Most traditional essays include a thesis statement, which is where a writer states the paper’s central point. Though there are exceptions, basic thesis statements are generally one sentence long and located at the beginning or end of the paper’s introductory paragraph. A strong thesis statement… …makes an argument. Ask yourself: Can I support my argument with evidence–as … Read more
Until recently, I only had a hazy understanding of the difference between homeschooling and unschooling. For clarification, I read Unschooling 101: Top 10 Questions About Learning Without School, by Sara McGrath. Here’s my current understanding: When we talk about homeschoolers, we’re talking about the broad category of students who learn outside of the full-time American school system. … Read more
After investigating the difference between homeschooling and unschooling, I was curious about the definition of radical unschooling. To get one educator’s take, I read Radical Unschooling: A Revolution Has Begun, by Dayna Martin. Here’s Martin’s definition: Radical unschooling, which expands unschooling philosophy to parenting, means you extend that same trust to other areas of your child’s life, like foods, media, … Read more
It’s rare for me to wholeheartedly endorse a book as being important enough that every parent should read it, but I’ve just finished one that’s as close to that designation as I’m ever going to find. It’s Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With Or Without School, by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver. … Read more
Last night I paid our cable company to reinstate our access to the Oprah Winfrey Network just long enough to watch Our America with Lisa Ling, which was doing an episode about “Extreme Parenting.” Ling interviewed four families: wealthy “tiger” parents who pay $40,000/year/child for a year-round high-pressure school, unschoolers who allow their four children to learn … Read more
Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the number of books I would need to read to be a “well-educated” person. Every time a colleague references a “classic” that I haven’t conquered, I cringe and add it to a Word document full of unread literature. I also fall prey to guilt-inducing, bookseller-funded Top Book lists: “The Top 10 … Read more
If you’ve read How to Tutor Your Own Child, you probably saw Chapter 6, “iDon’t Think iKnow Where My Homework Is: Helping Kids Connect and Organize for the Twenty-First Century.” In it, I address how to maximize the educational impact of 21st-century technologies. Now, I wish I could go back and augment the section about Facebook–since … Read more
School’s out for the afternoon, and it’s time for real-life learning to begin! Despite the best intentions of a classroom teacher, it’s incredibly hard to keep up with the individual needs of every student. But you as a parent have an advantage: You see your children daily and can nurture classroom learning with resources at … Read more
