Ok, did someone here add this entry?

[UnschoolnMa]

Because it rules. I found this while surfing at urbandictionary.com:

1. Unschooler 11 up, 3 down

A very cool person who does not go to school. But no, not a homeschooler. They live and learn, living in the world, not wasting years learning about it. Not stupid, sheltered farmers, but very cool, easygoing, awesome people.

Who is that intelligent, good-looking, charismatic guy standing over there?
Must be an unschooler.

tags: world-schooler, life-learner, nbtscer, independant, rebel
by J'yn NYC May 18, 2006 email it

[RedWine]

I find it insulting. My husband grew up on a farm, and his parents are neither stupid nor sheltered. We have friends who are farmers, and again -- neither stupid nor sheltered.

Is it necessary to insult everything else but unschooling while promoting unschooling? I hope not. These types of statements are arrogant and elitist.

[Attila the Honey]

Aww, I liked it! I thought it was funny, clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek and bust the common myths about homeschooling and unschooling.

(and I grew up on a farm, too!)

[kamilla626]

Originally Posted by Attila the Honey

Aww, I liked it! I thought it was funny, clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek and bust the common myths about homeschooling and unschooling.

(and I grew up on a farm, too!)

Yeah that. I look at it as a humorous way to challenge the assumptions that people have about unschooling.

[UUMom]

I admit, I chuckled. However, after a bit, I realized I didn't like it. It doesn't say anything. It's based on the premis of mocking others, and I don't think we need to do that.

Maybe instead of farmers, we can think stupid rednecks, or ignorant <insert racial slur> and see if it still seems funny.

It's common for fundamentals of anything to down everyone else in order to lift themselves up, and try to show superiority, and that never works for me. If your cause can't exist without condeming or making fun of others, you don't have a leg to stand on. I think unschoolers need to rise above this. We shouldn't stoop low to try and make a point.

And PS-- I know I'm a fool to post this.

[cebmom97]

Originally Posted by Attila the Honey

Aww, I liked it! I thought it was funny, clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek and bust the common myths about homeschooling and unschooling.

(and I grew up on a farm, too!)

:

I grew up on a farm also

[UUMom]

Honestly, for me it's not the farm thang (I just bought a farm! lol) so much. It's the fact that putdowns and insults should not have to be a part of something so fantastic.

Mockery of others shouldn’t shadow of all the fabulous things that are happening as we rethink and reinvent what learning and growth can be.

The sooner we dump the condescending piece, the better off we'll be. Humor is one thing-- and making fun of our selves is another! It's good to be able to laugh at oneself at times. (I am all for that) That's all good.

[RedWine]

Originally Posted by UUMom

It's common for fundamentals of anything to down everyone else in order to lift themselves up, and try to show superiority, and that never works for me. If your cause can't exist without condeming or making fun of others, you don't have a leg to stand on. I think unschoolers need to rise above this. We shouldn't stoop low to try and make a point.

Thank you. All too often I see posts/read comments by radical unschoolers that put down everybody else. There is definitely a sense that their way is THE right way, and that everyone else has got it wrong.

This gets old fast.

[UnschoolnMa]

Wow. Sorry guys. I never thought it would upset anyone. I apologize for offending anyone, but it is supposed to be tongue in check, IMO.

To be honest I just saw it as a jab at all the assumptions people make about unschoolers & homeschoolers in general rather than a jab at farmers or any other person or lifestyle. People often incorrectly assume that home/unschoolers are socially inept, totally naieve, and rather ignorant. I think the entry was focusing on how wrong that is rather than meaning to suggest that farmers (or anyone else) are any of those things. Using sarcasm or the like to highlight how dumb something is... etc.

I never insult someone for choosing something besides unschooling. It's a great big world and options are good.

Anyway, it gave Ds and I a good chuckle.

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by RedWine

Thank you. All too often I see posts/read comments by radical unschoolers that put down everybody else. There is definitely a sense that their way is THE right way, and that everyone else has got it wrong.

This gets old fast.

I hope you didn't get that from me.

[RedWine]

Originally Posted by UnschoolnMa

I hope you didn't get that from me.

I didn't get that from you per se, but I did feel that way from the quote you posted.

[JillChristina]

Originally Posted by UUMom

It's common for fundamentals of anything to down everyone else in order to lift themselves up, and try to show superiority, and that never works for me. If your cause can't exist without condeming or making fun of others, you don't have a leg to stand on.

I think that quote is one of the most wonderful things I have ever read and I agree wholeheartedly.

Jill

[UUMom]

Unschoolma-- I wasn't actually offended-- not that I am currently a real farmer-- and not that I am not uncool. I really am uncool. lol. I did chuckle, and it *is* a clever entry.

I just don't think mocking is going to get us where we need to go.

I *do* like it when we laugh at ourselves, however. That is funny!

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by UUMom

Unschoolma-- I wasn't actually offended-- not that I am currently a real farmer-- and not that I am not uncool. I really am uncool. lol. I did chuckle, and it *is* a clever entry.

I just don't think mocking is going to get us where we need to go.

I *do* like it when we laugh at ourselves, however. That is funny!

I guess I'm not seeing the mocking. To me, if that entry is mocking anything it's the attitude that unschoolers are totally socially inept. It's mocking bad stereotypes by using/quoting/stealing one. I think I can say I am all for that kind of mocking.

LOL, no worries about being uncool though! You've got good company... (me!) :

[Attila the Honey]

Originally Posted by UnschoolnMa

I guess I'm not seeing the mocking. To me, if that entry is mocking anything it's the attitude that unschoolers are totally socially inept. It's mocking bad stereotypes by using/quoting/stealing one. I think I can say I am all for that kind of mocking.

Right, that's how I took it as well.

Plus, this part

Who is that intelligent, good-looking, charismatic guy standing over there?
Must be an unschooler.

made me !

[RedWine]

"But no, not a homeschooler. We live and learn, learning in the real world, not wasting years learning about it."

How does this not imply that unschooling is THE way to go? After all, homeschoolers (not unschoolers) are wasting years of their life...:

This is another part that comes across as arrogant and insulting to any method of homeschooling that isn't unschooling.

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by RedWine

How does this not imply that unschooling is THE way to go? After all, homeschoolers (not unschoolers) are wasting years of their life...:

This is another part that comes across as arrogant and insulting to any method of homeschooling that isn't unschooling.

That part, to me, was an effort to just make it clear that unschooling was different than homeschooling. Many people (outside of the home education community) don't know that, IME. It's so interesting to me that we all understand this so differently. lol

[cottonwood]

Okay, here's my take on it:

A very cool person who does not go to school.

Good so far.

But no, not a homeschooler.

Yep. It's one of my fundamental gripes about us not having our own forum. The word "homeschool" implies that school is done at home because it contains both the words "school" and the word "home". We do not do school at home. Therefore we are not homeschoolers. I always appreciate hearing others make that distinction.

They live and learn, living in the world, not wasting years learning about it.

In other words:

a) I could waste years ostensibly learning about the world without actually being in it and without actually learning much at all.

b) As an unschooler, that isn't going to happen.

Now, given these two statements (which represent the original quoted statement,) it does not follow that

c) I believe all educational styles outside of unschooling are a waste of time.

In fact, a) and b) are true for me, but not c). I understand very well that other methods of schooling are not a waste of time given the goals that those methods seek to achieve. Those goals are not my goals, so it would be a waste of time for me, but logically not necessarily for others.

Not stupid, sheltered farmers, but very cool, easygoing, awesome people.

I aspire to be a farmer, and my FIL is a farmer (and we're field workers) and I don't take offense simply because it's not saying that farmers are stupid and sheltered, or even perpetuating a stereotype of farmers as stupid and sheltered. It's saying that the stereotype of unschoolers as anti-intellectual, isolationist, luddite, etc., is wrong. It's like saying, "I'm not a stupid girl." That doesn't mean that I think all girls are stupid, or even that any girls are stupid, just that I'm a girl and I'm not stupid.

Who is that intelligent, good-looking, charismatic guy standing over there? Must be an unschooler.

Cute.

[warriorprincess]

Originally Posted by RedWine

"But no, not a homeschooler. We live and learn, learning in the real world, not wasting years learning about it."

How does this not imply that unschooling is THE way to go? After all, homeschoolers (not unschoolers) are wasting years of their life...:

This is another part that comes across as arrogant and insulting to any method of homeschooling that isn't unschooling.

I totally take it this way too.

[oceanbaby]

This seems to be an excellent example of how people can read the exact same thing and have completely different interpretations of it!

I read it the same way UnschoolnMa did - that it was dispelling myths of homeschooled children, not putting down farmers. But after reading the posts and then rereading it, I can see how someone might read it that way.

I guess this is why I don't get easily offended on message boards - things can be interpreted in so many different ways, that it's practically impossible to know the intent of the author. It's entirely possible that the author of that quote does live on a farm and is tired of hearing about how they must be sheltered if they don't go to school, and stupid if they don't use a strict curriculum.