Léo's Insights

Concern regarding schools in the media usually has nothing or little to do with academics but something to do with it being a bad environment for students and teachers. There are two thoughts that should spring from that observation. The first is why are people so concerned about “socialization” issues when it comes to the home educated? Do they know that they are saying every child should be expo...

Now that we have reviewed what unschooling is and isn’t, I would like to challenge you to think in a different way. Tell me what to do! This is what we have been trained to ask. We naturally avoid taking risks so it is easy to default to having someone or something direct our thinking and actions. The big question is: what is all this based on? What worldview premise are we establishing our though...

Life can and does throw us lots of curve balls to tempt us off the straight and narrow. One of the big temptations is doubt, and it is the reason why the fourth set of fears and concerns descends upon us. We mastered the first set at the beginning, got past the fears and concerns set at puberty and finally made peace with our post-secondary issues. Then it happens, especially with the first or “ex...

Although few people give the future of a newborn child much thought, as they grow and mature there is a greater temptation to want to assure that future. Worth repeating is that parents are not responsible for the children’s future other than to prepare them in a general way so as not to limit their possibilities. This is where unschooling has an enormous advantage over any kind of school. Underst...

Fears and concerns part three involves post-secondary training. After having negotiated parts one and two, this set of fears is largely based on monsters created by both parents and students regarding which post-secondary options exist and how they can be attained. These fears are rooted in the false assumption that parents must find the child’s place in the world. Not so, and to do so is likely g...

In the past, I have addressed what I call the four sets of fears and concerns in home education. The first set of fears is understandably in the beginning of the home education program, as it is new and filled with uncertainties. Once past this stage, home educators are generally on cruise control until the little boy or little girl starts to show signs of puberty. Suddenly, many parents start to...

Nothing scares home educators and unschoolers more than the possibility of ruining their children’s potential prospects for post-secondary advancement. The idea that government sets the standards for education and calls the shots regarding post-secondary admissions is so ingrained in the minds of the masses that it causes parents to capitulate to public programming far too often. It is not uncommo...

Let’s focus on what to expect at the primary level. If we describe the primary level as starting when the child is ready to read, that could be anywhere from age four to puberty. Bearing in mind that dyslexics are late bloomers, they can actually start reading post-puberty, but do not worry. They usually learn to read and very quickly surpass age-appropriate expectations. Also to be considered is...

Have you ever noticed the levels of learning the world has invented? Someone or something, somewhere at some time determined there is a perfect time to incarcerate children in an institution for learning. Unfortunately, the age is getting younger, as the true nature of the school system becomes evident. It doubles as a daycare system. We now have some kind of play-school, pre-school or pre-kinderg...

Once children have reached “school age,” most parents simply do as expected and send their children to school. This often comes with resistance and tears. Why? Children know they are safe at home. They know school will not be a place where they will be coddled and loved like they are at home. A question worth asking is what part of tears do parents not understand? Keep your children safe at home w...