Unschooling without parents?

Question

unschooling is learning by experiences, my parents work full time and i really want to do some kind of homeschooling. i can't do traditional homeschooling unless they're here, right? so i can forget about that one. i've been looking at online schools, i want to do them, but then again i don't. i'll be lonely. i'm trying to find some kind of alternative/charter school in my area (san diego), but i have a question.

if i were being unschooled, would my parents need to be there with me? if it's student-led, no curriculum, can't they just go to work anyways then? it's not like i'm home alone all day, there's people here with me. i'm 15. and what if i did unschooling, and just took a class for something like...math.

Answer 1

There are a bunch of independent study charter schools in San Diego. I would go with one of these. Eagles' Peak is a good one and River Springs Charter is great too. They are located in Riverside but also operate in San Diego.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/si/cs/ap1/count...

Best of Luck!

Jana

http://www.summerhouseliving.com/

Answer 2

i'm trying to find a similar solution, im putting my daughter through the same thing. though i don't really have any answers for you, good luck!

:-D

Answer 3

Unschooling isn't always easy if you've been in traditional public school you're entire life... You weren't raised on it like most unschoolers are. But then again, neither was I and I took to it, or to the homeschool/unschool mix at least like a duck to water and will be heading off to college soon.

What I would suggest you do is have your parents help you find and obtain a curriculum that you can work on independently. Online school is an option. You say you'll get lonely, but how is that any different from unschooling in your eyes? And why can't you get involved with your local homeschool group and take some classes with other homeschoolers, go on field trips, join clubs, go to dances, etc? There IS a homeschool group in your area. I know this for a fact, and even if your parents are at work, if they befriend another homeschool family in the group you can always share rides to and from activities and classes with them. If you don't want to do online, that's fine. You can still homeschool traditionally. Most homeschoolers your age do work independently on most things. There are resources designed specifically for the highschool aged homeschooler so that you CAN work independently. One thing I would reccomend is Math U See. It's a DVD math course that's absolutely brilliant. It takes abstract concepts like algebra, geometry, and calculus and makes them concrete and actually fun. You can easily do this independently because the instructor is easy to understand and you can always pause and rewind and redo things. I would also reccomend anything from Home Science Tools. Google those words to find their website. The books they sell are religion based, but they also sell a lot of lab kits and equipment at a very low cost, and the lab kits can go along with just about any science curriculum. It doesn't have to be religious. Just find the curriculum/materials that work best for your family, work independently durring the day, and ask your parents for help if you need it when they get home later on. Most curriculum materials will come with a teacher/parents guide so your mom and dad will have access to answer keys and such if you do need help. It would be no different than if you needed help with your homework one night. Also get involved with your local homeschool group. I can't stress enough how important this is. If you network with other homeschoolers, you wont get lonely, your parents will have support and people to give advice, even other working parents with homeschooled kids, you'll have opportunities like field trips, classes, clubs, dances, graduation, and other activities, and you might even be able to get help from other homeschoolers using the same or a similar program as you. You could even buy, sell, and trade your materials within your homeschool group at curriculum fairs when you need someting new. They are wonderful resources.

I know a lot about homeschooling and unschooling through experience, so email me if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help or find someone who can help.

Answer 4

I did home school and I had to teach my self. It is smart to have a parent help teach you but if that is not possible then do your work try to teach yourself. There are website that can help you. For example if you are doing math and want to know if you did the problem correct, then they will show you step by step how to work the problem and then answer for you. I will try to find the websites i used and send them to you! I taught myself, and I graduated with B+ and A's. You will just have to discipline yourself and take them time to work the problems and try to learn them. Good luck on your decision.