Unschooling - We don't need no education.

[Replicant Sasquatch]

The thought of parents actively sabotaging their children's development and education really pisses me off.

Are they lazy, too coddling, or do they just have contempt for their own flesh & blood?

In my experience, too coddling. They're often young, inexperienced parents who grew up in the 80s and 90s. The genesis of the cultural fuckery which bred the worst of millennial behavior.

Helicopter parenting is a growing trend, and these unschoolers are taking it to a new level. Those crooked teachers and psychologists don't know my special little ones like I do. There's also an edge of contrarianism to it. If you pull your kid out of school and let him play Minecraft all day, you get to brag about how you're ahead of the curve for rejecting outdated and inefficient public schooling practices.

Don't get me wrong, American public schools are in a deplorable state. I have my own beliefs and opinions on why that's the case, but none of it can be solved by rejecting basic education.

 

[AnOminous]

The thought of parents actively sabotaging their children's development and education really pisses me off.

Are they lazy, too coddling, or do they just have contempt for their own flesh & blood?

Trying to shove your kids into things so they can accomplish what you failed to do yourself is kind of fucked up, but at least could have a successful outcome for everyone involved. Fucking up your kids because you're ashamed of what an ignorant moron you are yourself and want to make sure they can't succeed more than you did is just disgusting, though.

 

[RK 091]

I think it's less of a desire to see the child do worse though, and more to do with millennial fuckwits seeing the schools and the state as one big bad boogyman, with the evil President Trump at its top. They feel the only way to protect their little precious snowflake is to pull them out of these supposed hellholes and coddle them constantly to make sure the world doesn't hurt them. The sad thing is that they think they're doing their best for the child - this creates an us vs them mentality and so any criticism just vindicates them in their own minds. I wonder what the kids will turn out like? Will they be able to look back and realize how badly their parents screwed up, or will they just blame the evil government for all their problems? I know which I'd pick.

 

[cactus]

I think it's less of a desire to see the child do worse though, and more to do with millennial fuckwits seeing the schools and the state as one big bad boogyman, with the evil President Trump at its top. They feel the only way to protect their little precious snowflake is to pull them out of these supposed hellholes and coddle them constantly to make sure the world doesn't hurt them. The sad thing is that they think they're doing their best for the child - this creates an us vs them mentality and so any criticism just vindicates them in their own minds. I wonder what the kids will turn out like? Will they be able to look back and realize how badly their parents screwed up, or will they just blame the evil government for all their problems? I know which I'd pick.

The people mentioned here have been doing this for years, possibly since Bush and definitely during Obama's presidency. Trump's only been president for a month, so if anyone, both Bush Jr. and Obama are to blame.

 

[RK 091]

Trump might intensify it, but I'd have thought that these buggers see the schools and the state as evil regardless - now they just have another reason to justify themselves.

 

[Questionable Ceviche]

I think it's less of a desire to see the child do worse though, and more to do with millennial fuckwits seeing the schools and the state as one big bad boogyman, with the evil President Trump at its top. They feel the only way to protect their little precious snowflake is to pull them out of these supposed hellholes and coddle them constantly to make sure the world doesn't hurt them. The sad thing is that they think they're doing their best for the child - this creates an us vs them mentality and so any criticism just vindicates them in their own minds. I wonder what the kids will turn out like? Will they be able to look back and realize how badly their parents screwed up, or will they just blame the evil government for all their problems? I know which I'd pick.

There's also been a lot of intense criticism of the public school system coming from various political groups for a long time now, for various reasons. It's ramped up ever since No Child Left Behind ended up being a huge failure, and opposition to Common Core standards has been very intense. There's a lot of different groups involved for a lot of different reasons. The debate is complicated further by bad actors trying to delegitimize public education for personal gain, like the big push for private sector, unregulated, for-profit charter schools.

All these parents ended up hearing for two decades was SCHOOL IS BAD. Now they want to keep their precious babies out of a system that they're convinced is going to give their kids autism or whatever the fuck idiot reasoning.

 

[Critter]

http://www.blessedlittleblog.com/synopsis/




I found a website that documents the behavior of the unschoolers who had 10 kids living in this "house".

(This is their "kitchen")

Some more photos of their "house"
http://www.wave3.com/slideshow?widgetid=157540

I just wanted to say holy shit I can't believe it but I recognize them, my parents used to be (or still are? I don't know for sure) friends with them. Unfortunately I was too young to remember much of them, but man that's so fucking weird to see someone you've met on here.

 

[Bassomatic]

All these parents ended up hearing for two decades was SCHOOL IS BAD. Now they want to keep their precious babies out of a system that they're convinced is going to give their kids autism or whatever the fuck idiot reasoning.

I don't at all want to place ANY blame on critique of the public school system, and I will hold my own tongue because I assure you I'm in the camp that's not too fond of it.

In the United States where most of these chuckle fucks are, we have an incredible amount of leeway freedom and options compared to many nations regarding education.

Private schools, carter schools, waldorf, monnosuri, religious schools, mil schools need I go on? Public school is bad, that's fine to make that claim, but you have more options than most the world to pick and NONE are ok? Home school ok... we got it that's a debate maybe as a parent you know how to best do so, I'll concede that.

But why isn't that taken either? It's work. These people take the legit debates on things like Common Core etc are fought over, debates made by people on both sides with a vastly higher amount of research and understanding than you or I and use it to be lazy fucks with their nose up.

To say, smoking is bad for you, and one time I saw a old honda burn oil passing me by... so I'll never leave the house and get a job so I don't die of cancer is the same mind set applied.

Edit:
Reason I don't want to blame anyone who has a problem with a school system on a personal or professional level is aside unschoolers most of those people get so heated about X system not working because they want kids to learn and grow better. If you suggest I have to raise my children, in a worse way for them to grow, I'd get fuming too.

 

[Kikomi]

the public school system is flawed, admittedly. some areas of america are worse than others when it comes to schools and access to education.
but public schools, no matter how shitty they can get, are teaching actual important things. most private schools also teach the same things but tend to have more of a theme, but the same basic idea applies.

:powerlevel: i went to a school with a shit ton of electives and options, and in my senior year i had more electives on my schedule than i had core classes. why? because i did my goddamn work even if it was stupid and impractical knowledge that i'll never really need. i got to pick what i wanted to learn because i learned the core stuff first. that's how it works. and hell, traditionally, public schools have at least 2 elective slots on the class schedule, so it's not like the kid is never going to enjoy school. i fucking hated school because yeah it was mostly boring but i'd honestly hate it more if i had a second grade reading level because of a lack of discipline/structure in my "education" that led me to do nothing but play video games all day.

kids need to learn to have structure early on in their lives. they need to learn that they can't just do whatever they want their entire life. these kids will be unable to hold a job or socialize respectfully because of their retarded parents' "progressive" way of "teaching".

 

[IwegalBadnik]

"progressive" way of "teaching".

I wouldn't accuse unschooling of being teaching--much less "progressive" in its ways. If anything, it evidences regressivism to the nth degree. Its focus echoes the times where children did very little studying and were usually destined to succeed their fathers as simple farm hands).

That's talking a rollback of roughly a century--minimum.

 

[Replicant Sasquatch]

I wouldn't accuse unschooling of being teaching--much less "progressive" in its ways. If anything, it evidences regressivism to the nth degree. Its focus echoes the times where children did very little studying and were usually destined to succeed their fathers as simple farm hands).

That's talking a rollback of roughly a century--minimum.

Yeah but those days are long past.

What good is a kid gonna get from staying home and watching Annoying Orange videos all day?

 

[IwegalBadnik]

Yeah but those days are long past.

What good is a kid gonna get from staying home and watching Annoying Orange videos all day?

Oh, I'm not suggesting it's a good thing--certainly not. Kids who are subjected to this are being shortchanged very, very badly to an extent that can probably be unrecoverable if not moved on swiftly. With how children process certain things, the damage of not emphasizing certain accomplishments can be extreme.

As I recall, syntax (for example) is something which a person must grasp fairly early on in life if they are ever to have an understanding of it. If they miss that critical period, they're out of luck and in bad shape as a result.

 

[Trilby]

I wouldn't accuse unschooling of being teaching--much less "progressive" in its ways. If anything, it evidences regressivism to the nth degree. Its focus echoes the times where children did very little studying and were usually destined to succeed their fathers as simple farm hands).

That's talking a rollback of roughly a century--minimum.

Quite a concern, really.

Yeah but those days are long past.

We hope. I just can't picture feuding families of uneducated pesants continuing to fail for not understanding agriculture.

What good is a kid gonna get from staying home and watching Annoying Orange videos all day?

I shudder to think of that.

 

[Questionable Ceviche]

I don't at all want to place ANY blame on critique of the public school system, and I will hold my own tongue because I assure you I'm in the camp that's not too fond of it.

In the United States where most of these chuckle fucks are, we have an incredible amount of leeway freedom and options compared to many nations regarding education.

Private schools, carter schools, waldorf, monnosuri, religious schools, mil schools need I go on? Public school is bad, that's fine to make that claim, but you have more options than most the world to pick and NONE are ok? Home school ok... we got it that's a debate maybe as a parent you know how to best do so, I'll concede that.

But why isn't that taken either? It's work. These people take the legit debates on things like Common Core etc are fought over, debates made by people on both sides with a vastly higher amount of research and understanding than you or I and use it to be lazy fucks with their nose up.

To say, smoking is bad for you, and one time I saw a old honda burn oil passing me by... so I'll never leave the house and get a job so I don't die of cancer is the same mind set applied.

Edit:
Reason I don't want to blame anyone who has a problem with a school system on a personal or professional level is aside unschoolers most of those people get so heated about X system not working because they want kids to learn and grow better. If you suggest I have to raise my children, in a worse way for them to grow, I'd get fuming too.

Oh I totally agree with you that public education in the US has a ton of problems. What I am saying is that there is nuanced and complex public debate on how to fix it, but all these lazy unschooler parents took away from it is that education in any form is bad. There's a buffet of options for parents who don't want to deal with traditional public education. These chucklefucks decided they didn't want anything to do with any of it and chose no education whatsoever.

 

[Trilby]

Oh I totally agree with you that public education in the US has a ton of problems. What I am saying is that there is nuanced and complex public debate on how to fix it, but all these lazy unschooler parents took away from it is that education in any form is bad. There's a buffet of options for parents who don't want to deal with traditional public education. These chucklefucks decided they didn't want anything to do with any of it and chose no education whatsoever.

That's the sticking point in this whole mess, people simply ignoring education for good, never going back.

 

[IwegalBadnik]

That's the sticking point in this whole mess, people simply ignoring education for good, never going back.

The way I've seen things go, that's precisely the problem. People leave school then want nothing to do with ensuring things go well as adults and parents.

Apathy is what has allowed problems to really harm public education.

 

[CalmMyTits]

The excuse of 'my child is not ready for this' is the same one parents use to put off potty-training. Yes, there are parents out there who just let their kids shit themselves until the kids decide to stop shitting themselves which can be in school age.

Problem is, we're not animals. We don't have instinct like they do. We HAVE to be taught. As others have pointed out, it helps with brain development, etc etc, and that young age is indeed a crucial phase in development.

As for farmers, the children may not hane had much formal education, but they still had structure in their lives. They had chores around the house/farm, so even if their book learning didn't go past eighth, or sixth grade, or whatever, they still knew the basics of reading and math, and while not wealthy, were still productive members of society who provided a valuable service to the economy and their fellow man by growing food. The routine of chores taught them responsibility and how to adhere to a schedule and how their actions affected others.

Most of these freeschoolers don't even do that. Granted, life today is much easier than it was a century ago, at least in the first world/developed countries and most chores are much less labor-intensive, but there is still a certain amount of work to be done to keep a home in order. Playing Minecraft all day? Fuck.

 

[mdrop22]

The excuse of 'my child is not ready for this' is the same one parents use to put off potty-training. Yes, there are parents out there who just let their kids shit themselves until the kids decide to stop shitting themselves which can be in school age.

This is a horrible excuse for the majority (non-mentally retarded) of children. Without structure and guidance they grow up to be adults who "can't handle" the work place, or managing other responsibilities. The world isn't going to be kind to a young adult with no education, no work experience, and the emotional intelligence of a 10 year old. :powerlevel:My parents always told me that real life means sometimes doing things you don't want to do because you have to. I appreciate this now.:powerlevel:

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

This is a horrible excuse for the majority (non-mentally exceptional) of children. Without structure and guidance they grow up to be adults who "can't handle" the work place, or managing other responsibilities. The world isn't going to be kind to a young adult with no education, no work experience, and the emotional intelligence of a 10 year old. :powerlevel:My parents always told me that real life means sometimes doing things you don't want to do because you have to. I appreciate this now.:powerlevel:

And that's what I never got about these kinds of parents. I've said it before, and I've said it again, it feels like they want to raise basement-dwelling manchildren who live on nothing but a and mammy's money. Karma be dammed.

 

[Dr. Robeatnik]

And that's what I never got about these kinds of parents. I've said it before, and I've said it again, it feels like they want to raise basement-dwelling manchildren who live on nothing but a and mammy's money. Karma be dammed.

I have two guesses as to why parents choose to mentally stunt their own children. The first is a need for control. If their children are always dependent on them, they will always have something they can control. The second, a bit more out there, but I have known parents with this tendency; they have a fear of getting older and their kids moving out of the house, so they purposely stunt their own children's development so they can pretend they ravages of aging doesn't apply to them.