Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion To the homeschoolers about unschooling

Thanks for the feedback, right now that is one answer. I hope someone answers that has experience going forward in the grades because I would really like to know.

As someone mentioned elsewhere, no shoe fits all and gifted curriculum isn't necessarily a size fits all, though the peer group is nice.

And maybe the unschooling approach is a great way to supplement.

Ren

I wasn't sure if you were responding to me. By going forward in the grades do you mean having an older child? Our child has graduated from high school.

I couldn't have said this better, and I too thought that a few of us had helped answer your question. This is exactly our experience. The large part of why we incorporate "unschooling" into our homeschooling is to try and slow down the speed at which he keeps accelerating every year. Our certified teacher is shocked at how much we accomplish in a homeschool day, even when compared against other HS children. This, and we're not even a family who sits down for hours at end with school. Today, DS has been up and doing other things (grocery shopping, his novel, playing swords in the backyard), and still managed to complete an entire chapter in math, 4 handwriting pages, 2 spelling pages, latin, science, a geography activity, and 20 minutes of EPGY grammar in 2 hours of applied schoolwork. Other than handwriting, it's all 2-4 years ahead of grade level.

Uhhh.,..edited to clarify that "playing swords" means waving his plastic Griffyndor sword around while playing Harry Potter with his 2 year old. Just to be clear that we're not totally insane! LOL!

Hi gratefulmom, are you sure you mean "his" two year old? Thanks for the answer. Passthepotatoes, if your child is in HS, I would very much like to hear from you. How did you manage with state tests, how did your child progress and where now? What is happening when applying to colleges?

I guess I'm not sure I totally understand your concern Wren. HG kids as a general rule do very well on standardizes tests such as state tests or SAT or ACT. Many are able to score at the level of a strong college applicant on the SAT or ACT without any preparation by the time they are in sixth or seventh grade. That isn't to say that everything about homeschooling is a breeze, but as a rule pretty much the last thing you have worry about is whether or not they will pass standardized tests or be able to get into college.

I think maybe you are asking what happens if a student wants to radically accelerate and they are homeschooled. If that's the question, there is quite a lot of flexibility in that. Parents typically design the course of study and prepare the transcript for college admissions. Homeschooled parents don't have to ask permission or negotiate grade skips, your kid can just work on the level he or she is prepared to work on. Many students take part time college classes when they are ready and may enter full time when it seems most desirable for the family weighing a variety of factors (academic, financial, social, etc.) That may or may not be at the typical chronological age. Our child entered college a few years early and it was no problem.

Thanks PTP. Did your chld enter a big school or small one and was there any kind of adjustment going to a big school?

I really would like to know people's experience like this. It is hard to make choices without a data bank. You hear some anecdote about someone's experience but without knowing how different kids dealt with all of it. Not just he/she was ahead and got into college.

Just like someone finally did a longitundinal study of kids that had gone to Hunter from K and others who entered at 7th grade and saw what happened after 30 years. Also what schools they applied and went. And what happened in their lives, in terms of success, happiness.

Just like that study in CA where the rejects from the gifted program were actually the ones that won the Nobel prizes.

I would like to know how this unschooling thing works. Because I am finding that custom fitting may be the right thing but I hope I can learn from the types of kids it works really well, and maybe what doesn't work because of factors we may not recognize right off the top.

I would like to know how top colleges view the transcripts and the experience.

Ren

Speaking of that silly debate:

http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mv..._Code=QC-BAKING&Category_Code=QC#top

PTP, you mentioned the financial factor. Everybody used to talk about homeschooling to finish highschool, then going to a CC for the first two years before transferring to a uni. Didn't keep in touch. Don't know if anybody made it. But how does homeschooling/unschooling affect or limit scholarship opportunities. Or does it?

There are homeschoolers and unschoolers getting admitted to top schools and getting great scholarships. Of course it all depends on what the student does with the opportunities they have. In some ways students outside of traditional education may have an edge in admissions and scholarships because they have a lot more flexibility and freedom to distinguish themselves from the pack.

There hasn't been a lot of good study done on homeschooling and really it is such an incredibly diverse group that it would be very difficult. I think what we can say with certainty right now is that there are homeschoolers who are getting admitted to top colleges and getting great scholarships. Being at home should pose no disadvantage to a talented, motivated student. And, the flexibility afforded by the education may offer some specific benefits like time to focus on special interests and the opportunity to explore more advanced studies while in high school.

I'm not sure what you mean by "everybody". I can say in the slice of the homeschooling world I see community college while in high school is common, but most students directly enter four year schools at that point. I know many homeschoolers, including my child, who have earned large merit scholarships.