Homeschooling Uncategorically

Homeschoolers often divide themselves into categories by making people sign statements of faith or affirm other qualifiers before they can join certain groups, and this self-selection makes some sense for groups that want to maintain uniformity among their ranks. However, researchers also love to categorize homeschoolers. One of the first distinctions I encountered in 1981 was “secular” versus “religious” homeschoolers, but these labels do not begin to cover the range of people and reasons for homeschoolers. Dr. Paula Rothermel, a British researcher who also homeschooled her children, has a brilliant paper in the latest issue of The Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning that examines the use of these labels and “how viewing home educators as ‘types’ is useful only to those local authorities aiming to integrate children into school.”

I couldn’t agree more with Rothermel; after all, when homeschoolers are divided into just two camps, such as ideologues and pedagogues as one researcher did, how do you identify yourself? Isn’t any believer in compulsory education a type of ideologue as well as a pedagogue? Then you get even more types of homeschoolers as researchers try to fit us into other neat little boxes of needs and motivations:

Rebels

Competitors

Compensators

Earth-based

Heaven-based

Natural

Social

Last resort

The reality of the situation, as I’ve encountered it in my own family and with the thousands of families I’ve met and worked with over the years, is that all these labels can fit any homeschooler at a particular time. Rothermel suggests that instead of using categories that researchers use strata to define homeschoolers: “ . . . first, as a superficially homogenous group, second, as diverse groups, third, as families, and fourth, as individuals. This stratum approach provides insight into the increasing numbers of families who are choosing to home-educate and their growing appearance as a movement. Further, it allows for the way families adapt, both over time and concurrently, as they learn, produce more children and tailor their different approaches to different children within the family.”

Families adapt their homeschooling practices over time to adjust to all sorts of new inputs and variables; this is borne-out by Rothermel’s research of 100 home educators in the United Kingdom. She found this group to be “ . . . fluid and transient at all levels of process. Families begin home education for a reason that very quickly changes, even that initial rationale is likely to be a response to many unconnected and innocuous events; they continually alter their approach according to the philosophical and physical changes within the family, the changing needs of the children, and the changing ages of the children. Physical changes can relate to changes in family size, divorce, changes in partners, partner gender, location and parental age. Schools do not have to continually adapt to the level of change that is integral to the home educator and his family. Home education is an unavoidably dynamic process, unique in UK education. A school teaches the same curriculum day after day, regardless of the families whose children they enroll.”

Another great reason to read the latest issue of JUAL are the articles about the inappropriateness of comparing A.S. Neill to Rousseau (it brought back memories of an article I wrote about the inappropriateness of comparing John Holt to Rousseau), and Canadian research on how students view their success in school and what factors keep them engaged or hinder their success in high school.

Home Education Unites People Around the World

There are two homeschooling events of particular interest to those who speak or are Spanish. One is a scholarly conference to be held in Navarro, Spain on November 25–26, 2011. There is an English version of the site available, too; look for the link on the menu on the left side of your screen.

The National and International Conference on Family Education Homeschooling

The fact that Spain is hosting such a conference while at the same the country is debating whether homeschooling should be permitted is very interesting to me. I look forward to hearing how this event turns out.

The other event is a continuation of the International Home Education conference I addressed in Bogotá, Colombia in 2009. Educación sin Escuela features families as well as academics who reflect on their learning without schooling, as well as learning with flexischooling.

Educación Sin Escuela

Flexischooling is a word invented by Roland Meighan, whose work on behalf of autodidacts everywhere deserves wider recognition. Roland has for many years published The Journal of Personalised Education Now and the latest issue, No. 14, is fascinating. It is a special edition about Edmond Holmes, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, who wrote several books after he retired, including What Is And What Might Be (London: Constable, 1911). Holmes is a deep critic of standardized curriculum, testing, and emphasizing the role of the teacher over the role of student in the educational process. This is from the article by Michael Foot that opens the issue:

According to Holmes, teachers need to realize that it is not they but the children who “play the leading part in the drama of learning.” Teachers need “to help them to develop all their expansive instincts, so that their growth may be many-sided and therefore as healthy and harmonious as possible.” And that healthy and harmonious growth will be its own reward, thus rendering unnecessary “the false and demoralizing stimulus of external rewards and punishment.”

Not only does Holmes sound like a precursor to John Holt, in this quote, also from What Is And What Might Be, he almost sounds exactly like Holt:

In nine schools out of ten, on nine days out of ten, in nine lessons out of ten, the teacher is engaged in laying thin films of information on the surface of the child’s mind, and then, after a brief interval, he is skimming these off in order to satisfy himself that they have been duly laid.

It is always refreshing to me to find like-minded people from other cultures, times, and societies who not only question conventional education but who also do something about it. Though homeschooling does not have well-paid lobbyists, consultants, research programs, and business interests to support it as conventional education does, we do have people-power. Right now, in the United States, there are more children being taught at home (2 million plus) than there are in publicly funded charter schools (1.4 million), which have had far more money, publicity, and institutional support than homeschooling has over the years. Homeschooling is gaining adherents around the world, primarily through word-of-mouth and example; compulsory schooling needs laws, officers, special buildings, television shows, advertisements, and all sorts of social enticements to gain and keep adherents. Somewhere between the words of Edmond Holmes (and others like him) and the actions of home educators around the world, a new form of education is being created around the entrenched institution of conventional schooling.

Unschooling in the News

While homeschooling generates a lot of media stories, there is definitely an increase in the number of stories devoted to unschooling in recent time. Here are a couple you might want to know about.

1) National Public Radio did a feature on unschooling, written by a 16 year old. It begins:

I didn't have a reason to read until I was 10, so I didn't. Eventually, when I did learn, it wasn't because of a book, test, a teacher — or even because I was embarrassed I didn't know how. I learned to read because of a card game I wanted to play called Magic the Gathering.

In order to play this new and exciting game, I had to be able to read about the different characters on the cards. I'm 16 now and I learn what I want to learn, when I want to learn it, and not always in the conventional ways.

You can read or listen to Sam Fuller’s complete segment on NPR's site.

2) Dr. Carlo Ricci, publisher of the Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Studies, is interviewed on Canadian television. The interviewer asks many of the usual questions that both homeschoolers and unschoolers typcially get ("What about socialization? What about getting into a well-known college?") and Dr. Ricci responds to these inquiries with clear, authoritative responses.

Leaving Sweden in Order to Homeschool Their Children

The situation in Sweden is a stark reminder to homeschoolers everywhere about the power of the state and professional organizations to stamp out family-based teaching and learning situations with the justification that only Big Schooling can provide all children with a proper education.

According to this logic, professionally licensed and operated education is a right that should not be denied children; apparently it is also a right unlike other rights, since children MUST exercise it in one way: to attend school. Unlike the right to voting or free speech, which you can choose to use or not use based on your personal needs and opinions, this right does not allow children or families any right to refuse it.

The fact that meaningful teaching and learning take place outside of school for children and adults every day, and has been this way well before compulsory schools were invented about 150 years ago, is ignored by Big Schooling proponents who feel that family life must conform to Big Shooling's demands. Flexischooling and other blends of school and family life, as well as learning how people can learn and do things totally on their own, are totally wiped-out and ignored with this brutish approach to standardized education. Most importantly, as Jenny and her son make clear in their comments, choosing to learn at home is not necessarily a rejection of school; it can also be a desire for more connection and deeper relationships with family and community, human needs that are often not met for all people in school systems.

Jenny Lantz, a Swedish homeschooler I've been in touch with during the Swedish government's persecution of homeschooling, has written this report about how her family, and others in Sweden, are becoming expatriates in order to continue living and learning with their children. The Swedish media outlet Rapport ran a story about this and Jenny and her friend, Mary Jack, have translated the video and news report into English; the original Swedish versions appear in the link to Rapport.

22 May 2011 Rapport

The new school law which comes into effect this summer means that it will be nearly impossible to [obtain permission to] homeschool. Several families are against the changes [in the law] and are now leaving Sweden.

Rapport has met with the Lantz family who are now house hunting on Åland in order to be able to continue homeschooling.

• "We wish to be together. We like to have the children with us and the children likes to be at home. Both they and we have an incredible freedom in such a lifestyle," says Jenny Lantz.

Children's Right

But the Minister of Education offers no hope for change.

• "I think this is unfortunate. I believe that all children in Sweden have the right to go to school and it is the child that has this right. Parents should not be able to deny their children this right," says Jan Björklund.

He receives a reprise from Nicklas Lantz.

• The Lantz family consists of two adults and three children. Nicklas and Jenny have their own business and Nicklas works part time as a plumber, professions that they could take with them to Åland where they now live in a camper while awaiting their own house.

• "I like to be able to be with my family all the time. I feel happier that way, having friends and close family," says their son Lukas.

Limited

Approximately 100 children are homeschooled in Sweden, but as of autumn 2011 only parents of severly ill children will receive permission to (continue to) homeschool.

• "In the upper grades (grade 7-9) we have sixteen different subjects. Many highly trained teachers with expertise in the various subjects are required to educate a student in the higher grades. There is no chance that parents can completely replace this teaching," says Minister of Education Jan Björklund.
• "Should we find that we cannot teach ourselves the subject, or lack the time or the opportunity to do so, we can find someone who is knowledgeable and can help the kids," says Jenny Lantz.

So far, three Swedish families have settled on Åland because they wish to homeschool. And they are not alone.

• "More (of us) will leave Sweden. We know of families who are planning to move here, and we know of families who are planning to move to England, the US and Canada," says Jenny Lantz.

On Åland, the requirement is learning, not school.

• Families meet regularly with the school personnel in order to ensure that the children are learning, and through testing the children can earn the right to higher education.

 "It´s not about us being angry with school, or school being poor. That´s not the reason for us to homeschool. It´s a form of education that suits us. We enjoy being close to the children," says Jenny Lantz.

Homeschoolers and Radical Unschoolers Making News—in a Good Way

One of the great pleasures I've had while traveling and speaking recently has been reconnecting with some old friends. I had a great time in Chicago at the InHome Conference, where I spent time with David Albert. Besides the usual interesting insights into homeschooling that David shares, he also described his work with the group Friendly Water for the World. They note:

Right now 900 million people around the world drink, cook, and wash in untreated water full of harmful viruses, bacteria, worms, and parasites.  

* 3.5 million people die of water-related diseases every year.

* A child dies of a waterborne disease every 20 seconds.

* In the past decade, more people have died of water-related causes than from all wars combined.

This group is not just about providing clean water, but about teaching people how to build, and train others how to build, eco-friendly, low-cost biosand water filters. This filter, currently in use in India, Kenya, Burundi, and Mexico, removes 99% of bacteria and viruses, as well as metals, from contaminated water.

David notes that despite lots of development aid, fresh water and proper sanitation are often overlooked. For instance, David says the schools built by Greg Mortenson's group in Afghanistan do not have clean water for washing hands nor do they have sanitary toilet facilities. Rather than wait for a major water pipeline and purification facility, these biosand water filters are built with common, low-cost household technology and can be put into use very quickly. A training session will be held on July 2 - 6, 2011 at Olympia Friends Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Road, Olympia, WA 98501. You can request more information by emailing:

info@friendlywaterfortheworld.com.

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Homeschooler Hannah Newsom, is a finalist in the 2011 Google 4 Doodle. Here is her impressive entry, titled Illustration.

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I had a blast at the Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering in Sandusky, OH earlier this week. The biggest indoor waterpark in N. America is truly something unique, especially if you enjoy water as much as I do. Among the many interesting people I met for the first time was Zoe Bentley, now 14, and her family. In 2010 Zoe was the second place winner of the 2010 USA Today/NASA "No Boundaries" National Competition for her website Exogeology ROCKS!

Here is a television feature about Zoe and her family.