Thursday, February 21, 2008
Do I need to go to school?
John Taylor Gatto made it very clear that a lot of people who are homeschooled are very smart. Basically he was saying that it was not necessary to go to school, and I agree with the idea that people could teach themselves. This is a good idea, but only if people are very disciplined in their studies. The whole issue with this is that some people need a social atmosphere to learn in. In most ways it is better to get many perspectives, which is hard to obtain while in a homeschooling environment. I have been homeschooled for a year, as most of you know, and am totally opposed to the idea. I think that a child should soicalize, and that going to school is an absolute necessity. Although I think at times school is not necessary, and am inclined to agree with him on this topic, it is for the simple fact that I was homeschooled that I also disagree with him.
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2 comments:
Well hey there Elise-
I agree with you that just letting everyone be home-schooled will not work. I also agree that some people are not motivated. I don't necessarily think that people NEED that environment to learn in. I do think that if people are home-schooled they need to do other things besides sit at home with their mom and a book all day. I have a friend who is home-schooled, and she is very smart. She isn't socially awkward at all. She was home-schooled from 3rd to 8th grade and then tried to go back to a private high school. She couldn't do it. It wasn't the academic part of school that she struggled with. It was being around people with different ideas than she had. She couldn't understand why people would think differently than she did. Of course it was her that was right, it was the way her mom thought. It was what she had been taught.
So, I think that home-schooling is perfectly fine. I just think that they need to do things to expand their viewpoints. (like Brittney said in class about co ops.) "The Home-school School" is such a good idea, I think. It gives students the opportunity to learn the things they wouldn't be able to learn otherwise, and get to discuss what they are learning. I have another friend who does this, and she is very smart (like close to perfect SAT scores)annd she has knowledge based on conversations at and discussions at school.
Haha, the person who posted above me took the words straight out of my mouth. Guess we all think alike then, huh?
Gatto has some very interesting observations about being against school. He says the three key principals in getting an education in the first place is to become good people, good citizens, and to make each person do their personal best.
I think it would be very difficult to be a home schooled student because they face a challenge of learning to think for them and be motivated to learn a MASSIVE amount of material on their own. And while yes, it's totally possible for someone to do that I find it to be unrealistic. In my opinion, they are not going be on the same level as students who go to a regular school. I say this because either one, they are going to learn far more than we ever had, or two, they will skimp on nailing down the information. It's very black and white. How to you stay motivated when you're being taught at home with your parents. There are so many distractions are at your fingertips.
P.S. I didn't know you were home-schooled?
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