Famous Home/Self Educators

   Top 10 Famous historical character who were not schooled or had very little schooling.  Note that these people are the smartest, wisest most influential people in our history! If you watch the video you will see an even greater list, it also has a lot of people from our own day as well.

1. Jesus
2. Albert Einstein
3. Benjamin Franklin
4. Abraham Lincoln
5. Leonardo Da Vinci
6. The Wright Brothers
7. Claude Monet
8. Wolfgang Mozart
9.  Mark Twain
10. Beatrix Potter

Famous Homeschoolers

The Sparkling Martins: What is Unschooling?

The Sparkling Martins: What is Unschooling?

Unschooling, Homeschooling, Eclectic Homeschooling!

     I have been spending a lot of time learning about unschooling lately. I really like a lot of the philosophy around unschooling. For those of you who don't know to much about it, here is the basics. Unschooling is a type of homeschooling/home education. It is focused around child lead education. Children will learn to love learning more when they are in control of it. No standard curriculum is used and no testing, it is not school! Unschool children choose what they want to learn, not some state, or parents even.

I want to tell you how I feel about unschooling. First a little about our home education. My kids have never been to school or day care. We have been homeschooling through a public home based charter program for many years now and we unschooled prior to that, new born to age 5. We started officially homeschooling with the Charter because we wanted to be a part of a homeschool community and have access to many fun activities with other homeshooled children. Every year we go to the science class once a month at our local natural history museum and the kids enjoy meeting others when we get a chance to attend other activity.

We do use standard curriculum, consisting of workbooks and text books. To be honest we don't spend a whole lot of time on workbooks, but we get done what is appropriate at the time. Learning can consist of many different fun things, with  a fair amount of basic studies and intentional learning.

I like to call our style Eclectic Homeschooling! That is, I  learn about all the different methods of home education and take what I feel will work best for my family and create a unique experience for my children's education. Not something any school can do! When my kids reach the age for high school we will fit more into the standard unschool method. Our Charter goes to 8th grade and we will probably not be using any other programs after that.

With unschooling parents trust that their kids will learn on their own, I think this is great, with a fair amount of intentional time spent on reading, writing, and math. I have been told that, that is not real unschooling, and typically unschoolers do not have intentional learning time unless it is child lead. I feel a concept of unschooling is to do your own thing and not try to fit into someone elses mold? Unschoolers believe in freedom and not doing things the way others want.

My definition of  unschooling is NOT to teach your children, but to provide an environment conducive to learning, and learning with them and on your own, leading by example! Unshcooling will not work for children who have parents that don't like to read or learn, and just wants to watch TV all day! Parents must get kids involved in daily activity and yes, contribute to the House hold in one way or another, family values and team work principles. Children need to be lead to a love of learning by those around them for unschooling or homeschooling to be effective and more!! Kids are a product of their environment and individuals, unschool philosophy gets this!

I do feel however that there is so much room for children to learn what they want, when they want to. I had a private school education and a public school education, until I home schooled my self in high school and graduated one year early! I learned how to read, write do basic math and know basic history stuff. My real education started when I got out of school to home school my self. All the years in school and I hated learning and gave my mom and teachers a hard time! At the age of 16 I started Independent study, went to school one hour a week to turn in sample work. I did use curriculum and didn't mind it, It was about 3 days of work and I would get it done in that time and have the rest of the week to hang out with my friends. Not only did I do my work I started reading books not school related.

I think that to unschool effectively, parents should have lots of educational material around and not only encourage your children to use them but to learn with your children. Parents need to pay attention to their kids, that way when an interest is expressed you are right their to assist them in finding the information they seek. Children are natural learners, but getting into a habit of watching TV all day is not a positive thing. In our home we do not have Television, we do have a TV and the kids use it for movies. We also spend a lot of time watching movies as a family!. 

Unschoolers also don't participate in state standardized testing. This isn't a big deal to me and I don't really see how these tests help kids anyway. I do believe that a basic knowledge is a good and positive thing, but it does not have to come from curriculum. I don't care if my kids learn exactly what the state thinks they should. We learn what we are interested in at the time, but my kids ask some great questions and we find the answers.

We also love video games and my kids have been using some great tools for creating their own games and my son says he like creating his own game better than playing video games. Some days that is all we do, while other days they may do art all day.

Learning about unschooling has helped me relax in our home schooling life, I know more about how children learn and agree with most of it. I don't stress over getting workbooks done, because I see how they are learning anyway. We have a lot of board games and other activities for them to do and we spend time doing out doors activities as family. A Win Win!

I will continue to learn about homeschooling methods like unschooling and keep incorporating what is best for my children and family! 

If you are already an unschooler you may not agree with everything I said or my opinion of what unschooling is to me. I am just stating my opinion of the degree I feel appropriate to take with my own children.

To Your Success!

Eclectic Homeschooling on Facebook


Unschooled Children Learn Because They Love Life And Learning!

'Learn Free' (an unschooling documentary)

"Learn Free" is a documentary about unschooling which is an educational philosophy that states children learn best by not attending traditional school, but rather through their own interests and by living life.

More videos on education

So You Want to Unschool? 1 of 6

Laurie A. Couture, Author of Instead of Medicating and Punishing, lists five steps to unschooling your child or adolescent. This is video clip 1 of 6. Laurie offers unschooling consultation and coaching for Moms, Dads or single parents who need support unschooling children ages 3-18 years. Visit www.LaurieACouture.com for more info. (February 25, 2011)

Standardized Testing And Home School, My Thoughts.

    I have been doing some thinking on the pros and cons of standardized testing in schools and among homeschoolers who are forced to partake in this ritual. The method of state standardized testing is a way of tracking the academic progress of school children, testing them on basic knowledge. The student is given a score and placed among a statistic for their age and grade. Schools like this because they feel it gives them an idea of what the students know and if they meet the standard for their age and grade set by our education system. Schools are then commended for high scores among the masses of their students while low scoring schools, students and teachers are looked down on and encouraged to raise those scores. This may increases the stress of the teachers and students only making the problem worse! Standardized testing says that all children at like ages and grades must know generally the same information in the same way. Standardized testing does not take into consideration the home life of the student, the people who talk to them and don't, as well as their ability to learn at the same rate as other kids who are taking the same test.

The reason why schools are so fond of standardized testing is because it provides them cookie cutter information for the cookie cutter society they are training kids for! They can weed out the "fast" learners to the "slow" learners and label them accordingly. This may produce stress and depression for the "slow" learners and high levels of "self esteem for the "fast" learners. "Great job you have a high score" as they get a pat on the back for all of their hard work. The "slow" learners just get "you need to do better or you will fail" then they are placed in a class where they can "improve" and continue to do work that offers little to know challenge. That was me in the resource classes sitting their with the other "slow learning" or lazy kids who just wanted to get by and get out! I loved to score low on tests, and I loved the easy classes, there were less kids and the classroom was open for free conversation with the teacher as well as more art time. Yet that didn't change my self esteem, I always thought I was one of the dumb ones or at least that is what I was led to believe.

Deep down inside I knew I could do it if I really wanted to but why? so I can keep up with the other kids labeled "smart" and "good students" I didn't want to keep up I wanted to just learn and find my own way. I finally got out of school early thanks to independent study, finally I was allowed to learn at my own pace and surprise surprise I had the time to learn even more and of all the things I found that I have always wanted to learn! I finally felt like an individual. Anyway, this is about standardized testing and home school not me. Like most parents I want to do all I can for my children without doing to much damage lol! We are using a public Charter for our home school needs and he is in 2nd grade and will be required to do standardized testing in May. I have my reservations however and I am sorting it all out hence my post. He has already been tested on reading and was not allowed to participate in the program two years ago for Kindergarten until he had the assessment test. A passing score meant he was ready for Kindergarten curriculum, he passed but what did this really prove? It proved he was in line or even ahead of other students his age and was capable of doing the State mandated curriculum. Possible useful information for a cookie cutter life in a school that wants all the kids to learn, think and act in a certain way. I am not trying to say anything bad about the home based Charter school we use, but I have realized that it is still a public school with minds sets much the same. You need to take this into consideration before using a Public Charter Program. Learn more about home based Charter School Programs.

When I began this home school journey I wanted freedom to teach my kids in a way that was all them not every other kid. I am learning now about real education and how my own kids learn. Do I really want them to learn in a way that makes them better capable to score high on a test or learn in a way that speaks to them and actually allows them to learn and use their God given minds as an individual who they are made to be! Fortunately the program we are in offers much freedom and control on my part and we are happy with it so far (still way better than a regular public school).     

About standardized testing, I did try to see it the other way and have for many years. I said why not Standardized testing after all kids must have a basic knowledge so that they at least know what people are talking about in general conversations as well as do basic math and write a book report. We must know how kids stack up to other kids in the nation and we must track their education with tests made up with information they probably memorized anyway! When you spell it all out it really sound ridiculous, I am realizing that as I write this lol!

Standardized Testing: What Can It Hurt Anyway? I will explore this on another post in the mean time please comment and tell me your side. I want to hear the opinions of many people so please share.

Thanks for reading, to your families success!

Joanne Utke

What is Unschooling? Video By Dayna Leigh Martin

This is a great video that really explains unschooling as well as her experiences with unschooling...




Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun

What is Unschooling? Home Schooling

Have you heard about unschooling?

It is a form of home schooling except the child learns what they are interested in the most.The child has the freedom to learn what they love, many people still incorporate standard book work with this while others may not.

For us we have the workbooks we do for math reading and spelling but everything else we just do what ever we are into and my son has so many questions and wants to know everything so we look things up learn about the holidays as they come up go to the library and get books to answer the questions my son has.

My kids learn reading, writing and spelling with work books but every thing else they learn the most from coloring pages, talking, reading books, asking questions and figuring things out!

One day my son wants to know about dinosaurs so we read a book and discus it the next day it may be something else or we can spend a whole week on one subject.

I consider us half unschooling and half home schooling I am training my kids for life and entrepreneurship not a JOB or to be like every one else. I could not accomplish this sending my kids to a school. I think structure is very important but freedom and knowledge to do and learn what you want is what America and Life is all about!, I like the fact that my kids don't go to school we just have a Passion for learning!  I would like to go unschool when my children have reached the teen years after the 8th grade mark.

Children are naturally curious learners! We need to provide them with an environment that is conducive to that natural ability to learn. Children also learn best when education is not forced on them and will learn when placed in a educational environment not a school.

Unschoolers typically don't use curriculum, tests, especially state testing. Parents are not teachers they are facilitators and only assist the child in learning what the child wants to learn. Education is not forced but done freely, naturally and at the child's lead. They don't use grades or other titles invented by schools that refer to the stage in education the child is at. In unschooling there are no stages of education like grades the child just learns at his own pace. Here are some quotes to help you understand unschooling even more.

To unschool your kids you do have to follow your states home school laws at Getting Started Homeschooling.


“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~ Albert Einstein


“When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself.” ~ Jean Piaget


“There are only two places in the world where time takes precedence over the job to be done. School and prison.” ~ William Glasser


“Education is a private matter between the person and the world of knowledge and experience, and has little to do with school or college.” ~ Lillian Smith


“None of the world's problems will have a solution until the world's individuals become thoroughly self-educated.” ~ Buckminster Fuller


“All the time you are in school, you learn through experience how to live in a dictatorship.” ~ Grace Llewellyn

See  this fun post called Famous Home Schoolers