In the News - Unschooling

One of the more interesting and perhaps radical ideas/concepts/educational approaches receiving serious discussion by at least the homeschooler network is the concept of unschooling. Readers can get a great feel for the idea by visting either SandraDodd.com or JoyfullyRejoicing.com. Each reviews the John Holt viewpoint regarding learning, that we should help children be who they are and let learning be a side effect of that development.

A very interesting article to read on this concept appears on the World of Warcraft site called “15 Minutes of Fame: Horde of Unschoolers.” After reading the piece take the time to read through the comments, there are some beauties. In particular one comment seeks to answer the question as to why so many homeschoolers are among our nation’s brightest kids, “Maybe it’s not the homeschooling but the genes.”
As for a couple of hot sites to check out, for those who teach in middle school, high school or post-secondary education and are troubled at times by the attitudes portrayed by our young people today, a particular web page could be right up your alley. One of the more popular webpage links in recent days is to the list of “Rules Kids Won’t Learn in Schools”. As an educator you will likely want to give an emphatic “yes sir” to both rules two and four, especially the line in four that describes a student’s potential boss in the work world, “He doesn’t have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier.”

Also, for those who never took a typing lesson and have come to the computer age with but hunt and peck skills, there is the perfect site to work on your keyboarding skills. Head on over to Keybr.com and start practicing. Ignore the rating at first as it might be a bit on the discouraging side but the site is simple to use and offers a constant stream of practice sessions. Happy boarding.