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Practically imperfect in every way. Start with a lot of silliness. Mix in some insecurities and a handful of awkwardness. Add a pound of naivety, innocence, and child-like wonderings. Blend well. Half-bake and top off with a sprinkle of imagination and dollop of dreams. It’s the recipe for me!

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quote of the day

  • "Moral of the story: Do not look at the gap. The gap is the mind-killer. Remember how Wile E. Coyote never fell down until he saw the chasm? It’s just like that." --Taylor "Tei" Lindstrom, Rogue Ink

dumbass quote

  • "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps. And I believe that our education like, such as South Africa, and, the Iraq, everywhere like such as. And I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children."

    --Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen 2007

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  • Jacob: "I need to operate on my frog, but first he needs some amnesia."

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Copyright © 2004-2007 Kerrie Lee. All rights reserved.

Learning with Meaning

July 7, 2007

Rob and I watched the movie “Accepted” last night, and I couldn’t help but notice it had a very unschooling feel to it. One of my favorite scenes is when a former college professor is impersonating the dean of a nonexistant college as he tries to explain his philosophy about our country’s education system to some parents. He explains that kids only go to college for one reason: to get an entry level job paying a good salary. The former professor meant that as a negative thing, but the parents thought it was a worthwhile pursuit. It was the parents perspective that made me understand why so many people don’t understand our approach to homeschooling/unschooling.

My boys don’t read at their “level” yet, but I’m not too concerned. I know they’ll read when they’re ready to read. When the boys were four years old, they got their first real bicycles with training wheels. Our neighbor’s daughter (also four years old) got her bike the same year. The mom had her daughter out on her bike practicing without training wheels every day. Before she turned five, she was zooming around the neighborhood on two wheels. My boys, however, were allowed to learn to ride their bikes when they were ready. It wasn’t until just after their eighth birthday that they decided to ride without the training wheels. Overnight, they were zooming around the neighborhood on two wheels. Today, there is no difference between their skills on a bike and the skills of the girl who learned early.

Many people are hung up on the idea that a good education requires learning a specified list of things within a specified amount of time. We marvel at kids who can name all the state capitals at an early age, and we laugh at adults who can’t name our first President. In eighth grade, I was required to memorize the periodic table. I haven’t once used this information beyond eighth grade. I don’t feel my child’s education should force him to acquire skills that have no use to him beyond becoming a parlor trick or a Jeopardy contestant.

CATEGORY: Homeschool

2 Responses to “Learning with Meaning”

  1. Sonja Says:
    July 11th, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    After reading a couple of John Holt/unschooling books, I have to say that I agree with you. I really started wondering about the point of all of the “education” we get in schools, and I couldn’t find one.

  2. Kerrie Says:
    July 12th, 2007 at 12:13 pm

    I became familiar with John Holt while majoring in education, ironically. Unfortunately, I don’t meet many education majors these days who are familiar with Holt’s writings. I think his work should be required for anyone serious about educating children.

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about this blog

It’s the spark of an idea that hits me unexpectedly. It’s the silly wonderings I have after a whirlwind of thoughts. It’s about creativity, inspiration, and imagination. But sometimes, it’s just about eating noodles.

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