Almost everyone I know hated 2016. It was the year that equally ticked off the populace. When the New Year’s Ball dropped, America collectively sighed with relief; we were ready for a new beginning. Resolutions in hand, January 1st arrived… and not a damn thing is changing. Sure, the New Year’s placebo effect hasn’t completely […]
unschooling
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
Unschooling: When There is No End to the School Year
This time of year is filled with so many conflicting feelings for teachers. Â I remember my time in the classroom as I faced June: elation, anxiousness, constant review of what needed to get done, finalizing grades and projects, planning for next year, thinking about the summer… Â The end of the school year is a huge […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Different Ways of Educating
I was told by a high school counselor not too long ago that if a student couldn’t function in a typical high school setting, he would not be able to function in life. Her take on it was that a typical high school is a true population sampling of what types of people ‘real life’ […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Middle School, Opinion, Parents
No End to the School Year for an Unschooling Child
The end of the school year — a time of celebration for students and teachers alike! For my son and I, it is a little different this year. This last year was his first school year as an unschooled kid. It has been quite a journey for us, and as I reflect on what we’ve […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, How to Fix Education, Parents, Uncategorized
"But I WANT to Learn, Mom." An Unschooling Adventure Continues, Pt.2
I wrote previously about the introduction my 10-year-old son and I have had to unschooling this year. The first half of the school year was punctuated mostly by my own insecurities. I admit it, I’m mostly a traditional-style teacher, and fully believe in a free, universal education for all children. So it has been a […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
A Year Without School, Measured in… Fun!
Thanksgiving has just passed, and I’m thinking about my son’s school year so far. Around this time in traditional schools there are parent teacher conferences, 1st quarter report cards have gone out, and the choppy month before winter break begins (where it feels sometimes like there are more breaks than school days). But this year, […]