Lifeschooling: An Overview-Part II

Written By Will Dodd

Provide your child with real-life experiences so they can grow up naturally. (Note: This article contains controversial stances. Parental discretion is advised.)

Social Experiences One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the ability to bring your children along during errands. Grocery shopping, appointments, religious attendance, library runs, and mailing packages are a few tasks that children not only can participate in, I would argue they should (to the level they are capable of). Many activities are geared towards children like museums, aquariums, some community events, zoos, extracurricular activities (i.e. dance, karate, piano lessons), parks, etc… As children mature, they can begin mastering tasks that require parental discretion such as pumping gas, interacting with social media content, traveling without adult supervision, and opening a bank account. For these, factors such as the child’s age, their capabilities, their prior experience, the laws in your area, the type of activity, the level of supervision you are willing/able to give, etc… must be taken into account. While there are excursions that are generally inappropriate for children to participate in (strip clubs, drag shows, bars, casinos…), children often benefit from a degree of participation in most outings outside the home, even watching others perform everyday tasks. These trips are rife with learning opportunities. Calculating the cost of groceries (Math), studying the movements of insects at the park (Science), reading the menu at a restaurant (English), visiting a historical site (History), looking at a sculpture (Art), watching a theatrical performance (Drama), and going to an age-appropriate concert (Music) are a few ways to incorporate your community into your child’s education.

The chief critique against homeschooling is that there is a lack of opportunities for social interaction outside of school. Students sit in close proximity to their peers throughout the school day and are able to socialize between lessons. Although, almost anyone who has ever actually homeschooled knows this arguments fails on at least two counts. First, as stated above, there are a variety of social activities for children to engage in. Secondly, schools are not created to socialize students. Many teachers still have their students’ desks lined in rows so the teacher can lecture in front of the class. Students are expected to remain silent during lessons. Social interactions during nonacademic activities like lunchtime, visits to the school library, and recess are becoming increasingly limited. Even the activities themselves are vanishing in the hopes of higher test scores. So, with rising mental health problems linked to social disorder in post-industrial societies, why would schools isolate students? One popular theory, the “factory model”, suggests that, during the Industrial Age, public schools evolved to create factory workers and manual laborers. Socializing while working at these jobs would only distract employees, wasting time on idle chatter. Moreover, workers that talk amongst themselves are more likely to unionize against their company. Thus, most public schools discourage such behavior. Many schools are, painstakingly slowly, beginning to encourage collaboration among pupils. Teachers are shifting their lessons to include more social activities. Unfortunately, such efforts will likely be “too little, too late” as a social epidemic continues to increasingly infect each generation.

Practical Application Now that you can visualize lifeschooling in the community, I want to show more domestic examples. Your child might know how to vacuum the living room, but do they know the area they must clean? Do they know how the vacuum works? How many gallons of water did they use to wash dishes? What size wrench do they need to fix their bike? Where did the income tax originate from? How far can your vehicle go on a tank of gas? Two loaves of bread require seven and a half cups of flour, how much flour does your child need for five loaves of bread? What types of plants are in your backyard and what do they need to survive? Where does rain come from? What color of tile compliments blue walls? Can old recliner fit into their playroom? Can your child read a book in order to further their knowledge? Can they write an email or a letter? Do they understand how a new bill might affect them? Why do most Democrats support abortion? These are questions that blend academics with everyday tasks and events.

Lifeschooling is about using everyday experiences to educate your child, just like when they were toddlers. During their first few years, the vast majority of children have a loving adult instructing them. Someone spending time working on a craft with them after breakfast, walking to the local park on sunny afternoons, reading bedtime stories to them at night, pointing to an object and ask what shape/color it is, answering endless questions and give endless love. Why should that be any different as they get older? No one can give a child what their parents or guardians can, not babysitters, nannies, or even teachers. Do not misunderstand me. Some teachers and hired caregivers perform incredible feats to care for their charges but even they continually find themselves shackled by limitations, like the number of children they are caring for and the time needed to maintain order.

Schools, in particular, thrive on uniformity at the expense of students’ individuality. Students sit obediently as the teacher regurgitates memorized speeches. They read the same textbooks as their peers chosen by school administers who will likely never meet them. They wait on others or the school bell to transition to new tasks. The entire class moves through the exact same script at a predetermined pace. Eventually, these children develop stronger bonds with strangers than with their family and community. This is how modern society crumbles. Now more than ever (especially in the United States and other westernized nations), kids need their parents’ love and guidance. They need personalized attention so they can ask probing questions to truly understand each topic. I truly believe lifeschooling is an extension of those younger years, allowing children to learn naturally from a teacher that won’t disappear from their lives before the year is through. Children need a teacher who is invested in them, to experience real-world challenges in a natural setting, and an academic foundation to discover who they are and where they are going.

Will Dodd
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Lifeschooling: An Overview-Part I