I took a break. Not from #RadiCoolUnschooling because that is like a snowball…once you get into it, it just keeps rolling and getting bigger and bigger…no stopping it. Hmmm…maybe more like an avalanche.
But I did take a break from the blog. To focus on what is truly important. Honesty. Truth. Family. Community.
Yesterday was another of PanKwake’s parties. We have them every month. They are an opportunity for her to socialize where she is most comfortable…@HomeCrazzyHome. This one was Spring/Easter. Lots of fun had by all as usual…
Except for me. In addition to the work and mess which is ALWAYS worth it for PanKwake, my heart was burdened. In the couple of minutes I did have to chat with other parents, all I heard was about curriculum, how far behind their #LittleHuman was, and how many hours every day was taken up with #HomeEd.
Honestly, I thought…the poor kid would be better off in school. They would have more of a break.
But sadly that is all too common among the #HomeEdders I know. This intense pressure to do better than schools. Whether that pressure comes from relatives, the Local Authority, or themselves, the truth is that they sadly miss the point.
Learning is about so much more than reading and maths, folks.
I really love Article 29 (goals of education) from the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)…
Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.
National curriculum, standardized tests, and age specific expectations do anything but that. They destroy creativity, undermine self-esteem, and ultimately extinguish the passion for learning that all humans are born with.
So why then do #HomeEdders want to do that better than schools? Why do we buy into the bullsh^t?
Peer pressure…bullying…same as in the schools. Because most of us were products of that system and are still bound it by it.
I dare to say that most #HomeEd parents know more about those national curriculum, tests, and grade level expectations than they do about the things that the law says we are to… age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have.
And the result is…burnout for parents and cognitive death for #LittleHumans.
But there is another way…a better way…one that fosters a lifelong love of learning, enhances creativity and curiosity, and maximizes the unique in-born talents and abilities of your little human.
Whether you call it unschooling…or self-directed learning/education…or minimally invasive education…or #RadiCoolUnschooling…or whatever is the current, trendy buzzword, it is about one thing…
Learning your child as a #LittleHuman.
Likes…dislikes…talents…challenges…fears…hopes…dreams…passions.
Schooler or home edder, do you know those things about your #LittleHuman?
If you are a product of traditional parenting, schools, religion, and society…do you know them about YOURSELF? Or are you still trying to be what is expected? Normal? Acceptable?
You see that is the core of #RadiCoolUnschooling…unlocking the huge potential in not only your #LittleHuman but yourself…your family…and others around you.
Self-Directed Learning & Neurodiversity 