That's just it, though-- what DO you do with a child who simply refuses to exercise a particularly important mode of learning or expression?
Is that okay? Well, the hard-core unschoolers that I know would say that it is. I disagree.
Yes, that's the problem. I suppose that saying, "NO, I. will. not. learn. about. verbs." is fine for an unschooled eight-year-old, because there are no consequences involved.
What bothers me is that putting a child in the driver's seat sends a clear message saying,
you're different from others, and if it makes you uncomfortable, just do something else. <3 <3 What happens when the child is 18 and can't get through remedial English at the community college, either because it's too hard or he's never had to exercise self-discipline? Worse, what happens if he carries this attitude into a job? I've met people who never had to learn self-discipline. It's not pretty at age 20, and it's Medusa-like in its ugliness at age 50. Not to mention the lost opportunities.
I have trouble with basing something as critical as a child's education on an idea that "children are natural learners, so we can just let them lead." Absorbing information may indeed come naturally, but this fact doesn't mean, "And therefore kids can acquire a meaningful education with minimal guidance and no expectations."
