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Showing posts with label UNSCHOOLING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNSCHOOLING. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Christina Aguilera Praises Unschooler Musician "There's No Teaching What You Do"



Sawyer Fredericks - Source
Eric Blair

Producers of NBC's The Voice present him as a "shy farm boy," but 15-year-old Sawyer Fredericks' unique folk sound may be aided by something else. He is unschooled.

Sawyer's father runs the Facebook page The Unschool Dad described as "A radical unschooling dad of 5 sharing our journey!"

Although the show never mentions this fact, Christina Aquilera, a judge on the show, made a comment following Fredericks' successful performance in the second round of the show that sort of proves the point of unschooling.

After performing a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" as a duet with a fellow contestant, Sawyer received high praise from all the judges with Aguilera telling him "There's no teaching what you do."




Monday, June 3, 2013

Watch "Unveiled And Lifted" in Full Today


Amanda Warren

This beautiful documentary lit a fire in me - like no other - to approach freedom and consciousness in a radical way. Too many of the "awakened" walk around with broken spirits. Sometimes we forget that true freedom comes from the highest love from within - otherwise, what purpose do our actions serve? Are we going about resistance the hard way? Fighting coercion the way puppet masters intended ... What we resist, persists ... but what if we each took our personal power back in our tiny corner of the world, realized our precious worth and it burst forth in a cascade effect that never ended?

 

Unveiled and Lifted, is a new type of documentary experience from Lifting the Veil with Cari-Lee and Justin. It fuses music, art and substance to first show an engaging assessment of current problems and confusion, and then big pro-active alleviation - all of which resonate with the viewer. It is power based, versus fear based. It can alter inner blocks and remove false illusions.  First it unveils, then it lifts...

Saturday, October 20, 2012

5 Ways to Improve the Public School Experience with Unschooling Techniques



Bohemian Mom

As an unschooling parent, I often struggle with the thoughts of what happens to all the other children that are still in the public school system. While we believe very strongly in the benefits of having our children at home and following an unschooling lifestyle, I know that it is simply not possible for everyone. What can be done to help those children?

How can we care so much about our children while knowingly walking away from the other kids that are stuck in what I feel is a completely inefficient model for gaining knowledge?

We can’t completely ignore these challenges. While I am not there in the U.S. to personally advocate changes, I can offer up some tips to help bring some homeschooling philosophies of learning into the classroom.  It will require an open mind and a willingness to try something new, but I believe these ideas could revolutionize the way our public education system functions.

It will seem idealistic to some, but isn’t that what we need? Our children deserve new ideas to help guide them into the quickly changing future. Our public school systems are deeply rooted in an archaic mindset and it is vital to change sooner rather than later. 

I started to think of what an ideal school setting would look like to me, as an unschooler. If we look at the ways in which home educators teach, there are many components that can be introduced on a larger scale and used in schools now! In my opinion, these things could make our children successful on a whole new level. Happiness, confidence, and seeking out their own passions can take precedence even on a large scale.


The following ideas are how I think that can be achieved.

Change the way we view educating children
The secret of education is respecting the pupil. - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

First and foremost, we need to begin by looking at all children as individuals, and make sure that they know it is okay to be exactly who they are. Acceptance by others is one of the easiest ways we can instill a positive sense of self esteem.  One of our biggest problems with a mass education system is that children are judged on one path and one centrally-dictated curriculum. They are also constantly compared to peers and encouraged to do things no matter what their own ideas of happiness or success are. 

Throw away the list of arbitrary rules that make children feel mistrusted right out of the gate. Children need to feel like they are being guided, not controlled. Allow them the freedom to make choices individually about what they would like to do for at least part of the day, and then respect and encourage those choices.  By showing children respect, we will gain it too -- as well as boosting their self esteem and allowing them to pursue subjects of their passion.  This can be done by simply allowing them choice and encouragement!  This concept is already proving successful by some Montessori schools.

So many children dislike school yet they spend a huge percentage of their lives within those walls. By treating children as equals rather than subordinates that need to be controlled, it's my opinion that they will enjoy their childhood and find excitement in learning.

Apprenticeships
Most people learn best by doing! As soon as kids are 12 or so, I think it would be a great idea to offer different internships in the fields that cannot be covered in the classroom. Get children out in the community learning from everyone around them. Let children follow their passion and see how far they can take it.

Very little about being confined in school resembles the "real world". Why not get children out in it as soon as possible? Mechanics, plumbers, electricians, contractors, computer programmers, and even artists are all people that have a wealth of knowledge to offer, yet it seems as though what they do or what they have to offer counts for very little. 

Many high schools in Northern Europe use apprenticeships as part of their standard curriculum.  Most students graduate and can go right into a career already trained.  While others may only need another year or two of university to build on their specialty.  The whole system is less costly and more effective toward educating young people for the profession they desire.

Accept that learning takes place all the time and in many ways
Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind. Therefore, do not use compulsion, but let early education be rather a sort of amusement, this will better enable you to find out the natural bent of the child. - Plato

Whatever a child shows interest in is important, period.  Let their creativity shine through in what ever way speaks to them. Offer as many possibilities in a day as possible, but never force anyone to partake. No real passion is born out of coercion. Passion is something we should be building up in children; that is how we will end up with happy adults that follow their dreams. Show them the possibilities in the world, not just the path that most take.

The hardest part is for adults (especially teachers and parents) to let go of what we have been taught is important.  Useless facts, memorized dates, etc. are all wonderful if pertinent to your life, but when it is not, it very rarely stays with us.  We need to show our kids that what they love has value, whether that is playing video games, learning about animals, or reading Shakespeare.  It all holds value and they are learning all the time.

Disclaimer:  Even most unschoolers feel that reading and basic math are important, as they are the basic tools that help us learn on our own.  However, even these can be taught in creative ways that tickle the passions of the student.  For instance, math concepts can be taught by playing card games or calculating outcomes of reward systems; and reading can be taught using only material the student wants to learn about.

Open up the system for competition
Class size is perhaps the biggest challenge to implementing some of the other changes suggested here.  Of course, homeschoolers are usually in a one-on-one situation, which is obviously not achievable in public education. However, nearly everyone in education would agree that smaller class sizes are more beneficial to the students.  The question becomes how best to achieve this goal?

For years the debate has been about money.  Special interests on all sides say that more money is needed to achieve this goal.  Yet, America already spends far more per student than any other developed nation -- with rather unimpressive results I might add.

The U.S. government currently spends over $10K per year to educate each student. Sure, more money might be helpful to achieve this goal if spent properly. However, trusting that will happen with all of the special interests and bureaucracies seeking their cut is highly unlikely.


In my opinion, the only way to reduce class sizes in public schools is to open them to competition.  In other words, open public funding to private schools to compete with public schools.  Drop the centrally-dictated curriculum or board-certified teachers' requirements for these private schools to receive funds and let the free market determine who's most effective at educating our children.

Naturally, parents want the best for their children and will choose a school that gains a reputation for success, however it is defined by the parent.  Whether the school is geared toward apprenticeships, learning foreign languages, the arts, meditation, or sports shouldn't matter in regards to how funds are distributed.  Again, it's more about choice.

We don't need to look any further than Canada to find an example of how this could work.  In Calgary, students can choose between public schools, Montessori, Catholic schools, and a host of other private schools.  Each of these schools receives funding per student as if they're a public school. However, each is still strictly regulated by curriculum and teacher certifications.  I say shave those regulations back even further and let parents decide what's important in a school.

Utilize technology 
If the schooling system does not rapidly close the gap between what it does, and what it should do in response to the demands of the 21st century, it will simply become irrelevant. - David Hood 

I know that many schools and individual teachers are starting to see the importance of this, but I think it needs to be happening at an even faster pace. The world is so much different decade to decade; we need to help keep our children on track.  I would argue that teaching and utilizing technology effectively in education may be one of the most important things to helping prepare our children.

So many jobs that are now supporting families did not even exist five years ago.  Personally, our family's travel lifestyle is only possible because of the Internet and this technology.  Keeping that knowledge from children, or making them feel that it is a less valuable way to spend their time seems completely outrageous to me.  They need to learn it in order to be able to make educated choices about their own future.

Tablets like iPads are just the latest gadgets that parents are told can be damaging to our children, but I wholeheartedly disagree.  Young boys and girls need to know how to function on these tablets in order to open up all possibilities to them in the future.  It's far more beneficial than spending countless hours practicing penmanship which still goes on in schools.  Besides the operation knowledge of this technology, the educational applications are endless -- the Kindle app alone holds thousands of backpacks worth of books.

Finally, with these handheld devices, students literally have access to all of the world's knowledge in the palm of their hand.  The ramifications of that ability on our current brick-and-mortar educational paradigm are almost too many to list.  I do not expect that my unschooled kids spend the entire day on the Internet, but allowing children to play games and learn in unconventional ways online will allow them to discover technology first hand and learn how to harness it.

In the next installment, I will offer 5 additional ideas about what can remove from the outright destructive aspects of public school, so that our children can learn in a healthier, safer environment. 

This article first appeared on Bohemian Travelers family travel blog.

You can support this information by voting on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/smr8m/5_ways_to_improve_the_public_school_experience/

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Friday, October 19, 2012

8 Reasons to Say NO to College


Bohemian Mom

You may already be wondering, “what parent in their right mind would not want their kids to go to college?” I half expect the Child Protective Services to beat down my door just for writing this. It was not that long ago that I myself would have shunned this article, and concluded that its author is an unfit parent.  But a measured look at the reasons why college may not be the best choice reveals another side of the story that most parents aren't usually exposed to.

I must state upfront that if our children desire a profession that requires college, of course we will encourage and support them to follow their dreams. However, they will definitely know the consequences versus the benefits.

First, let's examine the traditional path that was ingrained in all of us.

Do your homework. Get good grades. Go to a good college. Get a job. Work for 45-plus years to pay off all debts. Save for your kid's college and your retirement. Play by the rules. Success will be yours.

Sound familiar?

We've all heard this mantra from family, teachers, employers and the TV, as if it's the only path society provides for success. For many, as the economy worsens this myth gets echoed even more loudly. "We need more education to compete in a weaker job market," society says. But is it really true given the current economic situation?

I understand that for some people college will be a necessary step in pursuing their dreams. For instance, those who want to become certified doctors in the US must study at an American Medical Association approved university.

But first they should ask themselves "why" they want to be a doctor.

Is it to help people? To make a nice income? Is it for prestige among family and peers? Then, it may be wise to ponder if becoming a doctor is the best way to accomplish those goals. Certainly there must be other ways to help people, make good money, and gain respect from loved ones without accruing a quarter-million dollar debt before working life begins, right?

Either way, college may be necessary for some to achieve their dreams. But let’s be sure our children know that there are other paths, other innovative ways to attain their goals, and certainly other ways to spend 4-8 of the best years of their lives.

Here are eight reasons why college will not be encouraged in our household:
College is just not what it used to be
Wiki image
1. It is Obsolete
Why does a nursing student need four more years of English Lit or Algebra? Likewise, why would a business major have any need for Anatomy and Physiology? I know, I know, back to that whole college-is-teaching-kids-to-think argument. Or maybe the “well-rounded” school of thought? I don’t buy it. After 13 years of schooling prior to college, most subjects outside of a degree's focus seem to be a waste of time and money.

Additionally, the world is changing at lightening-fast speed, but the education system is still moving at a snail's pace. At the exponential rate of change in science and technology, by the time someone graduates from 4-6 years of college what they were forced to learn the first couple of years is most likely obsolete, requiring even more schooling.  What a racket!

What's more, with a smartphone and Internet, all of the world's knowledge is literally in the palm of our hand.  Incidentally, advanced knowledge is not confined to the brick-and-mortar walls of universities anymore.

2. Horrible Job Market
In this poor economic climate where America's job market has entered a prolonged drought, college graduates are no longer guaranteed a job.  In fact, only 53% of recent college graduates in the U.S. have full-time employment.  And even global youth unemployment has been labeled a "crisis".

According to the New York Times analysis of recent unemployment numbers:
Employment rates for new college graduates have fallen sharply in the last two years, as have starting salaries for those who can find work. What’s more, only half of the jobs landed by these new graduates even require a college degree, reviving debates about whether higher education is 'worth it' after all.
So, the myth that kids must attend college to get a job is proven false.  Kids today need more than the standard education to stand out in a crowded field of cookie-cutter graduates.
3. Prohibitive Cost
The cost of going to college versus the benefits make it a terrible investment.  Entrepreneur James Altucher breaks down the numbers quite accurately:
The average tuition cost is approximately $16,000 per year. Plus assume another $10,000 in living costs, books, etc. $26,000 in total for a complete cost of $104,000 in a 4 year period. Some people choose to go more expensive by going to a private college and some people choose to go a little cheaper by going public but this is an average. Also, a huge assumption is that its just for a 4 year period. According to the Department of Education, only 54% of undergraduates graduate within 6 years. So for the 46% that don’t graduate, or take 10 years to graduate, this is a horrible investment. But lets assume your children are in the brilliant first half who finish within six years (and hopefully within four). 
Is it worth it? First, let’s look at it completely from a monetary perspective. Over the course of a lifetime, according to CollegeBoard, a college graduate can be expected to earn $800,000 more than his counterpart that didn’t go to college. $800,000 is a big spread and it could potentially separate the haves from the have-nots. But who has and who doesn’t? 
If I took that $104,000 and I chose to invest it in a savings account that had interest income of 5% per year I’d end up with an extra $1.4 million dollars over a 50 year period. A full $600,000 more. That $600,000 is a lot of extra money an 18 year old could look forward to in her retirement. I also think the $800,000 quoted above is too high. Right now most motivated kids who have the interest and resources to go to college think it’s the only way to go if they want a good job. If those same kids decided to not go to college my guess is they would quickly close the gap on that $800,000 spread.
There is not much more to say.  It's is a bad investment for parents, and student loans seem financially irresponsible as a burden to place on our children before they start their professional life.
NPR/Getty image
4. Debt Serfdom
As the cost of living continues to outpace pay increases, it's difficult enough just to survive week to week, let alone get ahead financially.  When young people begin their adult lives saddled with hundreds of thousands of debt, it almost ensures that they will be locked into a lifetime of debt serfdom.  In other words, they'll be trapped into working whatever job they can find just to pay this obligation irregardless of their passions. Add on the pressure and manufactured prestige of "owning" a home, having a nice car, starting a family or dressing a certain way, and you have all the makings of wasting a life trying to pay for these things. I'm not sure this was part of the original American Dream, but, sadly, it is indisputably what it has become.  Surely, there are more fulfilling ways to spend our limited time on this planet than running on the same hamster wheel our entire lives.

5. Knowledge is Free
It's important to highlight the difference between school and knowledge. These things do not go hand in hand. Many people go to college and never achieve any useful knowledge, while many people who never attend school are some of the wisest and most successful people in the world.

In the 1700s, knowledge was limited to those with the resources to buy books, or those who could afford to send their kids to school (most stayed home to work the family trade).  Ben Franklin understood that in order to have a level playing field in society, everyone must have access to knowledge.  So he founded the first public library in America (which later became the University of Pennsylvania).  Now that the Internet acts as a global open-source library and is giving away knowledge, everyone has the ability to learn about what they're most interested in for free.

No need to waste money just to get a piece of paper saying you “officially have gained knowledge”. What is the goal; the piece of paper, or the actual knowledge?  If it is the knowledge, as I hope it should be, then college is not the most efficient way to reach that goal anymore.
6. Wasted Youth
To all those who said they had the time of their life in college, I ask, "Couldn't you get drunk and flirt with the opposite sex without college?" We likely had the time of our lives because we were young, healthy, carefree and it was the first time we were out of our parents' control.  College just happened to be the place where we lived this experience.  But it's a tall price to pay, since all of those factors don't change in the absence of college.

Furthermore, how many of you went to college purely out of obligation? My parents never gave me the option, even though, in retrospect, I wasn't mature enough to appreciate my overpriced education. So, I dropped (flunked) out. It wasn't until later in life when I knew what I wanted to be, that I began to appreciate school.  Then, I got straight A's in route to becoming a Registered Nurse.

In these most amazing years of life, transitioning from child to adult, imagine what could be experienced or achieved when you're not locked in a dorm out of obligation (See the countless alternatives to college in my final point).  Finally, college will always be there for your kids no matter when and if they decide to go.

7. Limited Life Choices
Many people that we meet say they're envious of our permanent travel lifestyle, but they feel too trapped by financial obligations to attempt an alternative lifestyle.  This is the result of the debt serfdom cycle explained earlier that begins with student loans. Because of the debts incurred while at college, and a host of other reasons, many young adults end up limiting their options in life. We are usually told the opposite, but once a student commits to a certain major they may feel obligated to only pursue that career even if it falls out of favor with them.  Most kids usually don't know what they want at 18 years old.

Life should be a collection of experiences, not a collection of shiny trinkets that mean nothing on our deathbeds.  If we seek a life outside of the proverbial box -- a life of travel, of passion, of adventure, of independence -- then societal pressures and college debt become a prison that locks us into a narrow range of experiences. Once we step out of the box and realize this, the floodgates of alternatives to the "normal" path open wide.

8. Countless Alternatives
This is the other side of the story that parents aren't supposed to see, or even contemplate for their kids.  First, it begins with wanting something for your child that's far more important than societal success -- happiness!  This can only be achieved if we allow our children to live their passions.  After all, this life is theirs for the making, and we view our job as a guide to help them follow their own path, not to dictate some societal fantasy.
Wiki image
Even our parents are still bitter that we gave up on the traditional definition of success to pursue an alternative lifestyle of homeschooling and extensive adventuring.  Our happiness seems to take a backseat in their mind compared to the anguish they feel about missing their grandkids, and our rejection of the dreams they had for us.  Although this has been somewhat painful, we're grateful to them for helping shape what we believe is important for our children.

So what alternatives are available instead of going to college?  First, they can take online courses through OpenCourseware or iTunes if they want to accrue college credits.  They can learn a skill by becoming an apprentice.  They can volunteer for a charity or even a big company to learn about how those organizations work.  They can travel by picking up odd jobs along the way (or obtaining ESL certificate to teach English abroad).  They can start a business, a nonprofit organization, or monetize a blog.  They can find a mentor or become a self-taught expert in whatever field that moves them.  They can create something beautiful; art, music, handmade crafts, write a book, or build something.  This list is endless, and they will gain great knowledge with each of these examples and more.

Finally, they can just get a part-time job and enjoy their carefree youth until they discover their passion. We must stop assuming that a "lack of direction" equals failure.  It doesn't; not if they're happy.  We get one go around in this life and it shouldn't be wasted doing something that others expect us to do.

At this point, our boys learn what interests them and is pertinent to their lives. We all learn better when we're inspired.  And we have great confidence in this approach to prepare them for life.  The universe has a funny way of giving people what they desire.  Sadly, most people are too busy complaining about their situation to even define what they want.

In conclusion, we teach our boys that they should do what they love. That happiness is far more important than any status symbol or paycheck, no matter what anyone thinks. No dream is too big to achieve. The college-job path is only one way to achieve certain goals among a host of other perhaps more rewarding experiences.

We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, and criticisms.  Please leave comments below and we will answer them.

This article first appeared on Bohemian Travelers family travel blog.

You can support this article by voting on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/q82yl/8_reasons_to_say_no_to_college/

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Ultimate History Lesson


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Sunday, September 16, 2012

'Unschooling': Home learning the future of US education?

Youtube - RT


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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

5 Books Homeschool Parents Must Read



Bohemian Mom
Activist Post

Making the decision to homeschool is not an easy one. Societal pressure, family interrogations, and our own insecurities and fears are things we have to wrestle with on a regular basis. 

Having a good support system is vital, whether it is local homeschooling groups, your spouse, or simply some good friends to listen to you and encourage you. 

But another important component to starting the journey or just battling through some of the tougher times along the way, is to have a good arsenal of books that you can read and continue to refer to.

These books brilliantly shape the philosophy of homeschooling and offer creative alternative ideas that are essential knowledge for all parents.  I've found the books on the list below to be invaluable for my homeschooling experience. 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

College is a waste of time

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CNN Editor's note: Dale J. Stephens is a 19-year-old entrepreneur leading UnCollege, a social movement supporting self-directed higher education and building RadMatter, a platform to demonstrate talent. He is among the first recipients of the Thiel Fellowship, an initiative by venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel that gives 20 entrepreneurs under 20 years old $100,000 to fund their projects.

UnCollege.org
Dale Stephens
CNN

I have been awarded a golden ticket to the heart of Silicon Valley: the Thiel Fellowship. The catch? For two years, I cannot be enrolled as a full-time student at an academic institution. For me, that's not an issue; I believe higher education is broken.

I left college two months ago because it rewards conformity rather than independence, competition rather than collaboration, regurgitation rather than learning and theory rather than application. Our creativity, innovation and curiosity are schooled out of us.

Failure is punished instead of seen as a learning opportunity. We think of college as a stepping-stone to success rather than a means to gain knowledge. College fails to empower us with the skills necessary to become productive members of today's global entrepreneurial economy.

College is expensive. The College Board Policy Center found that the cost of public university tuition is about 3.6 times higher today than it was 30 years ago, adjusted for inflation. In the book "Academically Adrift," sociology professors Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa say that 36% of college graduates showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning or writing after four years of college. Student loan debt in the United States, unforgivable in the case of bankruptcy, outpaced credit card debt in 2010 and will top $1 trillion in 2011.

Read Full Article

RELATED ARTICLES:
4 Reasons to Change the Way We View Education

A Journey to Unschooling




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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Ron Paul: Department of Education wants to 'indoctrinate' children

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Andy Barr
Politico

DES MOINES, Iowa — Ron Paul warned a group of home schooling advocates on Wednesday that officials at the Department of Education are trying to “indoctrinate” their children.

“They don’t educate our kids, they indoctrinate our kids,” the Texas congressman said of federal education efforts. “It’s a propaganda machine.”

Paul, who's considering a second White House bid in as many cycles, cast the many home schoolers in the crowd as something akin to a merry band of rebels against federal overreach. “What I’ve seen from you is an effort to counteract the propaganda machine."

Paul said the concerns expressed about children who are home schooled have been overblown and contended that the kids who really have a problem are those who grow up in the public system.

Read Full Article

RELATED ARTICLES:
4 Reasons to Change the Way We View Education
A Journey to Unschooling



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Monday, December 6, 2010

No teachers, no homework: Students set own agenda at private school in Davie

photo: Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel
Georgia East 
Sun Sentinel 

DAVIE — It's about 11 a.m. in the small, sun-drenched building, and 4-year-old Leila Ekendiz has an idea.

It's her classmate Ian's 8th birthday so she wants to make him a birthday card. About five other kids follow her into a room with a closet full of crayons, paper and stickers.

When they finish, some of the kids wander over to the computers while others head for the garden or to the refrigerator. At the Sunset Sudbury School, a new private school in Davie, the 11 students, ages 4 to 9, set their own agendas. Chalkboards, lesson plans and tests simply don't exist.


"In traditional schools there are so many students that kids are not allowed to talk to each other during their school day,'' said staffer Idelma Quintana, whose son attends the school. "Our kids here are learning how to get along with other kids and negotiate conflict.''

As public schools adopt tougher standards and emphasize standardized tests, alternative schools have become more popular.

"The regular public school system and even some private schools tend to operate under the paradigm that kids are lazy and need to be forced to learn,'' said Jerry Mintz, director of the New York-based Alternative Education Resource Organization. "We take a diametrically different approach that starts with the assumption that kids are natural learners.''

Mintz said in the past two decades, the number of home-schoolers nationwide has grown from about 20,000 to about 2 million. He said there are about 12,000 alternative schools, including charter and public alternatives and Montessoris.

Of those, about 200 are "democratic schools," in which students play a big role in decision-making, he said. 

Read Full Article 

RELATED ARTICLES:
4 Reasons to Change The Way We View Education
A Journey to Unschooling




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