At a friend’s birthday party this weekend, the topic of unschooling came up. After I had explained, thoroughly I thought, that we don’t replicate school-at-home, that we learn in and from our daily life in the city, that the children’s interests guide their learning, that we live as if school doesn’t exist, the person paused and asked: “So do you give them exams?”
Tag: class
Ansel Adams Was Unschooled; How to Solve America’s Creativity Crisis
Ansel’s father recognized his son’s natural exuberance and determined that Ansel needed more freedom to thrive. When Ansel was 12, his father removed him from school and homeschooled him, granting him abundant freedom and opportunity to pursue his own interests and passions. At home, Ansel learned to play the piano, becoming a professional musician before devoting his life to photography.
The Result of Empty Belief Systems
Now, starting with tiny little mentions here and there, gradual whittling away at their empty belief systems, socialism has reached the point where it is being openly pushed by plenty of politicians, pundits, “news” outlets, etc. And since most people never knew what the word meant to begin with, now that it’s NOT spoken of as a taboo concept, they forgot why they ever objected to it.
Encourage Ideas
First of all, encourage yourself to have ideas. If you have 1 idea a day, at the end of a year you will have had 365 ideas. What are the probabilities that none of those ideas are worthwhile? What are the probabilities that self-ordering will not restrict those bad ideas from happening.
Economic Nationalism: Elitism in Populist Clothing
My old friend and former “American Conservative” editor Dan McCarthy gets it all wrong about Donald Trump’s “national security” tariffs on aluminum and steel.
Warning: Dangerous Cult!
This is a serious warning to all parents about a nefarious and very dangerous cult that has recently been approaching and recruiting innocent but ignorant souls, enticing them into joining a very violent gang—which is really more of a cult than a mere gang. This cult has been responsible for countless murders, acts of terrorism, and many other forms of violence. And the members of the cult have been so brainwashed that they view their violent aggression against innocents as being righteous and noble, because they have been taught that such actions are for the common good, because they serve the religious “vision” of the group’s leaders, which involves coercing everyone else into blind obedience to the agenda and decrees of the leaders of the group, and into compliance with their view of how everyone and everything should be.
Assume That Ego Is In the Way
In a disagreement with someone about how things should be done? Don’t spend time arguing or analyzing or lecturing about whether their ego (pride, reputation) is in the way. Of course it is. And so is yours.
If Murder Were Legal
True believers in the deity known as “government” often make random, arbitrary, dire predictions about what would happen in the absence of a political ruling class. This is almost always driven by the fear of the unknown, rather than being driven by an objective consideration of human nature. Consider the following thought experiment as an example: Suppose that tomorrow, the federal and all of the state legislatures in the U.S. repealed all laws against homicide—what would actually happen if murder were “legalized”?
Watching Children Learn Naturally
Watching children learn naturally, while following their own interests, is nothing short of astonishing. It shouldn’t be, of course. We shouldn’t be surprised that giving children freedom and autonomy, and trusting them to pursue passions most meaningful to them, would lead to deep and lasting learning. But Self-Directed Education is so rare in our widely schooled society that most of us don’t get the opportunity to see what learning without schooling (including school-at-home) looks like. Self-Directed Education, or unschooling, is strikingly different from schooling–in all of its various iterations.
Creating Structure to Go Deep
A friend of mine was telling me about two of the most successful times of his often very scattered life … and they both came when he was very focused on one learning project. Having a single focus really allowed him to grow — not only to deeply learn the topic he was studying, but to grow as a person. He’s been experiencing that kind fo focus recently, picking one project and really giving it his full focus. But his question was this: how should I combine having one clear main project for this year, while also doing lots of other things I want to do? Basically, he wants to create focus and depth in one project, but still maintain his health, business, relationship, and mindfulness practice. It’s a good question.