We used a rigid curriculum at the beginning of this year. (Granted, my children are 7 and 9, not 14) They *hated* it. School became a battle. So, since I didn't know what to do, I did nothing. <grin> Basically, we became unschoolers.

A couple of weeks ago, my son informed me that this was not satisfactory. He wants more of a traditional curriculum. So - next year, we are going to use a few more schoolbooks. But we're going to stay away from a very workbooky type of curriculum. I personally think it sucks the life and the learning right out of kids.
-- Kristina (Ladeebkwrm@aol.com)

The biggest thing I learned ... was that while academics is important, character is what matters most. I want my kids to excel academically, but what good is "head knowledge/book knowledge" if you have no regard for others and you do not know how to walk uprightly?
-- Nancy

It is unfortunate to see schoolish ideas in homeschooling. Why grade your child? Grades are given to put people in ranks. Why give your child a test to see how she/he scores? This numbering and labeling is from a competitive minded culture; it has no application to true learning. You can see if your child is learning. You can see if your child has understanding. No child is average, no child is above or below average. We don't need to use these terms or even think them. Every child is each their own person who God made.
That is all, and that is everything important to know.
-- Karen (Laslzm@aol.com)

I guess I have always maintained that "unschooling" is not so much a method as a different way of considering education. Instead of an authority figure structuring the learning process from without, I see unschooling as the learner deciding to learn, wanting to learn, desiring to learn - and then seeking out the best way to go about the learning.
-- Karen (Laslzm@aol.com)

Testing doesn't accurately reflect what has been learned. It only reflects what has been taught. If a test was to include all the things a student had learned, only the student could create it. And by society's standards, what good would that be?
Plus the student is bound to leave something out, with all they have learned.
-- Jeanne (Musfe5@aol.com)