I’ve been in
the same public school system since my first day of Kindergarten, when
I was dragged into the classroom kicking and screaming. I’m now a high
school senior eagerly counting the days to graduation. (131 school
days, not counting weekends and holidays.)
I don’t think school has taught me much.
That isn’t to say that I don’t know much; I know plenty. Of course,
there’s loads more that I don’t know, but isn’t that true for everyone?
However, with the exception of a very small handful of classes, what I have learned has not been in class.
Perhaps some of it has been a result of class; I peruse my textbooks
on my own. I don’t necessarily read the required parts at the required
times, though. I read what interests me.
I have learned through reading books on my own. Some are what you
might call educational. Most are not. I successfully wrote an essay on
last year’s AP World History exam (on which I received a 5) using
information I’d gotten from fiction.
I have learned through the internet. Just by reading blogs, doing
google searches to answer whatever questions occur to me, you know,
just general messing around on the internet, I have learned about
topics from technology to unschooling.
Which is what I’m about to discuss. I first discovered unschooling, I believe, from Lisa Chellman’s review of Brian Mandabach’s wonderful book …Or Not.
From there, I did my own research into the topic, using books and
the internet, and I only wish I’d discovered it earlier in my school
career. It seems a bit pointless in my final stretch to wish I’d been
unschooled, but I do.
I am curious. I learn on my own. I only wish I could have that much
control over my education! I believe in education. I just don’t believe
in school. Though I’ve had two classes which are the exception to this
rule, school is not about education. School is about test scores.
School is about doing as you’re told. School is about not thinking
outside the box. School is about conformity.
No, not in all cases–if you’re a teacher reading this and
disagreeing, maybe your classroom doesn’t follow these rules. This is a
generalization.
In any case, I would love to learn on my own. I would love to have
the time to explore all the topics that interest me, rather than
memorizing formulas for my chemistry class. Is chemistry important?
Yes. But I already knew some of how it worked, just not the
technicalities of it. And I figure that, if I had never taken the
class, I’d still learn what I need to.
When I have a need or a desire to learn something, I find answers to
my questions (of which I have a lot). I think that most people (were
they never brainwashed by typical schooling) would be the same.
In general, I do not believe that school has served me well. I used
to beg my mother to homeschool me almost daily. She always said I
needed socialization. I firmly believe that there are other ways to get
that besides going to school. School is not necessary for education or
socialization. It’s more of a hindrance to the former. Natural
curiosity would serve us well enough, if only our parents would believe
that!