So, slightly random question, but are you by any chance the Chrissy Gardiner who may have knit quite a few pairs of socks in the twenty teens? If so, hiiiiii, awkward wave, small world!
Hi, Hunter! Yes, that’s me lol. I was hitting major burnout right around the time you were really getting rolling so I don’t knit much anymore but really loved your episode!
I think this discussion required a lot more nuance. As a former educator of kids with dyslexia, I know that plenty of children would never just decide to try to learn to read on their own, and that parents are unequipped to try to help a lot of these kids if the get to middle grades and suddenly realize they missed out on learning a critical life skill. It's a LOT harder to learn as an adult, especially if you have a learning disability. Adults who cannot read at a middle school level or higher will struggle their entire lives with basic executive functioning, like communicating, learning about current events, applying for benefits, consenting to medical procedures in an informed way, the list goes on and on. Parents who don't prioritize teaching their kids to read are taking AWAY their kids' freedom.
That being said, I left the education profession because I truly felt like my entire job was teaching neurodivergent kids to mask. It fed into a lot of internalized ableism that I'm working hard to overcome. I don't want my own kids to become compulsive perfectionists /people pleasers like I did due to autistic masking.
Hi, Mimi! Yes, this discussion barely scratched the surface of what’s involved with unschooling. I will push back a bit on the idea that kids can only learn to read in school. Unschooling is not neglect, and unschoolers absolutely help their kids learn to read (and write, and do math), including seeking out the necessary supports for learning disabilities. I’m not sure why you think plenty of kids wouldn’t want to learn to read, because reading helps open the world to them in so many ways. I mean, lots of unschooled kids teach themselves to read so they can participate in Minecraft forums or chat with friends on Discord. My kids didn’t necessarily have an interest in being told what to read, but that isn’t the same as not wanting to read anything.
Lots of kids have their interest in reading snuffed out because of school forcing them to consume specific content in a rigid manner. Both of my kids, especially my daughter who was older when she left school, are still suffering the after effects of this. Yes, school will teach kids stuff and there are absolutely situations where kids are better off being in school, but it’s not automatically without harm, especially where we autistics are concerned.
I appreciate your comment - there is so much we didn’t have a chance to get into in the episode so it’s great to have the chance to say a little more here!
I did not mean to imply that school is the only place they can learn to read. I know many neurodivergent kiddos are able to pick up how to read, especially if they are HYPERlexic. It was true for my son. It may even be true for most kids, but that's not my concern. I have read that many unschooling parents say their kids never do get the natural drive to learn to read. Many autistic kids also have DYSlexia. And as a person who has worked with dyslexic kids, I know that for a lot of them (and there are different degrees of thus disorder, of course) reading is not intuitive. For many kids, reading DOES require explicit instruction. This could be from a teacher or a tutor or a well-trained parent. But many kids DO need to be taught.
I'm just saying, unschooling could be an option for neurodivergent kiddos, and you laid out some convincing reasons why, but parents should always keep an eye on where their kids are at with basic math and literacy. If they get to a certain developmental point without learning these things, or without a parent realizing they have dyslexia, it could become extremely difficult for them to attain important life skills.
So, slightly random question, but are you by any chance the Chrissy Gardiner who may have knit quite a few pairs of socks in the twenty teens? If so, hiiiiii, awkward wave, small world!
Hi, Hunter! Yes, that’s me lol. I was hitting major burnout right around the time you were really getting rolling so I don’t knit much anymore but really loved your episode!
I think this discussion required a lot more nuance. As a former educator of kids with dyslexia, I know that plenty of children would never just decide to try to learn to read on their own, and that parents are unequipped to try to help a lot of these kids if the get to middle grades and suddenly realize they missed out on learning a critical life skill. It's a LOT harder to learn as an adult, especially if you have a learning disability. Adults who cannot read at a middle school level or higher will struggle their entire lives with basic executive functioning, like communicating, learning about current events, applying for benefits, consenting to medical procedures in an informed way, the list goes on and on. Parents who don't prioritize teaching their kids to read are taking AWAY their kids' freedom.
That being said, I left the education profession because I truly felt like my entire job was teaching neurodivergent kids to mask. It fed into a lot of internalized ableism that I'm working hard to overcome. I don't want my own kids to become compulsive perfectionists /people pleasers like I did due to autistic masking.
I'm open to hearing others' thoughts about this.
Hi, Mimi! Yes, this discussion barely scratched the surface of what’s involved with unschooling. I will push back a bit on the idea that kids can only learn to read in school. Unschooling is not neglect, and unschoolers absolutely help their kids learn to read (and write, and do math), including seeking out the necessary supports for learning disabilities. I’m not sure why you think plenty of kids wouldn’t want to learn to read, because reading helps open the world to them in so many ways. I mean, lots of unschooled kids teach themselves to read so they can participate in Minecraft forums or chat with friends on Discord. My kids didn’t necessarily have an interest in being told what to read, but that isn’t the same as not wanting to read anything.
Lots of kids have their interest in reading snuffed out because of school forcing them to consume specific content in a rigid manner. Both of my kids, especially my daughter who was older when she left school, are still suffering the after effects of this. Yes, school will teach kids stuff and there are absolutely situations where kids are better off being in school, but it’s not automatically without harm, especially where we autistics are concerned.
I appreciate your comment - there is so much we didn’t have a chance to get into in the episode so it’s great to have the chance to say a little more here!
I did not mean to imply that school is the only place they can learn to read. I know many neurodivergent kiddos are able to pick up how to read, especially if they are HYPERlexic. It was true for my son. It may even be true for most kids, but that's not my concern. I have read that many unschooling parents say their kids never do get the natural drive to learn to read. Many autistic kids also have DYSlexia. And as a person who has worked with dyslexic kids, I know that for a lot of them (and there are different degrees of thus disorder, of course) reading is not intuitive. For many kids, reading DOES require explicit instruction. This could be from a teacher or a tutor or a well-trained parent. But many kids DO need to be taught.
I'm just saying, unschooling could be an option for neurodivergent kiddos, and you laid out some convincing reasons why, but parents should always keep an eye on where their kids are at with basic math and literacy. If they get to a certain developmental point without learning these things, or without a parent realizing they have dyslexia, it could become extremely difficult for them to attain important life skills.