Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Why I can never claim to be a pure unschooler

Some of you will be disappointed in me today. Others may think that I'm just starting to get a clue. And still others will recognize that homeschooling can be a very fluid thing, always adjusting to what is needed at the time.

Today is a bit of a cranky mom day. Choir started today, so Jonathan and Andrew have to be at a school 20 minutes away at 7:25. I hate 7:25! My rule is that if I am going to get up and take them to choir they have to remain awake for the rest of the day. Evil, I know. But I need to have some sort of waking and sleeping routine, so they're going to have to adjust to an earlier bedtime.

I decided that math would be a good way to keep them awake. So I decreed a math day. Everyone has to do math. How much? As much as I say. Arbitrary, yes, but it keeps them awake.

Why math? Because I don't like math. It is difficult to learn math without studying it. If I were a pure unschooler I'd say something like, "That's okay. They'll learn it when they want and need to." And truthfully, I know they probably would. Given the choice I'd have skipped math altogether, and Bethany probably would have, too. But the SAT doesn't care if we don't like it, and high SAT scores can lead to scholarships. So they have to do math.

3 comments:

Barb the Evil Genius said...

I always did wonder how unschoolers learn math. My eldest daughter currently wants to be a veterinarian, so she has to learn math. My youngest daughter likes dance, but someday she wants to have her own ballet school, so I told her she'll have to know how to keep the books. :)

Melynda said...

Uh, sorry for the frantic phone call. I got to the word choir, FREAKED OUT, and called and didn't look at the next sentence saying what time it was. On top of that why would I assume that after I read which kids you were talking about.

Heaven help my kids being homeschooled by their whacked out mom.

:)

Jane said...

It always helps me to know that I'm not the only one who might be slightly confused at any given time. :)