Unschooling Documentary - Page 2

[rumi]

Saw it at last. It is fantastic to have something like this available. Just the other day when someone emailed me with an unschooling-101 question I sent her this link and she saw it and thanked me. So thank YOU and thank your sister for making this. Now whenever I read your posts I can see your face and hear your voice saying the stuff, and that is just too much fun!

Since you mention that she is planning to work more on it, I would like to offer some suggestions.

1. The professor is a nice man and it is helpful that he mentioned learning through play etc. His concerns about unschooling may stem from not knowing unschoolers - but there may be unschoolers who would confirm his fears as well. So I would not necessarily be out to refute his arguments, but I would want to see different perspectives presented on some issues (while acknowledging that the concerns are valid).

2. For example math - right now the film seems to say that math poses a problem and "many people unschool everything but math" (or something like that). It would be nice to talk to people who dont share this view of math (sometimes inspried by fear) and who can speak to the joy of learning math in non-curricular ways. (as opposed to the ones who don't school math because "who needs math," etc, a view that one also encounters in unschoolers)

3. It would be nice to see people of color.

4. The connection btw unschooling and breastfeeding is hinted at but I think that it can come out in a more articulate way (not to say that one requires the other, but just explaining the common threads).

5. Perhaps one could allow for different views on the TV issue - not making a big issue or debate, but right now only one example is there.

Incidentally I meet the above criteria, so your sister is welcome to interview me ;-)

one suggestion from the film-making angle - the wonderful scene of the kids in the puddle ends abruptly and the next moment talks about the law, almost like one is worried about what will they think of such antics ...

maybe a little fade out at least? or other transition?

[kitty waltz]

Loved it. Thanks for sharing!!

[LauraN]

Great documentary. As I was watching, I was thinking in terms of showing it to my parents (who support what we do, but ask a lot of questions and don't really "get" it) and I'm not sure that it would add much to their understanding. I hope that if your sister gets funding, she will be able to delve a little deeper and really explore how unschooled children learn, what sorts of things they do. In other words, the philosophy is clearly laid out in the documentary, but the specifics are missing. Even the fact that it looks different in each family is an important topic to explore.

I would have loved to hear more about your experience, a BTDT view, for example.

Also, I think the professor brought up a lot of common objections/concerns about unschooling, and they might have been better answered with stronger rebuttals. I think people who don't "get" unschooling have a difficult time accepting that children might actually be interested in delving deeply into a subject. So to have a good strong example of just that --perhaps hearing more about the vampires and what about them draws the girl in so much and where that interest has taken her--would make a stronger argument against the professor's comment that school is necessary to teach kids how to use books and computers to find information.

Also, one perhaps controversial comment--I would have preferred to avoid the comment about feeling sad for people who send their kids to school. In fact, that comment is what's stopping me from sending the link to my parents. Those kinds of comments are polarizing and put viewers on the defensive who might otherwise at least be open to learning from the documentary. I think unschooling already stretches people's closely held beliefs, and expressing pity for them is just a bit too much, IMHO.

But with all that said, I think the documentary was well made and does lay out the philosophy more clearly than I've seen in the media lately.

Thanks for sharing!

[mumofboyz]

Thank you for posting this. I am not an Unschooler but because of another post I saw in a different room, I became curious. This helped answer some of my questions.

[AngelBee]

This video expresses MY idea of unschooling almost to a T. I really enjoyed it. However, it seems in discussions and such that I am not an "unschooler" so I have stopped using the term.

I loved that it showed/discussed some variety in the philosophy. Maybe could have explorered Radcal Unschooling more, but I think it presented unschooling in a very good light and made it clear that it is as "credible" as any other form of schooling/education.

She did a great job.

[bonjourmama]

This was awesome! Cool project to be apart of, I imagine. 

[mama_ness]

very very cool!

thanks for sharing!  

[starling&diesel]

Love it!  Immediately forwarded it to a bunch of folks. 

ETA:  The Teenage Liberation Handbook changed my life too!  I still have my original copy nineteen years later.  It survives my ruthless book cull every time.

[vegetalien]

I think this documentary is great and has a lot of potential. But I do have one criticism. The other mother that is interviewed is way too "radical unschooling" it will turn many ppl off the idea and perpetuate the idea that unschooling parents let their kids eat as much candy as they want, go to bed whenever they want, and never set down any limits or rules. Maybe the docuementary was meant to be about Radical unschooling but what that woman described is NOT "unschooling" in my books. I hate to say it but she fits the stereotype too well (breastfeed as long as the child wants, etc) - now of course I have nothing against that I think that's great but many mainstreamers will listen to that and think "oh unschooling is one of those crunchy parenting things that 'those' type of mothers do" (hope you understand what I'm trying to say) - she was just a bit too much. If this doc is meant to educate ppl about the idea of life-learning, child-led learning and 'convince' ppl that it's an option that many different families can consider, I would caution against going to the extreme with radical unschooling.

That's my two cents!

[freestylemama]

I watched the video and thought it was interesting.  As a non-unschooler who is interested in unschooling and the philosophies behind it, I would offer the following critiques if this is turned into a full feature video:

- do not mention feeling sorry for children at school.  This is a huge turn-off and also very assumptive given the diversity of schools.

-find more diverse families

-don't get stuck on semantics

-show the kids dressed and not just in pajamas (the fact that all of the kids were shown in expensive Hanna Andersson pajamas makes it seem like unschooling is only for privileged people)

-interview some adults who were unschooled as children (not just teens) and talk about what they're doing with their lives

[tammyw]

Love it! You don't happen to have a blog, do you? I love being inspired by unschooler blogs :)

[bcblondie]

Originally Posted by LauraN 

Great documentary. As I was watching, I was thinking in terms of showing it to my parents (who support what we do, but ask a lot of questions and don't really "get" it) and I'm not sure that it would add much to their understanding. I hope that if your sister gets funding, she will be able to delve a little deeper and really explore how unschooled children learn, what sorts of things they do. In other words, the philosophy is clearly laid out in the documentary, but the specifics are missing. Even the fact that it looks different in each family is an important topic to explore.

I would have loved to hear more about your experience, a BTDT view, for example.

Also, I think the professor brought up a lot of common objections/concerns about unschooling, and they might have been better answered with stronger rebuttals. I think people who don't "get" unschooling have a difficult time accepting that children might actually be interested in delving deeply into a subject. So to have a good strong example of just that --perhaps hearing more about the vampires and what about them draws the girl in so much and where that interest has taken her--would make a stronger argument against the professor's comment that school is necessary to teach kids how to use books and computers to find information.

Also, one perhaps controversial comment--I would have preferred to avoid the comment about feeling sad for people who send their kids to school. In fact, that comment is what's stopping me from sending the link to my parents. Those kinds of comments are polarizing and put viewers on the defensive who might otherwise at least be open to learning from the documentary. I think unschooling already stretches people's closely held beliefs, and expressing pity for them is just a bit too much, IMHO.

But with all that said, I think the documentary was well made and does lay out the philosophy more clearly than I've seen in the media lately.

Thanks for sharing!

I can see what you're saying, but I think what she meant that it was sad, not that the kids were going to school, but that some parents are desperate to get away from their kids in general. But I agree I wouldn't have included that comment in the video because some parents DO need that break. And that's fine.

I loved the video. Especially teh part about "my children go to the store and buy something with money, and that's how they learn how money works" etc. So so awesome. Hands on. I love it.