Unschooling

[dfrankiswork at netscape.net]

Amy:
<description of 'knowledge-centred' educational revolution snipped>
> 
> Well, I could go on like this all day and still only give the 
barest 
> of explanations; I've been thinking about these issues for years.  
See 
> the writings of John Holt for a more vivid description than I could 
> give 

I'm out of my depth in the educational issues (one of the reasons I 
prefer to let schools get on with it) but...

1. It strikes me that there is a distinction between the educational 
approach, and the issue of whether you want to delegate its 
implementation. (Jenny has touched on this now)  Hs-ing may be the 
only feasible way to implement un-schooling in today's situation, but 
does it need to be that way?

2. Although it's hard to be sure, it feels like there would have to 
be a substantial shift in attitudes on both sides of the Atlantic, 
because un-schooling requires more resources (think of it as adults 
in education per child, or as average 'class' size).  Do we want to 
give that much of our lives to educating our children?  I think it is 
all right to say 'no'.  Obviously the benefits might be 
correspondingly huge, but the choice is there.

To set this in context, in 1997 Tony Blair made education the top 
priority of his election campaign.  The only specific pledge he gave 
was to reduce all class sizes in primary (or it may have been under 
age 7) school to 30 or less (many were just over, a few up to 40).  
It was a fairly titanic struggle just to do that, though it was more 
or less achieved.  Over 30 was generally regarded as unacceptable, 40 
is worth a 'this is scandalous' newspaper story.

David, who never shouts 'leave me alone, I have a life too!' at his 
kids - because his wife gets it in first.