a wonderful rebuttal. You’ve got more patience than I do to deal with responding to that kind of stuff.

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:53:20 +0000

Actually I HAVEN’T earned my state certification because know what? I’m not American! I’ve taught as an English Lecturer despite my NOT having a University degree. I was a Montessori teacher for many of Saudi Arabia’s elite and royals.
I worked in the medical field, yet I never studied medicine. Since when is success measured by how much paper we’ve accumulated? I’ve translated several books from English to Spanish, yet (surprise,surprise)I have no formal education in translation.
I can speak fluent French, Spanish and Arabic…yet none of those were learned in schools. I’ve ridden 100km. endurance trails with the ecuadorean military and assisted in their hospitals as a surgical assistant. Financially, I am VERY well-off thank-you-very-much. If my husband (God forbid) were to suddenly drop out of my life, I’d still be able to maintain the lifestyle my children and I live now…not bad for a non-university-degree-holding sahm.
Almost none of this was thanks to the school system. In fact, the school system failed me. I was thought of being merely average and not interested in working when in fact, I am gifted and the system was not able to cater to me. It wasn’t even until college that this was discovered. The very coping mechanisms I used to deal with my boredom ended up getting me in trouble rather than helping me succeed.
Why do you assume that children belong at school…is that real life? Living with a bunch of kids the same age whom you wouldn’t even associate with outside of school and forced to put up with mistreatment and bullying that, in the *real world*, you would bring on asault charges to said-person. Where you are given a one-size-fits-all education regardless of the way you process information?
In the real world, you use the resources you have. Do I need a chef’s degree to cook dinner for my family…or should I study to become a plumber just because my toilet might break down one day? Perish the thought that I might manage to fix it myself!
I’ve seen MANY teachers that don’t deserve to be near children, yet because of self-serving teacher’s unions, they are tenured and no one can fire them. I’ve seen doctors where my own limited experience rivaled their so-called years of medical training.
If you haven’t noticed, parents do just fine at teaching their children to walk and talk. Should we also hand that over to the institution since we are obviously incapable of brushing out own hair?
Humanity did fine for thousands of years before governments stepped in…now it’s time for them to bud out.

By: David Black

David Black — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:52:27 +0000

I’m curious to know how many DIY schoolers here have earned their state certifications to instruct students?

I’m of the theory that most, if not all, so-called “unschoolers” aren’t simply malcontents who feel their destinies are out of their control, so by taking advantage of a few laws, they seize the control they think they have lost to traditional k-12 institutions.

I am of the opinion that if you aren’t certified, then you have no ethical business trying to teach your child the school or district mandated curriculum at home.

What if I read a few medical textbooks and declare myself a medical doctor? Should that be permitted to treat my own children?

An autodidactic’s folly is to presume their expert status without formal training and certification. They are assuaging unchecked egos that believe they can do better than someone else. meanwhile, their kids suffer from lack of real structure, order, and discipline, all of which will be expected of them when they grow up and leave the nest.

Tell me what profession will allow its employees to work at their own pace and on their own schedule.

Part of formal education is to prep you for real life. Staying at home with mom or dad playing make believe is not prepping a child for real life.

It’s setting them up for real failure.

What a pity more of you don’t see that. You read some research that tells you exactly what you want to hear that you conclude that all education is rotten.

You’ve failed to learn that a modern education must be a partnership between a school and its parents.

Clearly, the fact that you bailed proves that you did not fulfill your part of the commitment. You expected your school to do everything for your child.

By: AK Homeschool Fun

AK Homeschool Fun — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:35:31 +0000

Hi Laura,

Hope you all had a merry Christmas. Guess what their grandpa gave the kids for Christmas? A bucket of about 90 legos. They are the regular small size so my husband isn’t too happy about opening it yet. They aren’t doing well picking up their other toys lately.

Yes, eclectic would be a good label for our homeschool. I just didn’t think any all-in-one curriculum company fit the kids for every subject so I chose the best fit subjects of each and it works. It does take a bit of time initially researching. Attending a curriculum fair where you can look at materials and talk to vendors and other homeschool families helps a lot. However, once you find something that works, you can usually use that company for several years. Plus, I like doing it. They’re worth the effort. Oh, I’m Frankie.