Schoolwork is given so that the teacher can measure learning. Sure, learning takes place at school, but it’s entirely possible that you can accomplish the same thing elsewhere with less time, effort, and expense. Schoolwork is not learning in the same way that sitting around in a restaurant is not eating. Here, let me put that in a paragraph all by itself for emphasis: Keep in mind that worksheets, quizzes, essays, curriculum, answering questions in class, graded notes, and tests are not learning. Kids usually have difficulty coping with the rigidity of school, and adults are the ones capable of sitting still and listening to lectures. Adults have this strange idea that children learn best in a rigorously structured environment and that you can’t learn on your own until you’re an adult. Well, how do you learn? If you want to learn something, do you fill out worksheets and administer tests to yourself? Probably not. But, how can kids learn without doing schoolwork? Allowing people to homeschool provides a safety valve for kids in either situation. It’s like a midget or a bodybuilder complaining that they can’t find clothes in their size, and a person of average size replying that they must be bad at shopping because suitable clothes are easy to find. Saying that school works for “most people” sort of misses the point. Everyone moves at the same pace, and everyone is expected to do all the work. There was no bonus for students who could learn faster, or with less repetition. In school there was no reward for being able to memorize things by hearing instead of needing to take notes. Of course, these faults are often virtues in the real world, the one we are ostensibly priming children to inhabit during their years of schooling.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |