Education and knowledge are two qualities I feel everyone should hold with the highest values. The atmosphere and resources for acquiring them, however, have and continue to evolve drastically over time.
Global Encyclopedia
No doubt, the internet helps the wide-spread distribution of information. These resources impacted my decision to by-pass grad school, so you can probably guess my stance on the matter. I consider myself an internet addict because it’s the fastest way to get immediate results about anything you can imagine. If I’m not connected to this resource, I feel ignorant and incapable.
The internet is a giant encyclopedia, through which I can successfully research for my latest novel, or find the best place to get hands-on experience with a new skill. The tool has many advantages that outweigh its disadvantages, as do most things.
The ‘Homeschooling’ Movement
Homeschooling has become more popular and wide-known as of late. My personal experiences in the matter helped me shape strong arguments for and against it. Even so, when people as my opinion on homeschooling versus public school educations, I freeze up. There’s no honest answer about which is better. It’s subjective and preferential for both individuals and parents.
Know Your Goals & Motivations
There are countless times when I wonder what sort of gains/losses would’ve occurred through sticking with public school, and how that would affect who I am today. The major variable in that equation is better academic connections. To succeed in the world of homeschooling, parents should be mindful of their end-goals, their children’s end-goals, and the workload (or lack thereof) involved.
The term “homeschooling” is a blanket term for so many subcategories. Each subcategory depends on the dedication and time a parent (or tutor) can give to educating their children at home. You should also consider your child’s ability to learn outside a standard academic environment.
Life’s Teacher
The other day, I stumbled across two articles that discuss families who remove rules and formal education from their lives. I concluded that the first article’s concept accurately described my experiences with homeschooling: you wake up each morning and let experience be your teacher.
Say you watched Game of Thrones the other night. Suddenly, you’re curious about the actual history of that time period. So you head to the library and start a “course” on the Middle Ages.
One’s willingness to learn dictates whether or not this method of homeschooling will work. While the self-motivated have that capacity to learn in such an environment, I disagree with the article’s coinage of the term “unschooled.” It triggers images of the uneducated. As long as learning occurs, however informal, it is an education.
Extreme Situations
I think alternatives to the current educational system should certainly be considered—for those who can benefit from it. But not to the extremes mentioned in the second article.
Children need rules and guidelines in order to learn discipline and responsibility. While some are mature enough to handle the responsibilities with learning on their own, they are still children in need of that guidance.