Unschooling

[Manifold_Time]

I had a heated debate last night with some people that insisted the education system is the only way to learn. I vehemently disagree with this. I have taught myself many things on my own, while trying to get by with the constrictive nature of school. The thought of being completely free from school and having the option to learn whatever I want is just too great an offer to pass up. *** Unschooling is often confused with homeschooling. They differ in that homeschooling is basically public school at home. Unschooling involves absolutely no criteria whatsoever. Some questions quickly arose when I toyed with the idea: Will I be able to go into college? Is this legal? How can I convince my parents? Can I get into a profession? What are other options if any? I found this amazing book while searching for articles about unschooling. It even contains a guide to learning about all those subjects they teach you about in school by yourself! http://www.unschooling.com/

[spoon]

Sure, you can probably teach yourself alright in humanities subjects (English, study of society, history, etc) as it's all just writing and reading comprehension, you get that by doing it a lot. It's also pretty easy to tell when you've got something right/wrong in these subjects. But you need a teacher in science/maths. Often you can be getting the right answer the completely wrong way. Or teaching yourself bad techniques that, while ok for high school, will start to introduce annoying errors at higher levels. Even if you just teach yourself at home as much as possible you need to check in with someone who can tell you if you're doing it right/wrong, and suggest improvements. Sure, the (~highschool) education system isn't optimal - but you only have to put up with its bullshit for a small amount of time.

[Moonbeam]

I had a heated debate last night with some people that insisted the education system is the only way to learn. ] [/b] Only if you ever want to get a job and make money. If that doesn't matter to you, go for it. Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic, if you don't care about having things, or are independently wealthy, or have a natural talent that people will pay for, why not? Otherwise, in a few years you may wish you had put in the time and discipline. I know people who have done this. They are amazing experts on many subjects. Unfortunately nobody pays them for their incredible depth of useless knowledge. This time in your life goes by very fast. Not that you can't change your mind later but it will never be as easy as it is now.

[Manifold_Time]

"incredible depth of useless knowledge." Moonbeam, you succeeded in hitting me where it hurts. I'll be sure to remember that life is just about getting a job and dying. kthxbye

[Moonbeam]

I mean useless in the sense that they can't trade it for food or a roof over their head. I admit I didn't look at your links so I don't know exactly what you are planning. Hopefully dying is a long ways off and you may want something to drive or maybe be able to travel some places between now and then. Believe me I'm not saying there isn't any appeal to what you want to do, actually it took me a really long time to figure it out and get thru school, I won't even say how long because it's embarrassing. I just think what looks like the easy way out now may be a lot harder in the long run. I am easy to get going on this subject because of dominant slacker genes that run in my family. (Not saying that you have any of those&#33 A quote from a non-slacker family member: "Money is like oxygen; it doesn't make you happy, but you sure do miss it when it isn't there." I'll read your links now.

[Bosco]

DO NOT DROP OUT MAN, look at my name, i know. You will lose friends, it will be harder to get a good job, DO NOT DROP OUT!

[Universal Mind]

If you drop out of school now, there is no way you won't regret it later in life. The priorities you have down the road will very likely be a great deal different from your priorities now. One thing is guaranteed. Dropping out will affect your level of pride for the rest of your life, even if you become a millionaire CEO. There is no way around it. I can promise you that. A feeling of inadequacy inevitably comes with being a drop out. And although it may not seem like a big deal at all now, people will judge you for it, even when you are an old person. You don't want the assholes you know in the future to be able to hit you with the fact that you never finished school. There is a 100% chance that it will sting like a bitch. Last spring, one of my sister's friends was talking to me about his life and future goals. I had just met him, and I wasn't that interested in what he was saying. Somewhere in the conversation, he mentioned the fact that he had a GED (which Chris Rock calls a "good enough diploma" and gets huge laughs for saying it). I didn't act phased at all by what he said, although I thought it sounded a bit less than anything positive. After he said it, he showed very visible insecurity and defensiveness and said, "That's right. I have a GED." He was obviously ashamed of it. I felt sorry for him because he felt that way. If I had been some stuck up jerk, which the world is overflowing with, I could have torn into him over it. You don't want to have a weak spot like that. That will matter to you a whole lot more when you are an adult, and it will be too late then. Now is your chance to finish high school, and you will never get another one. However, you will have the rest of your life to go to college. That will erase the high school dropout insecurity for the most part, if you graduate, but probably not completely. And getting into college without a high school diploma can be a real bitch. For many people, it is impossible. What if you end up getting somebody pregnant and have to work two minimum wage jobs? College does not fit into that picture. Here's a test run... * Ha ha!!! You suck! You never finished school! Hey everybody, he never finished school! We're better than he is! (whisper whisper whisper whisper) Ha ha ha ha ha!!! * How do you like it? Those assholes are all around you. Don't let them have that power over you.

[The Blue Meanie]

Manifold Time: If you are intelligent, which I believe you are, and disciplined... then YES, you may very well be able to learn more by yourself than you may ever be able to learn in a school. HOWEVER. The REAL purpose of school is not to teach you the actual CONTENT of anything you learn. To be completely blunt, a lot of the stuff you learn in high school, you'll never use again. The REAL purpose of school is to train you. To acclimatise you. To get you used to interacting with other people in a formal social situation. Which is what you will encounter in the tertiary and working worlds. If you withdraw from the world and learn a vast amount of things by yourself... sure, you will know lots of things. but that is not going to help all that much. School gives you experience, not knowledge. Knowledge, you obtain mainly through tertiary and independant studies. Do not quit school. You may learn more by studying on your own, but I guarantee, that you will be sacrificing experience in order to get that. A whole bunch of theoretical knowledge has absolutely no use whatsoever if you do not have the real-world experience to apply it. School, even if it IS shit and even if you don't get along with the majority of people there... goes some way towards giving you that experience.

[Manifold_Time]

I found this incredible school. http://www.tams.unt.edu/index.shtml It's basically early entrance college for sophmore students with an interest in math, science or medicine. I meet all the requirements and I do have a shot at this. If I make it...well, my whole future will be everything I've ever dreamed of. Oh and it'll only cost me about 6,500 per year to attend PLUS I will have accumulated enough college credits to be qualified as a junior by the time I graduate AND I get an "advanced" high school diploma (not sure what that entails). But if I don't make it, that's okay. I decided unschooling would be a bad idea in this society. I'll just stick it out for the next couple of years.

[MSG]

do it

[Neruo]

I think alot of things can be learning outside of school, actually you can learn everything outside of school, and somethings you Have to learn outside of school. However, school is silly. It has silly subjects and goals. However life, as a corporate slave, is silly and has silly goals. School just makes you ready for life in modern day society. I see school more as a test of capability to do random things, then to actually learn something.

[Moonbeam]

Good luck.

[Slight]

School and its people showed me very clearly how I don't want me and my life .. I am glad to have seen that .. if I would have done school on my own, I would probably live the same way, but wouldn't have a year-long-experience as a support for my view.... keep schooling.

[Rav1]

1. When you're young you have to interact with other friends so not to become a freak - this regards to a social behaviour. 2. You also get a certificate at the end. And that's all you can get from the school. Now living in the 21st century we have so incredible access to data that if one really wants to countinue to develop their passions or interests, there is absolutele no hindrance to do it on your own. Of course some certificats are important, we live unfortunately in a materialistic, career-oriented world.