Drawing Exercises - Do you think this will convince my parents to let me unschool?

Do you think this will convince my parents to let me unschool?

##I'd like to hear some feedback. I've had a week back at school after the summer holidays and already I'm hating it. I'm starting 5th Form in New Zealand, if that helps.### These are the alternatives presented to me at school. I could stay in the mainstream classes and bore myself to death with topics I've covered a thousand times. Or, I could go back to the extension classes and let my self esteem lower because I'm at the bottom of the class. Or I could leave and unschool myself. I plan to convince you to let me leave school using common sense and logic, instead of gut feelings and false ideas absorped from society. I will present to you examples from my own life where I've taken an unschooling approach and how it has worked for me. I will show examples of ways school has not worked for me. And as a last resort, I could try to explain to you how school makes me feel. Firstly, you'll want to know how well I'll learn outside of school. After all, you know I don't have much motivation for homework as it is. How will I do anything if there is nobody to tell me to? To answer your question, look at my computer. I built that, using skills I've learned without aid from teachers. I installed the operating system, set up the media server, and now I'm looking into compiling my own system from source code. It is an excellent example of what I can learn when it is something I can find interesting. That's just one example. But almost anything else works in the same way if the tools I need are available. I learned to use Photoshop to quite an advanced level, and I started on the track to making music but the tools I needed weren't freely available. I do have the capacity to learn when what I need is there. I've started learning Python, because I have all the tools I need. I haven't started sewing because I can't thread my machine properly, so that tool isn't avaiable to me right now. If this plan is to work, we are all going to want me to learn at least as much as I would in school. I am confident that I will. I read 3 new books in the summer holidays. It doesn't sound like much, but it's as many as I read in a whole year of studying English. I already know more than they will teach me this year at school. In maths I have covered most of the stuff already. I'm pretty much doing what I did last year, with slightly different tests at the end. I can do some tests from previous years to prove it to you if you really want. There will no doubt be some gaps in my knowledge, but I can cover those instead of waiting for a class of individual, different people to slowly get to the subject I need to work on, and then move on before I've made some proper progress. I can work on what I need to work on, rather than what the rest of the class does. This applies to all subjects: 1.I can work on some interesting essays, static images and creative writing for English, rather than overanalysing a crap book. 2.I can paint without pressure for art, instead of being made to feel what I do isn't good enough. 3.I can keep working on freehand sketching for Graphics, instead of moving on to other things that I'm already good at. 4.I can study events in more recent history, that are having a very direct effect on what is going on now, rather than the relatively distant events we are studying now. 5.Physics is a tricky one. Most of the stuff is new, but I can take exams from previous years to see what I can already do, and then work on what I need to know. As well as these subjects being covered thoroughly, I will have a flexible timetable that will allow me to go to university lectures, read books, learn some code, sew, get more exercise and meet new people. Going to Toastmasters is a good idea I've shown you how I can be self motivated, but you probably still want to impose some new rules. I will need some structure, after all. I have come up with a list of new rules I am willing to abide by if you let me unschool. 1.2 hours of computer time most days, 3 hours twice a week. If there's something I really want to read I can print it out. 2.No pocket money unless I earn it. I feel bad for getting so much money for doing nothing, it's not fair. 3.I keep my workspaces organized. None of this will work if I live in a mess like I do now. 4.You can look at any work I do, and assign extra work on things you think I need to focus on. 5.I get up at 7 every day, doing stuff by 9. No sleeping in on weekends, no staying up late except under special circumstances. A regular sleep pattern will help me greatly. 6.I do regular exercise. I'm not as fit as I should be right now. 7.I go out every day. That's one benefit of school, it gets me outside. 8.If I do not meet these standards, I go back to school. That will be very good motivation Obviously these rules are negotiable. I'm doing this because I want to improve my life. I can't do that if 6 hours of my day is wasted at school, and the rest is spent trying t Please explain. And why would I work an 8 hour day job doing something I don't like? I'm not exactly planning to do that. My dad did, and he got quite a lot of money, but he wasn't happy. He's quit his job, and is now studying history at university. He's been a lot better since then, but I don't want to wait until I'm 50 to be free. I want to study something interesting, and get a job I enjoy. Not go straight into business like my dad did.

Public Comments

really sounds like you need school...
when or if you graduate what will you do during an 8 hr or more work day...you cant even do 6 hrs in school...and work is the same thing EVERY day
its upto you if you don't feel like going to school then u need to explain whole this to your parents
Ok... first off you have got to make sure you want this because some people are... Really close minded and i don't know about you're parents but I'm just telling you. Anyway i think you have a pretty good plan, it seems well thought out but there are some things you should think about. Like one of the most important things to remember is while you're talking to your parents is that you stay calm and no matter what you do DO NOT act like a child. [BTW i don't think you're stupid enough to do that but even the smartest people can lose their temper] they won't even think about it if you show one sign of being a kid. um... it would be helpful if you had a family friend or a trusted adult to back you. You also have to understand that just 'cos you know that this will work for you a lot of people [and i know from experience] 1. either don't understand it or don't know enough about it. Or 2.choose not to understand it because school is all they know so make sure you know what you're talking about and maybe have some information on hand for them... um...That's all i can think of right now... but if you have any questions about unschooling at all email me I'm happy to answer them So Good luck hope this helped some what =] p.s.Hey Hooker(?) just because someone thinks they can do better out of school then in doesn't mean you should leave an inane and laughable comment.
As a homeschooling mom who has plenty of experience with unschooling, I have to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed reading your every word. From what you’ve expressed here, you seem like an excellent candidate for unschooling (which not everyone is), and I feel you are certain to succeed—not just in pursuing your education outside of “institutionalized schooling,” but also in your life beyond. The core qualities that ensure a person’s success at unschooling are self-directedness, self-motivation, and a penchant for autodidactism —all of which you’ve managed to display right here. I have complete faith in you. Now for convincing your parents. Before we get to what you’ve written (excellent though it is), it’s absolutely essential that you be prepared for e v e r y s i n g l e potential argument your parents may have *against* your being unschooled. This requires that you first know ALL what your parents value and deem important in “education,” which you very likely DO, having spent the last 14-16 years with them. For example, if your parents place great emphasis on a university education (and getting into university in the first place), you are going to have to do the necessary research to convince them there is *nothing* about unschooling that should prevent you from getting into university. (If this is, in fact, an issue for them, I can direct you to links and articles that should reassure them). From your persuasive letter, I suspect that one of parents’ major concerns is that you will become ‘lazy,’ ‘undisciplined,’ and without any particular sense of direction, perhaps even headed for a life of “failure. This is certainly not true (as many unschoolers can attest…and you have done a good job in your letter of covering most all of the bases in this regard.) As a parent I can understand such concerns. It’s our JOB as parents to make sure our kids turn out to be respectable, self-supporting, and contributing members of society. So, the bottom line—even beyond your laying the basic groundwork and providing the “rules” by which you’ll abide *while* unschooling—is to convince your parents that your FUTURE is every bit as IMPORTANT to you as it is to them—and probably even more so, given that it’s *your* life we’re talking about. And let’s face it…. It’s the people who are passionate about their lives and their work who are the ones who inevitably end up making a difference in this world. As for your excellent letter to your parents, I have only a few suggestions: (1) In Paragraph #6, you might consider altering that first sentence a bit to better reflect your intentions, as well as reality: “If this plan is to work, we are all going to want me to learn at least as much as I would in school, if not a whole lot more (the latter of which I am especially intent upon doing).” (2) #3 under your Rules, I would alter it a bit to stay realistic: Consider something to the effect of: “I keep my workspaces reasonably organized. This will be a whole lot easier for me once I am pursuing the sort of education and learning I personally value and am intent upon mastering. However, if what might ever appear to you to be a “mess” in my private space, rest assured I will keep my door firmly closed so as not to ever offend you. Please also rest assured that should my workspace seem “chaotic” to you, it will *not* be to me, once I am in charge of my own education, which I am passionate about pursuing. (3) I would alter a bit that final sentence, “Obviously these rules are negotiable. I'm doing this because I want to improve my life” to read more like: “Obviously these rules are negotiable. I'm doing this because I want to improve upon my education, as well as guarantee a better future, in ways that institutionalized schooling, having failed thus far, can never do. When it comes time to discuss the letter with your parents, be sure to *listen* to their concerns and respond calmly and maturely. Avoid every temptation to get angry or defensive. Begin your answers to their objections or concerns with words such as, “I understand what you’re saying, and I’m totally with you on that,” OR “I’m so glad you mentioned that, because that’s a concern of mine as well. In fact, that’s WHY I think homeschooling/unschooling will enable me to achieve that sort of success (or “that very level of competence”). Keep forever in mind that you and your parents have the EXACT same ULTIMATE goal, which is your eventual success in life. For your own edification and support, as well as for preparing to convince your parents, I recommend you read the following (some of which you might want to print off and have at the ready for your parents, if not yourself): Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions and Articles By Alison McKee (Google this) Unschooling: Frequently Asked Questions http://www.unschooling.com/library/faq/i… Investigating the Idea of Homeschooling by Mandy Tyler (Google this article) Why Schools Don't Educate
First, I agree with Chickade :) A few further thoughts: #Your sentence about your sewing machine does not support your argument. It's fine to say you can't learn to sew because you can't thread your machine, but to prove you are a resourceful and independent learner, provide a solution that you can implement soon. #Your parents will want you to study English. You can provide a more convincing plan than you have. If I was your parent, I would want to see some sort of writing program, because I'm not convinced many people graduate school able to write as well as they should. I would also want to see a reading list. I quite understand not wanting to study crappy books, The Great Gatsby made me want to suffocate myself. However, reading three books wouldn't impress me even if that's all they do at school. Google 'The Well Educated Mind' and see what you think of that. It's got more in it than you would fit into two years even if you wanted to, but it has some good lists of classic books in different genres and study questions that will teach you to analyse. That is bound to impress your parents, and you can still pick which genre to study and which books within that genre. You could choose just to read the books, but it is better if you study them according to the guidelines in the book. Good luck :) Take a look at the homeschooling forums and review sites online. There might be resources for interesting things you'd never have thought of studying. You should even find resources for Physics if you really want to learn it! The Well Trained Mind message board has a forum for self educators, you don't need to have read their book to participate. Jump on there and ask questions. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums
Nice essay ... but two questions for you: 1. Have you found out the legal requirements - in NZ - to be able to leave school at only 14 or 15 years old? That is - if your parents don't get an exemption certificate from the NZ government you will be classified as truant, and they will be in a lot of trouble with the police. To get that exemption certificate for a 14 or 15 year old is quite difficult and it requires *your parents* to put together a detailed curriculum which roughly equates to what the government would expect from a school - for a 14 or 15 year old. Not just your own interests, and sorry, going to university lectures is unlikely to happen either. The (NZ) uni's have strict entry criteria - and even more so for those aged under 16. 2. Why are you using the old term "5th Form", which hasn't been used in NZ for about a decade? That is puzzling. We have referred to our classes as "Years" since about when you started school ...