This is reprinted from an email letter I received from Connor Boyak, author of The Tuttle Twins books. To read the article in its entirety, you can find it here.
A parent took to Twitter to share an experience she recently had:
My daughter turned around yesterday to grab her charger and her teacher immediately snapped and said she needed to be facing forward at all times. I said, “Go ahead, let the computer die!” in the background and the teacher quickly apologized. Didn’t realize I sit through every class!
Another parent responded saying, “Zoom school is really showing how much of American education is just about controlling and punishing children and not actually, you know, teaching and educating them.”
We used this series of tweets in one of our social media posts and a parent shared her opinion that, “The mass exodus of kids from government schools to unschool is an unintended consequence of media fear hype over the virus. Now there are going to be free thinking kids with an actual education who are not indoctrinated in socialist political views of liberal teachers and the establishment is terrified!”
I don’t know that I think the public-education-powers-that-be are terrified of parents choosing education freedom—they seem too arrogant for that—but I do think it’s true that parents are opting out of this en masse. The data has certainly shown a trend toward parents making the decision to homeschool permanently as a result of lockdowns and virtual learning requirements. I suspect that this trend will only continue as the months wear on and parents have more and more experiences like the woman in the tweet.
Obviously, not everyone can—or wants to—homeschool their children. I get it. I myself am a product of public schools, and I suppose that’s evidence that kids can still turn out okay after getting off the conveyor belt.
Unschooling may be the answer to many parents’ legitimate concerns for their children. We at Discovery House believe learning best takes place in an environment of exploration and discovery where kids are encouraged to ask questions, develop their thinking skills, use their hands, and collaborate on problem solving.
It’s a unique approach. One not easily explained when the idea of school has been so ingrained in us. We are not simply a different kind of school. We exist to engage kids in the adventure of a lifestyle of learning.
Check out the rest of our website for more information. Contact us if you’re in the Fort Myers, Lee or Collier County FL area to talk about current availability.
Discovery House 