Welcome to our updated index of diaries posted on this Daily KOS "Education Alternatives" group page as part of our ongoing homeschooling/unschooling series. We will continue to update it as more diaries are added to the series. The diaries are currently organized under the following headings...
* Progressivism and Unschooling/Homeschooling
* Personal journeys in Unschooling/Homeschooling
* Resources for Homeschooling and Unschooling Parents
* Socialization
Current posts are through 10/27/2012.
Simply click on the title of a diary to be taken to its full text and the comments it generated...
Progressivism and Homeschooling/Unschooling
Homeschooling - Erasing the Stereotypes (2/18/2012 by angelajean) - A call for advocates of homeschooling and unschooling to come forward with positive pieces on the subject to counter what appears to be a conventional wisdom among many progressives that homeschooling and unschooling are part of a right-wing challenge to public schooling.
Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids (3/3/2012 by leftyparent) - A response to the opinion piece, “Liberals, Don’t Homeschool Your Kids: Why teaching children at home violates progressive values”, by Slate magazine contributor Dana Goldstein.
No, Rick, a public virtual school is not home school (and other definitions) (3/17/2012 by ForidaSNMOM) - Challenging GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum's assertion that his kid's are homeschooled.
Happy Birthday John Holt – “Patron Saint” of Unschooling (4/14/2012 by leftyparent) - A look at the life and work of homeschooling/unschooling pioneer John Holt.
Not There Yet (4/21/2012 by Nance) - Imagining a day when the right to and the rightness of homeschooling is so ingrained in societal choices that it is taken for granted.
Just another Unschooling Story – No Big Deal (4/27/2012 by leftyparent) - A review of the Psychology Today piece “Meet Kate Fridkis, Who Skipped K-12 and Is Neither Weird nor Homeless” by Peter Gray, a top-flight spokesperson for this “life path” for young people that does not involve routinely going to school.
Every parent home-schools (4/28/2012 by Foothills of Oblivion) - Education begins at home, even if parents send their kids to school.
Saturday Night Homeschool Fever (4/302012 by leftyparent) - A review of and rant about Dennis Danziger's piece critical of homeschooling, “Home School Fever”, in the April 24 edition of the Huffington Post.
What the homeschooling world has to offer (5/2/2012 by smalakoff) - Looking at two stories in the media involving educators taking a second look at homeschooling and drawing inspiration from it, and a third story of two successful grown homeschoolers.
Why in the hell would you homeschool? (5/19/2012 by rosabw) - A review of a study on the different reasons Americans homeschool their kids.
From Feminism to Unschooling (6/2/2012 by leftyparent) - A review of Wendy Priesnitz's piece, “Unschooling as a feminist act” republished in the Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) Education Revolution magazine.
Under 12 minutes and everything that's wrong with our education system explained. Unbelievable (6/16/2012 by angelajean) - A review of Sir Ken Robinson's white-board video "Changing Education Paradigms".
My Take on Learning in the 21st Century (8/18/2012 by leftyparent) - As an unschooler, leftyparent's take on how education may transform itself as an institution in the 21st century.
21st Century "Hybrid" Education (9/1/2012 by leftyparent) - The diarist take on hpw our educationg system will evolve in the 21st century.
Teaching our Kids how to Vote (10/27/2012 by angelajean) - The diarists makes the point that for a democratic society we give our kids very little chance to learn to be effective democratic citizens, and she lists some things we can do as parents to address this gap.
Personal journeys in Homeschooling/Unschooling
Homeschooling: Our Journey (3/9/2012 by tigerlilymom) - Choices the diarist's family made concerning their children's education and why they made them.
Unschooling in the Art of Social Transformation (3/12/2012 by leftyparent) - The diarist's own experience learning outside of school in the area of political activism and social change.
From homeschooling fundie to free-thinker (3/15/2012 by jabbausaf) - The diarist's experience growing up homeschooled in a religiously fundamentalist family and then becoming a free thinker instead.
What's a progressive to do? Our decision to homeschool wasn't easy! (3/31/2012 by k8dd8d) - The story of the diarist's difficult decision to homeschool, and the issues it raises about liberals supporting public education while taking their own kids out of public schools.
The Road to Homeschooling or Kicking and Screaming (4/7/2012 by Lily O Lady) - The diarist's story of homeschooling her two kids including a son diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
My Experience With Unschooling (Abbreviated) (4/26/2012 by chicgeek) - The diarist's own experience unschooling instead of going to high school.
Explaining String Theory to a 9 year old (5/4/2012 by FloridaSNMOM) - The diarist's story of teaching her homeschooled kids science.
Unschooling in the Art of Religion (5/6/2012 by leftyparent) - The diarist's story of life learning about religion, outside of any formal educational setting.
Schooling on the Move (5/12/2012 by angelajean) - The diarist's story of being a military spouse, constantly moving her family and trying to facilitate her kids' education.
Unschooled by my Electronic Greek Chorus (6/11/2012 by leftyparent) - The role of the lyrics in popular music in the diarist's own ethical development.
Back to School (8/11/2012 by angelajean) - A homeschooling mom looks at our cultures back-to-school rituals compared to those with her homeschooled kids.
A Blue-Collar Girl in a White-Collar World (8/25/2012 by chicgeek) - Chicgeek tells her story of navigating young adulthood after parting with formal education after 9th grade and the whole white-collar dominated world that that formal education is the conventional gateway to.
Unschooling and the Art of Writing (9/23/2012 by leftyparent) - A personal memoir of how the diarist developed his ability as a writer mostly outside of any formal education.
Resources for Homeschooling and Unschooling Parents
How to Homeschool on a Shoestring Budget (3/10/2012 by FloridaSNMOM) - How to use one's ingenuity to create an enriched learning environment for homeschooling.
Home Schooling Lessons (5/26/2012 by GreenMother) - Looking at the use of flash cards and gardening as two techniques to facilitate homeschooling.
Observation: Unexpected Benefit of Home Schooling (6/12/2012 by GreenMother) - How homeschooling can lift an entire family out of "educational poverty" as the parents learn along with their children.
Homeschooling Awakens a Desire for Learning (6/30/2012 by Zoltan) - The diarist's story of pulling his daughter out of school, homeschooling her, and witnessing her transition from learning what she had to when she had to in school to wanting to learn on her own timetable.
Living Math Not Just for Homeschoolers (7/7/2012 by angelajean) - A variety of games and books used by an unschooling parent to help her kids learn basic math skills.
Resources I Use for Homeschooling (9/8/2012 by by Mommyp00ka) - Calling out homeschool resources the diarist has used.
Socialization
Homeschooling: The Dreaded 'S' Word, Socialization (2/25/2012 by angelajean) - Attempting to launch an honest conversation about homeschooling and socialization.
Homeschooling and Socialization (2/25/2012 by KGardner) - A list of tips for homeschoolers to promote social interaction with others.
Does homeschooling destroy the community? (3/24/2012 by Gareth) - Challenging the argument that homeschooling parents are unfairly depriving the community of their contributions to the education of all.
How Much Tech is too Much?(9/15/2012 by FloridaSNMOM) - The diarists thoughts and experiences on using technology as a tool in homeschooling.