Reply #22: Great Point

[onpatrol98]

You make a number of great points. There are parents that do a miserable job at home schooling if we're using some kind of matrix. But, there are also some college students that I've encountered that were home schooled that knew several languages, had a better grasp of advanced math, and definitely a greater vocabulary. They often played community sports or had some other outlet like music or art, but they were definitely well rounded. A couple had hobbies or interests that weren't even available at our local schools. Their parents made the effort to find a tutor or teacher for that specific interest.

I often wondered what it must've been like to be the "sole" driver of your academic pursuits in high school. Where you're not sharing a teacher's attention with 20 other children with various interests, especially with many who really don't want to be in the classroom.

I have also wondered if our current "group" learning process is part of our educational problem. It works for some children, but clearly not all. If we could offer a much more individualized approach with our children, would that help with drop out rates? What if you could move on to the next level or concept when you were totally comfortable with it. Not when a lesson plan said to move forward or when the rest of the class caught up.

Is it possible that the success some unschoolers and homeschoolers are experiencing is a factor of an individualized learning plan that emphasizes that student's singular learning style ALL THE TIME. I do realize the idea is not to have a plan necessarily for the unschooler unless it's student driven. We've known for years that children learn differently. So, we attempt to train teachers to accommodate for as many different styles as possible in a classroom. But, inevitably someone's style isn't being met at times.

But, for a 17 year old on the verge of dropping out of school because he's in a classroom full of 9th graders, perhaps we should investigate a new model. Would a child remain in school, if he was no longer being compared with other children? If someone was meeting his unique needs every day, all day without the distraction that children at different learning levels can bring.

You've given me a lot to seriously think about. I appreciate your time.