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I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Printable Version

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I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 02:47 AM

Long story short, I hate not having control over what I learn. I've been to 2 different schools, and also had a home tutor for a while when I was sick last year, and hated all of it. I'd love to be able to unschool, and learn about things I'm interested in, not the useless crap they feed me at school. The problem is, my mom's been telling me my only options are the school I go to now, and the same tutor I had last year. I haven't told her about unschooling yet, because she'd probably say that the internet has poisoned my brain or something.
tl;dr, I'd be much happier unschooling, but my mom wouldn't like the idea.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - UnschoolShqiponjë - 10-13-2011 03:33 AM

Sadly, you are not going to be able to unschool if she doesn't cooperate. Try to show her stuff written by Sandra Dodd or Jan Hunt. Scott Noel is also pretty informative. John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, and Dayna Leigh Martin. Alfie Kohn is also awesome but he never spoke about unschooling but his views on education strongly reflect the natural learning model.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-13-2011 04:07 AM

Why don't you just not do any of the school work? Physically go to school if that's the easiest thing for you, but just don't do any of the assignments. Just get books from the library and read them during class. Maybe if you do that for a year, your mom will give up. My grandma home-schooled two of my uncles because they kept getting expelled from different schools. It wasn't that they were bad kids, it was just that they were so unhappy in school.

I mostly liked school, but when I didn't want to do an assignment, I just didn't do it. And when I was in high school, I started just staying home sometimes. My mom was at work and my dad was asleep, so there was no one to even notice that I didn't go.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 05:03 AM

My mom basically thinks that disliking school indicates some sort of mental problem, she's having me talk to a psychiatrist because of my unwillingness to go (I've been out "sick" all of last week and most of this week) and I can't just stop going because my mom drives me to school, I can't get books and read them in class because my school is too small to have it's own library, and I think my mom can see what books I check out from a public library (I keep a lot of secrets from my mom, including just about everything I do on the internet)


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-13-2011 05:14 AM

(10-13-2011 05:03 AM)MG917 Wrote:  My mom basically thinks that disliking school indicates some sort of mental problem, she's having me talk to a psychiatrist because of my unwillingness to go (I've been out "sick" all of last week and most of this week) and I can't just stop going because my mom drives me to school, I can't get books and read them in class because my school is too small to have it's own library, and I think my mom can see what books I check out from a public library (I keep a lot of secrets from my mom, including just about everything I do on the internet)

OK, that's weird that your school doesn't have a library. But I don't understand why you can't check out books from the public library and just take them with you to school in your backpack. I'm not suggesting that you check out books your mom wouldn't like. Just educational stuff. How could she object to that?

I really think that, even though you can't get out of physically going to school and sitting in the building, you should refuse to do any of the assignments. It's a protest, see? You should give her stuff to read about unschooling first, so she'll know what you're protesting for.

If your mom is the type to beat you or starve you or send you to one of those teen prisons, don't bother. It's not worth getting injured or killed.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 05:18 AM

She's not that bad, but I can never tell what she'll object to. My school is tiny, no more than 90 students total and each class is about 3-8 students, so I'd probably get in a lot of trouble for not doing any assignments.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-13-2011 05:20 AM

I don't see how the size of the school affects it. But you just have to decide what kind of "trouble" is worth it to you. Detention? Suspension? Personally I love those.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 05:23 AM

I'm more worried about trouble from my mom, the teachers would probably tell her everything. Detention I can handle, suspension would be kinda fun as long my mom doesn't take away my computer. The internet is pretty much the only thing keeping me sane some days.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-13-2011 05:36 AM

When I was a kid, my mom would send me to my room, trying to punish me. It didn't bother me. I played with my toys. Then she said I couldn't play with my toys, so I read my books. Then she said I couldn't read my books, so I danced around the room making up my own stories. Then she said I had to sit on the bed, so I sat on the bed and made up a storie in my head and imagined all the characters moving and talking around me.

The point is, you need to find a way to not care about the punishments. But like I said before, if they are physical punishments, like beatings, it's not worth it.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 05:46 AM

heh heh heh, I'm starting to think this'll actually work.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Elfy - 10-13-2011 05:57 AM

Do you live in America by any chance?

If so, what is it with Americans and psychiatrists? Any slight upset and it's TIME FOR ZE PSYCHIATRIST, like behaving like a natural human is a mental illness. When I was your age I wish a was more philosophically aware instead of just being angsty because I stuck it out until the end which I even regret now. Understand that you have the freedom to do whatever you want, there are no rules or rights or morals. Just act on your own accord, don't bother going or just wander off someplace else, there is no natural law where you are obliged to go to a dressed up prison everyday.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-13-2011 10:50 AM

(10-13-2011 05:57 AM)Elfy Wrote:  Do you live in America by any chance?
Yes, I do, actually. I have a few ideas as to how I can get away from my mom and not go to school, but most will end with me getting my computer taken away, so if you don't hear from me, you know what happened Razz


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - UnschoolShqiponjë - 10-13-2011 02:37 PM

In America... if a kid isn't fitting the mold their first reaction is to stuff them with meds. This is why I am going for psychology and not psychiatry because frankly I have no interest in prescribing meds.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-14-2011 12:25 AM

(10-13-2011 02:37 PM)UnschoolShqiponjë Wrote:  In America... if a kid isn't fitting the mold their first reaction is to stuff them with meds.
Thankfully I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - SoulRiser - 10-14-2011 02:32 AM

The good news is you can unschool yourself right now, despite school... the bad news is that school and your parents will make it difficult for you, and it really does help to have a kind of 'detox' period where you just do whatever and not worry or care about whether or not it's "educational"...

But yeah, that idea of reading books in class does sound fun and it might even get your point across.

Do you have a cellphone that can do internet? If you do, and your computer gets taken away, you can at least still come on the forums... I installed a mobile theme the other day. xD


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-14-2011 03:05 AM

(10-14-2011 02:32 AM)SoulRiser Wrote:  Do you have a cellphone that can do internet? If you do, and your computer gets taken away, you can at least still come on the forums... I installed a mobile theme the other day. xD
My phone just barely does internet, it's over 2 years old and was obsolete before I got it. The web browser is terrible, and it takes like a minute and a half just to load a webpage, even though I have 3G. I might get a new one soon, but my mom doesn't want to get me it if I don't go to school. I have an ipod touch and an android tablet, but those might get taken away too.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - SoulRiser - 10-14-2011 03:44 AM

Hmm, I guess that doesn't really help then.

Still, they can't keep you away from any and all kinds of computers forever...


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-14-2011 03:57 AM

I might get a new phone soon, probably a Galaxy S II, and I'm pretty excited about that Razz


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - SoulRiser - 10-14-2011 07:13 AM

Ooh, those are nice. /me jealous Razz


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-14-2011 10:18 AM

Probably not gonna get it though, because of my unwillingness to be imprisoned every day for a week.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-14-2011 11:09 AM

(10-14-2011 10:18 AM)MG917 Wrote:  Probably not gonna get it though, because of my unwillingness to be imprisoned every day for a week.

You have to like school to get a phone?


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-14-2011 11:57 PM

According to my mom, yes. By her logic, if I don't go to school, I don't go anywhere, and I don't need a phone


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - SoulRiser - 10-15-2011 06:04 AM

Fail logic. :/


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-16-2011 01:12 AM

She says the same thing about my macbook, that if I don't go to school, I don't need a computer. fail logic is fail


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Prince Rilian - 10-16-2011 02:49 AM

I don't think she actually thinks that. She's just wording it that way to be a bitch. "If you're not gonna be a good little kid, then you don't need ice cream!"


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - MG917 - 10-17-2011 04:35 AM

yeah. She also says that if I don't go to school, I'm "ruining my life" and that I'll spend all of my life working at mcdonalds.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - SoulRiser - 10-17-2011 05:09 AM

These people would disagree with her.


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Efs - 10-17-2011 05:30 PM

Your mother is just like the majority. No offense to you, but they're blind. I will unschool my children if I ever had any. I won't force any opinion or belief onto them, only teach them and let them decide on their own. I WISH I was unschooled, but I've been asking my parents nearly every week for the past 2 years and still it's a definate no.

But good luck on your journey OP!


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Gifty_Chung - 10-17-2011 06:03 PM

Hi MG917,
It is indeed very surprising to know that you mom does not sunscribe to your views . Please convey this message to her that a diploma from an accredited online high school is as good as a traditional one . If your mom is a typical one who wants to keep track of what you are doing while being a part of an online school then too not to worry.These days a few reputed online high schools provide access to parents too so that they have complete information about your progress and current status.
All the best


RE: I want to unschool, but my mom probably won't like the idea at all. - Efs - 10-17-2011 07:38 PM

(10-17-2011 06:03 PM)Gifty_Chung Wrote:  Hi MG917,
It is indeed very surprising to know that you mom does not sunscribe to your views . Please convey this message to her that a diploma from an accredited online high school is as good as a traditional one . If your mom is a typical one who wants to keep track of what you are doing while being a part of an online school then too not to worry.These days a few reputed online high schools provide access to parents too so that they have complete information about your progress and current status.
All the best

SS, Is this site legit? Also, I don't know if this online schooling is available in Australia. I'd rather do online schooling here, but I'm not sure if Universities accept it...maybe I should move to America and go to school?