So, everyone posting schedules, and I posted mine to show that there is a LOT of variation…there is no right way. In no world does one schedule work for all, and no schedule works better than any schedule at all unless you are engaged in a lot of extracurriculars. Do what works for you! And if no formal schooling during this time is what is working, I want to let you in on a secret. As a college professor who teaches philosophy, writing, and critical thinking to mostly publicly-schooled kids from lower to middle class families, I LIVE for those kids who come to my class from a loose home school or an unschooling situation. Yes, that’s right. Why? Because they are WITHOUT FAIL the best prepared to write a paper, the best prepared to handle college-level material, the best prepared to social interact with me and the other students in a respectful, fair, yet firm manner, they are the best prepared to actually master the material. This is one of those things you don’t generally hear about. But now you have heard it. So unschool a little in all of your uncertainty. Offer books, offer art, offer “living math,” offer even worksheets. If your kids look at all of this and walk away to the toy shelf, or want to go outside instead, or just want to sit next to you and talk, DO THAT! Chill, mamas! It’s ok. This time off from formal education will probably be the best thing for their education that can have happened to them.
As an occupational therapist, I can tell you that science shows that children moving vertically, managing high places, swinging, climbing, rocking, rolling, tumbling, etc. before age 12 increases ability to learn exponentially. In fact, when we have kids who have trouble learning, we find that using movement can solve all but the most challenging issues. I have two children adopted from drug-exposure and trauma, and I use movement and outdoor play as a primary means of “teaching” them. If my son with sensory issues cannot hold still to read a book he REALLY wants to read, I send him outside for an hour. If we never get back to the book, no problem. If we do get back to the book, awesome. He is then able to read it. Before we moved to the country, we had a jungle gym and a swing inside our house. We had roller boards, rocker boards, we encouraged climbing to the ceiling however they could…yes, even on furniture. City kids need movement. We planted a sycamore tree in our front yard and let them have at it. We allowed them to climb all fences, run wild in the street (there were hardly any cars), and whatever else their little systems needed. What I rarely did was force them to sit down and “do school.” Now, my kids have always liked math and reading, so I have not had to do much forcing. They do it on their own. However, I don’t force. So how have my kids with issues turned out? Well, I can only tell by my oldest, who is 13. Born drug exposed, extreme prenatal and infant trauma, attachment disorder, etc., she now is reading Socrates, Aristotle, Herodotus, etc. She is socially appropriate to the point where people ask to have her hang out with their kids. She can write papers better than most of my college students. She dislikes science. No biggie. I got her some duck eggs to incubate, and she hatched them and is raising them. She found a book at the feed store that is a scientific look at embryology and reproduction, from the cellular level to the whole animal. She has read the whole thing front to back…because she LOVES ducks. I didn’t even know she bought the book until I saw her pouring over it as we began the incubation process. Boom. 8th grade Live science learned. Physical science? Not a problem. We took the kids to Gold country and collect rocks, took tours and asked questions about how the gold was created, the types of dirt involved, whether volcanoes were involved, etc.. We bought a book on the science of the gold country. She wasn’t interested. But my son was, and devoured it. So will she ever learn physical science? Who knows? Who cares? Which of you, except for those whose profession is physical science, has less joy and is less of a person for not remembering all that physical science you had to take? And if you want to know something about a particular physical science subject, do you not know where to find the answer quite quickly? Hello Google and the public library!
Ok, so that’s my day 2 soapbox. LOL! So I am offering that there is a spectrum of education, and the college kids I teach are much better off with less formal education, and more opportunity to explore their worlds without adults toning down their passion for imagination and learning to think critically.
And read the Little Prince out loud to them during this time. It’s a great book about adults squashing humanity.
Wherever you settle on the educational spectrum, know that there are those of us who support you no matter what. By “us,” I mean professionals who teach the product of all kinds of educational backgrounds. From the ultra-scheduled to the unschooling feral children building blanket forts and using the kitchen table as a platform to dance on, mamas, you are all doing an incredible job!
And, hey, I am living proof that a limited formal education in favor of going outside to play is successful. I was homeschooled in such an environment, had learning disabilities, was allowed to climb and build and be free, and I succeeded in graduating top of my class with two masters degrees and getting a great job. It wasn’t hard, I didn’t have to jump through hoops or test in strange ways to get there. I just had what it took, and I strongly believe it is because my mom let me learn how to learn instead of telling me what I had to learn. So take a deep breath, and let them play if that’s your inclination!
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