Self Learning Strategies

Formal education is supplementary education

The first step towards educational independence is to realize that formal education is supplementary education, not primary education.

It should be a part of your overall learning strategy, but it should not be the only strategy used to learn.

I laugh at homeschoolers, the poor kids who's parents are afraid of public education or have lost faith in it as an institution. The reason I laugh is because these parents think they alone can educationally prepare their kids for the 21st century, and that they alone can teach to their kids what 70 different teachers from K-12 will fail to do. Get real!

After watching Wifeswap tonight, I realized there are three reasons parents homeschool their kids:

1. One or more parents are so wrapped up in family they don't want the kids to leave in the daytime. The lady on Wifeswap did not know what to do with herself when the kids went to school in the day. She actually made cardboard cutouts of the kids, dressed the cutouts in the kids' shirts, and sat them at the table to play cards. It was sad. It was obvious those kids were better off going to public school than staying home with Mom.
   
2. The parents want to indoctrinate their kids to be religious soldiers. Sunday school and church is not enough, they fear the devil daily. This is even sadder.
3. One or both parents had bad experiences in public schools themselves, and they believe what they hear in the mass media about innefective and dangerous schools. This is probably the biggest reason more than the other two, and it is the saddest of all. These parents are not smart enough to realize the media gets rich off scaring people in every way. These parents are also not wise enough to realize their kids may have better school experiences than they did as kids.
   

Parents who want to homeschool should absolutely do so and prepare their lesson plans accordingly. However, they should still send the kids to public schools for the supplemental education, then add more when the kids get home.

One last sad item from Wifeswap was the Dad asking his kid how the first day of homeschooling went, and the kid said it was like vacation since he only did two math problems in two minutes and was done for the day.

Oh yeah, that'll keep America on top.

posted by Ideas2NoEnd @ 10:35 PM 3 comments

Concept

We live in an age where we are not only capable of learning anything we want, but we are solely responsible for learning on our own. We can no longer count on public educational institutions to solely teach us what we need to know. Minimally-required and -provided public education must be recognized as supplementary education rather than predominant.

This blog will host stories, strategies, links, philosophies, and tools for anyone to rein in their own education and take charge of whatever they want to learn.

The blog is about empowering individuals for the 21st century. I guarantee within only 1 year you will realize commanding your own learning was the best decision you made your entire life.

posted by Ideas2NoEnd @ 12:35 PM 0 comments