Unschool is cool also!

Going through multiple public schools with my oldest, I'd often ask after picking her up from school what she remembers most about her day and what she learned about. The responses would cause me great irritation because it would always go something like this, "So-and-so said yada yada yada about so-and-so and then she started crying and the boy was mean and pushed her." As for what she learned, "Um....I can't remember." Since unschooling Madisyn has chosen to learn about AND retain with great enthusiasm many interesting things. A dinner out to Souplantation featuring their blueberry specials led to a topic of where they got their blueberries, which led to Madisyn being interested about Maine and so on. Here are some of the things Madisyn has been interested in learning about:

Science:
Polar Bears, Nile Crocodiles Whales: Genius, species habitats, behavior, statistics.

Arts:
Play-writing

History:
America - 120 years after Columbus
Maine: Mapping, drawing and the history of Maine (only using an Encyclopedia)

Math:
Converting pounds to tons
Liquid measurements
Fahrenheit and Celsius

Science:
A Sea Turtles Journey: story page and storybook drawing on Sea Turtles
How it's made: toilets, hearing aids and rubber mats from recycled tires

Cultures:
About the Purambo Tribe and Culture: Q&A session with me

Extracurricular:
Firehouse tour

Let me give you a little background about mine and Derek's public school education. Derek basically fudged his way through high school with good looks and great football skills. Teacher's pet. Skimmed by barely graduating. Found a passion for drafting through a few classes provided in high school. I was bullied all through school, physically and mentally abused by other students, dreaded going, failed all through and eventually dropped out in 9th grade.

Fast forward: Derek's passion for drafting led him to apprentice with an Architectural and drafting company at the age of 18 where he only learned by field experience. He excelled and quickly moved up and now at age 28 owns his own company MADesign and Drafting Services and is well known and loved by those in this trade throughout San Diego county.

Studied on my own for my GED. Found a passion for the medical field, trained for my EMT then later graduated with 4.0 gpa at Intellitec and was an Anatomy and Physiology tutor. Sailed through CNA training with a 4.0 and did the Valedictorian speech at graduation. I own The Mother Birth Doula Services and I have aspirations of traveling to The Farm in Tennessee to be trained by the top Midwives in the country.

I'm terrible at math. Couldn't spell well before I started blogging here. I couldn't name the Presidents in order or more than a few for that matter. I couldn't tell you much about science that doesn't involve the human body. I honestly could care less about any of that. And it hasn't stopped me from perusing my passions.

Many think Unschooling means a child isn't learning anything educational. In the last two weeks Madisyn has retained more information than in two weeks of traditional school jam packed full of repetitive and often boring material. No Madisyn may not be the best speller or math wiz at the end of the day but she has great enthusiasm to tell us about how the Purambo Tribe had never seen white man before and that they trade pigs for women. Who knows, maybe she'll one day want to travel around the world to visit secluded tribes. I have great confidence she will find her passion and that she will take the necessary steps to excel in it. If that means she has to take extra courses of study later in life then I fully support that because it's her desire to, and those that are passionate about what they do, also excel in what they do.