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The parts on an open-mind always learning remind me of my childhood as a "homeschooler" and recent college experiences. While we spent plenty of time with the b
by appagrad 10y ago
The parts on an open-mind always learning remind me of my childhood as a "homeschooler" and recent college experiences. While we spent plenty of time with the books, my mother emphasized the joy of learning when I was a child. Despite few tests and no grades, my brother and I scored above average on our year-end state tests. Such scores aren't a testament to our intelligence but instead the result of allowing a child's mind to absorb its environment as a process of life. When I entered college, I was astonished at how students viewed learning. It was a chore, a separate part of life they were obligated to endure. The vast majority of my peers and later students I taught simply couldn't learn on their own. They couldn't read the book and learn. To me, learning is enjoyable, a life-long process I will continue to old age.
- Joof 10y agoI could learn on my own, but I had a god awful time in classes that demanded attendance or primarily used in-class material. I just don't function in that environment. Give me a textbook, maybe a video and some problems to work on.
- appagrad 10y agoAgreed...the lecture style with an expensive backup reference (aka textbook) is so wasteful. What one can learn by reading a good text in an hour is at least twice the content as a lecture, in my experience.
- biomcgary 10y agoI had a similar experience, but many homeschooling parents just re-invent the drudgery and blinkers of the stereotypical school. You and I are fortunate that our mothers emphasized the joy of learning.
- cardamomo 10y agoThis seems to support the author's point that adults have forgotten about "wildness" and non-hierarchical, non-institutional ways to learn. Without a concerted effort to the contrary, adults tend to teach the way they were taught.
- gregd 10y agoI'd be curious to know what leads you to believe that, "many homeschooling parents just re-invent the drudgery and blinkers of the stereotypical school"? Most homeschooling parents I know, homeschool for precisely the opposite reasons.
- biomcgary 10y agoMy wife's mother used very traditional textbooks and schedules. Even with that constraint, my wife probably spent far more time outdoors than most kids.
- appagrad 10y agoWe are very fortunate. People get into home-schooling for various reasons that sometimes lack an excellent educational experience.
- anf 10y agoAny ideas on how to scale your mother's approach? I think you might be under-stating (or not have realized it) how much structure or guidance she may have provided you.