Unschooling and Literacy

[Ceres]

We have been radikal unschoolers since day one. I am so glad I discovered it before my kids went into the system or worse, I started things off with traditional style schooling at home. It was a real leap of faith when the kids were small because I knew the theory was sound, but it was so very different from traditional education that it was scary.

Now my kids are a bit older: 13, 10, 6. I am seeing the fruition of all that theory. Not only did my 13 yr old teach herself to read with no help, she is now an avid reader who recognizes poorly written material. As a consequence of being such an avid reader, she also writes clearly and with correct spelling and grammar. I have written previously about her method of teaching herself to read with the book Hop On Pop by Dr Seuss every night before bed to get the basics and then moving on to novels. The process was fascinating to watch.

My 10 yr old was also self taught with reading. Interestingly with him, I didnt see the process, so it appears his was a more gradual osmosis type method. This of course means I dont know exactly when it happened either. At this time last year, he was just beginning to read (at nine) and now he is proficient. I think he would be diagnosed with ADD if he were in school, but because he was able to learn things his way and at his pace, the learning was effortless. He doesnt read much fiction yet as he hasnt found anything compelling enough to draw his attention, but the non fiction does capture his interest, so he reads a lot about his passions: science, engineering, physics.

It was tempting with the youngest to have one of the older ones work him to teach him to read early since I know he would enjoy the attention and they would enjoy it as well. I dont think it would be fair to rob him of the acheivement of teaching himself this most basic and important of skills, so I hold off. I also think that teaching reading prematurely will prevent him from working his way through other subtle but important psychological and developmental phases through play.

Its very hard to convey to people who have never seen unschooling in action how the proccess works. I tell people it is really a method of parenting. If my kids went to school, I would probably parent much the same, but the distractions of all that unneccessary academic nonsense would interfere. My kids would feel hounded by all the demands of paperwork and trying to remember things they werent ready to learn in the first place. They would also learn that learning is something that must be coerced with rewards and punishments which would make them resistant to being taught. It would create an environment where the parenting would no longer suffice to sustain curiosity. I also wouldnt have the luxury of time to know my children so well that I could easily see academically what they needed and when.

I know there are other unschoolers on the board; would anyone share their experience?:boquet:

[ladyalpha]

I did a mix of styles when I was exclusively homeschooling. We had unschooling and structured schooling. I was like you in the beginning with the unschooling method. I was scared that it wouldn't work or they would be lacking some where. So to conquer my own fear, I added in structured time.
I believe that I homeschooled long before the school age. My oldest was writing when she was two, because she asked to learn. I did send her to public school in kindergarten because I could not teach her to read well. She knew the rules of reading and could read a little, but not proficiently for her age. Once they taught her that, really there wasn't anything else for them to teach her, other than help with her speech.
My second child taught herself to read at 4 yrs. old. At first I thought she was just reading from memory, since we have a small children's library worth of books. But then I would write things down for her and have her read that. She did it perfectly, so I knew that she was actually reading. I do not know how she taught herself, to this day she does not sound things out. She will ask what a word is and what it means if she does not know it, and from that moment on she knows it.
Both of them have a high reading level. They are both in public school right now and have been tested in their reading. I have not received the results of my oldest, so I'm not sure exactly how high she is this year, last year she was a grade and a half higher. My middle child is in 2nd grade this year and reading at almost a 5th grade level. Although at this time the school is not allowing her to go that high. I'm not sure why, but I will be discussing it with them soon.
I have always taught them to ask any questions that pop into their heads. If I don't know the answer then we will look it up together. That way I get to learn too.

Some schools don't like that my kids are advanced and some do. I think, personally, that when it becomes an issue is when the teachers are not secure in their own abilities. The teachers that have enjoyed my involvment and their abilities, are ones that know that they still have something they can offer to them and don't mind the different way of teaching.

My son on the other hand is so different than my girls. He does not have an interest in learning anything at this time. He loves music, but when I try to teach him something using music with it, he will run off to do something else. Maybe I am not that good of a singer. LOL
He has learned some sign language by the Baby Einstein dvd's. Because it is something that is fast paced enough to hold his attention, and has that music in the background.
He is 3 now and still working on talking clear enough to understand him. He did all his motor skills first and then realized that if he spoke he could get things. So now we are working on that.
I am know that I am going to keep him out of mainstream school until he is at least 6. I just keep telling myself not to push him on things. He will do them when he is ready. It is just his personality to do things in his own time. He likes to focus on something until he is proficient in it, and then move on to something new.

With my girls I suppliment now. I am always open to any questions they have and helping them with finding answers. I have learned a lot from them asking things, and I have enjoyed the things that they have learned in school this year. It is amazing to have your child teach you things.
ladyalpha

[lynn271]

I taught my daughter to read systematically. She was asking to learn at four years old, and it worked well for her. She reads way above "grade level" now, and I just leave her alone and let her read what she likes. Over time she's tended to choose more advanced reading material without any pressure from me to do so.

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for the older child or children to teach the younger ones to read, IF all involved want to do that. I taught my younger brother to read long before he ever set foot in school. I wasn't told to do it, and my brother wasn't told to pay any attention to me. We did it totally on our own and we both enjoyed the "game" thoroughly. I'm glad my mother had the wisdom to leave us alone and let it happen, because in those days parents were told to leave all teaching to the professionals.

It paid off big for him, because when he did go to school he already read so well that he was allowed to read whatever he wanted during class reading instruction. That's as close to unschooling as you could get in those days when it was still a crime to keep your kids home.