Too early; too soon.

I have a problem with the way young kids are forced to 'understand' the world through numbers and letters at the expense of interpreting the world through free play. That is, they are told to leave what they are doing, whether it's playing with a piece of wrapping paper as my two year old niece was doing and using her vast imagination to transform that piece of paper first into a skirt, then a "lady's hat,"then asking her grandmother to pull her along because she's in a "little boat"- leave this creative, imaginative process and settle down to 'learn' your letters and what 2 and 2 equal. This misguided way of thinking implies that creative play is not learning but a frivolous waste of time.

Frustratingly, unexamined, unquestioned 'thinking' of this kind continues to prevail. We hang on to a method of 'education' that evolved in the industrial revolution era and served that age's goals to create "better workers" but is no longer relevant to today's world.

Essentially, what is conveyed to the child is that what she is doing is unimportant, not serious.

But playing is dead serious, especially for young children. In fact it is far more serious than learning A B Cs which comes easily and naturally when the child is interested and ready.

'Switching' young children's mindset from a play-centered mode of interpreting the world around them, (an essential stage of their development) to a premature academic focus is interfering with the natural flow of things.

It harms creativity, spontaneity and confidence. A life long habit of dependency on others is created.

Now Ontario is spending 1.5 billion dollars for young children, 4 year olds to go to school full time.

According to our Premier, quoted in Mclean's Magazine

The optional full-day program will better prepare kids for Grade 1 and beyond, which will help them land good jobs when they finish school. .

The idea that the earlier they start their 'education' (read factory style, 'one size fits all' compulsory schooling) the more likely they will run into 'success' in life would be laughable if it weren't such a dangerous lie.

Higher Education without highschool: 4

Another mother writes from Red lake Ontario about her son:

We moved to Ontario when our son turned 15. As unschoolers we looked at ways for our son to get into university without an OSSD. We considered doing the SAT, portfolio and interview track, but my son decided that he wanted to do a few courses through Athabasca University during the year he when he would traditionally apply to university and found that he could then take these courses to another university and apply as a transfer student and would not have to have a diploma or portfolio. To better his chances he has completed the required writing course and a math course. He then decided to take another year of studies through Athabasca. He enrolled in the Athabasca University BSc program and looked at the transfer requirements from the University of Windsor and University of Manitoba to help him choose his current courses. He plans to continue his studies at one of these institutions in the future. He is now studying for his Bsc and hoping to become a Geoscientist.

He is, also, planning to challenge a couple of computer science and possibly geography courses this spring. He is using Yale and MIT open courseware to study the material and will then submit the required projects and write the required exams. He wrote to the U of WIndsor admissions office for help in choose appropriate courses.

He hopes to have 10 courses to transfer next year, if he chooses to go then. He has saved a great deal of money by remaining at home and by challenging courses for credit.

Mother continues about her son:

"He attended school until age 9 when the school told us his LD was so severe that he would never read or write fluently. They wanted him put into a non academic program. From the time we began to homeschool he was unschooled and never used any curriculum until he started university. On his first course, an essay writing course, he obtained a grade of 78%. Not a bad grade for someone the school system wrote off!

Higher Education without highschool:3

Over in BC, Linda Clement's two daughters have been unschooled all their lives and following a self-directed learning style has lead the girls into institutions of higher learning that are in keeping with their interests.
Mother writes:

"Because they weren't interested in spreading their professional training over 4 years (with the extra costs involved) they both elected for private colleges, which in BC means no provincial funding --it's possible to get student loans and everything, but public school tuition looks a lot cheaper because it's heavily subsidized for residents. So, they got to pay the big money for a one-year program that didn't insist that they take unrelated subjects.

Daughter #1 had to have a transcript from the school she was registered at (in BC, homeschooled kids must be registered at a school whether or not they attend!!) and to provide an essay about why she wanted to attend. It was the single writing assignment she had for the entire program.
She completed her 1 year fashion design program at Pacific Design Academy, a local, long-standing arts college which teaches graphic design, fashion design, interior design and architectural technology. She is now working in a variety of jobs --at a pub-style restaurant, at a clothing store, as a liquor rep and selling Partylite. She's been offered a job working with a local designer and manufacturer, making costumes for dance and skating, but so far hasn't taken her up on it because it's a nasty long commute. She also does a bit of commission work as a seamstress and some styling/personal shopper stuff.

Daughter #2's school (Western Academy of Photography) wanted a letter from the registering school that said she'd 'completed' her education. So I wrote it for the school, forwarded it to them, they say 'wow, can we use this again?' and signed it and sent it to the school.

Otherwise, what they wanted was a cheque and the application form. Both schools said applicants had to be 19 or highschool grads, but both had application forms that had a place for a parent's signature for under-19s, and nowhere that asked about former schooling at all.

It helps to remember that colleges and universities are businesses, with stable expenses. If the program has room in it, the standards evaporate."

Higher Education without highschool: part 2

Here is a nice story about a family of musical boys who started out living in BC but moved to Washington state.

Parenting councilor and author, Naomi Aldort's kids move into higher education from unschooling. Notice in one case, Aldort and son were able to meet with school representatives and TALK their way in (once you hear these boys play you will understand why any school would want them!!).
Aldort writes:
"Our first born, Yonatan, surprised me one day by phone, when I was away from home, saying he decided to apply to Evergreen State College, Washington.
They required SAT and GED. He did the GED the year before, after a couple of months of study. They waved the SAT once he and I talked
to them, explaining the way he was raised and how much he has been always engaged in the community and has the desire to learn. He was
accepted and is now a very successful senior. His impression the first year was that students try to minimize homework, while he does the opposite, getting deep into it and doing more than being asked.

Our second son, Lennon, went to college through the running start program at age 16. He was bored with it after three semesters. Last year he was accepted to the best Music School in Seattle with double their greatest scholarship. It was still too expensive for us so he didn't go. Now he decided to go to the Music School of the University
of Washington which is a hard one to get into. However he found out that the running start program gave him almost enough credits to be a transfer student.
He was amazed. "That's all one has to know? Why do they take 12 years of children's lives for it?" He is now completing the two missing classes and he can then go to the university if he still wishes to. You can see Lennon playing his own improvisations on piano on his site LennonAldort.com and on youtube.

Oliver, our youngest, is only 16. He has been invited with full scholarship to Colburn School of Music in LA, one of the two best in the county. The scholarship includes room and board. Since it is college level, they required the GED tests or high-school diploma. Oliver was always very removed from any academic interests, being too busy
with his music. He studied for the GED for less than one month did the tests, some in the 93% percentile. The application went in last week and the formal audition is in march. You can watch Oliver on his site OliverAldort.com on cello, and see him also on piano on youtube.

Higher Education without highschool

As promised, the mini series (it could be a long one- depending on how many people contact me with their stories!!) about getting into higher education institutions commences now.
There are different ways to do it:
A basic piece of advice is to approach the targeted college or university or school and find out what the requirements for the program are, then work with admissions.
What does the program request? Do you have something equivalent or better to offer the school? This could include your life experiences, volunteer positions, apprenticeships.
Kate Cayley followed her muse from childhood onward-her love of theatre. Naturally this lead her to study plays, be involved in plays and so on. On the basis of her life experience, a 20-page essay about Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Adonais and letters of reference, she ended up with a full scholarship to University of King's College, Halifax.
Another way to go it is by taking online courses at an open university such as Athabasca University to circumvent traditional barriers. One family has two sons that have followed this path. Both took courses at the University starting at age 15 and 16 (the 15 year old needed a letter of recommendation stating that he could actually do the academic work). Both sons earned credits and then were able to transfer to a 'bricks and mortar' university after the first year. At Athabasca, 10 courses make a full year. Both sons were able to transfer with 7 credits to York and Trent respectively. The sons are planning on going on to law school.
It's a nice way of skipping highschool but it does cost money.
Still, once you've completed that initial part, there is no reason way one shouldn't apply for grants and scholarships as would any other competent student.

moving on climate change

Higher education without highschool

I am starting a series on youth entering higher education without high- school/high-school diplomas. I'll be covering online courses, universities and colleges that accept kids without the diploma, alternatives to the diploma with entry into these institutions based on a portfolio or apprenticeships etc. If you have a story to share, please contact me, Beatrice directly at radiofreeschool.blogspot.com

Uncool Unschoolers

I am really spoiled when it comes to the community of people I live within; mostly open-minded,creative individuals that if they don't understand what i am doing, at least respect what i do (home education, environmentalism etc).

So it is gives me pause when i hear that others have not had this sort of experience, (specifically with un-schooling) and that even amongst unschoolers narrow -mindedness abounds. Why should this surprise me though? Many ideas start out original,radical and cool. People, being people try to limit and gain control over the idea; creating fixed rules and definitions around it and deviation from the boundaries is prohibited.

I remember once when I met a woman at a family event who unschooled. She told me that before she decided if she wanted to associate with another families, she would ask them first if they were unschoolers; if not, she would have nothing to do with them ( She said this confidentially-aware that we were unschooler type). This is too bad for her because she missed the opportunity to meet unconventional people in conventional places.

Now there is a proper way to 'unschool'; it must fit within the prescribed mould or it is not unschooling. Period. And you are not allowed to call yourself or your family unschoolers if you don't fit the mould!

My comeback is "Why care?" Who cares about labels and why are they being used to limit (as schooling does which is why we unschool in the first place) and box- in and define and confine people? If unschooling should mean anything then it should be freedom first.

Your comments and experiences with this are welcome!