An Unscripted Rant on Unschooling

[@inthemood4mayhem]

ok diva but how is your kid supposed to ask you to educate them about things they don’t know exist lol

[@MikasRhetoric]

this is THE comment

[@lilkathster]

Your job as an unschooling parent is to expose them to the things they don't know they don't know. You unschool effectively by cultivating a rich, tailored learning environment, not just sitting back and waiting for them to reinvent the wheel.

[@LethalLemonLime]

​@@lilkathsteralongside actual education of course

[@Chelseabee55]

Thank youuuuu

[@defendingthestrawman7103]

That is not really how it is supposed to work... The original concept of unschooling is more just child-oriented, rather teacher-centred. Unschooling, if done correctly, is actually a whole lot MORE work for the parent. E.g. teaching accounting and entrepreneurship through actually letting a child run a small business for a year, or using music to explain basic fractions, actually baking to explain measurements, creating perfumes to explain fundamental concepts in chemistry, etc. It can also be very pricey. Not for the faint of heart...

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Kids already struggling in the normal edcuation system due to them not getting the help they need? CLEARLY THE SOLUTION IS LESS HELP! - These weirdo parents

[@HellsFurby]

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK BECAUSE WTF KIND OF LOGIC IS THIS 🙃

[@ContextWrench]

@@elvingearmasterirma7241hard agree but the states that only fund education with property taxes aren’t far off that terrifyingly

[@TrackerRoo]

It's not about educating kids. It's about parents using their authority to control kids. By cutting off what kids have access to they can keep them in their little cult umbrella with the goal being to do that for life.

[@ContextWrench]

@@TrackerRoo exactly it’s all about control

[@catis4]

I hate how many of these people talk about kids that go to public school just as "cogs" and as if they don't have a mind of their own. It gives me superiority complex and conspiratorial vibes

[@wooogie672]

unfortunately, it is often conspiratorial 😪

[@ronnie9306]

it's so dehumanizing :(

[@AnnamarieForcino]

Oh this is gonna eat

[@MikasRhetoric]

Thank you for believing in me girl

[@candace3493]

Hi Annamarie. Love you both!

[@x-gate-gate-gate]

Hey sinner 👋

[@Haileycarmen]

I am 33 years old, from the US , and was unschooled. I am still working to get ahead from it. It has negatively affected my success in almost every area. Seeing these parents compromise their kids for clout or out of selfishness is infuriating.

[@Who-en2vo]

I would be super interested in hearing about what you find is hardest to overcome/ catch up on (Im a similar age bracket and left a comment on here, too).

[@overlord_magatha]

​@@Who-en2vo i second your request to OG commenter, if it isn't too much trouble!

[@juliarush111]

"Unschooling" simply describes lazy, selfish, neglectful parents. You can't convince me otherwise

[@juliarush111]

I should add that while I don't typically agree with homeschooling as a whole, a parent who actually puts the work into following a curriculum and teaching their children is in a different league than the "unschooling" parents, whom I think are vile.

[@kittycodding4183]

I homeschool, and I completely agree! My daughter is diagnosed with autism. We don't have a good special education program in my small town. I pulled her out when her grades started falling and the school refused to address the bullying she was dealing with. We have a solid curriculum that we work with from a private school, and I can spend more time with my daughter to make sure she is understanding the material. However, my goal is to get her back into public school by high school, so she can get her diploma. I can't imagine unschooling. If I let my daughter choose what she wanted to do, she would draw and read fantasy books all day. Nothing else would get done.

[@defendingthestrawman7103]

​@@kittycodding4183Letting her read fantasy "all day" for a while is not such a bad thing... Children are not taught to read truly long form texts until high school. Reading fitness is something that needs to develop. Some children take to it naturally, while others have to be encouraged or even required to read. At university level, it is crucial to be able to deal with large volumes of information. You can use the fantasy novels to test her comprehension, grammar and vocabulary. You can teach her how to cite books correctly as part of a bibliography. You could have her write fanfiction to develop her writing skills - specifically narrative essay-writing. You could also use them as the basis for argumentative oral presentations. Student-centric learning, when done right, isn't some lazy approach that just ignores a child's weaknesses. It is just (supposed to be) a more flexible approach where the student's interests are used to develop their abilities in areas they experience more difficulty.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Yknow besides the lack of proper education, those poor kids also wont learn important skills a lot of us take for granted. Not just perseverance or social skills. But self control in the way of sitting down and doing work you dont want to because its important. Learning how to meet deadlines, how to plan and structure your day. How to work out levels of importance in things you have to do. Stuff like that. I feel like way too many adults take those skills for granted and expect kids to be born with it

[@Lulu_Catnaps]

This is so true!! I wasnt homeschooled actually I went to a great school, but like any child I wasnt just born with these skills and my busy/lowkey neglectful parents just wouldnt understand that. As a kid I was basically expected to manage my own routine and know everything going on in the house (if someone left, where they went, when theyll be coming back, wheter we need toothpaste etc.). Obviously as a kid i couldnt do all of that and it was clear my parents just thought I was stupid or willfully misbehaving...so much I have been having to unpack as an adult because of bad parenting, I cant imagine having to unpack that PLUS trying to somehow catch up with not having an education.

[@rileynavarra7652]

i had that exact experience since i did public online school for 5 years (grades 5, 7, 8, 9, & 12) and my parents were very neglectful for the entirety of my k-12. my parents also allowed me to cheat in math & science if it meant my grades were good and i never had to do homework like reading logs (since my mom just lied about how much i read). if i didn't move out of my parents house in grade 10 and choose to go back to public school, my self-control skills would be way worse than they are now. the longer i'm in teacher college (5 year B.Ed.), the more i realize how much my k-12 affected my success as an adult

[@SommerVideos]

what concerns me most is that all of these moms are saying "i WILL do this" not "I HAVE done this" "i will be going to goodwill and the library to get books for us" "I will be using these alternative strategies do teach my kids" like shouldnt you ALREADY have these plans and material resources in place already??? All of these moms were already in the process of teaching their kids and they are telling us that they do not have the resources to do so in the moment. they have not even planned out what resources they will need yet the child is already at the age where it should be having access to those resources. theyve made the decision to school in this way but have not made an actual plan

[@janefkrbtt]

ikr, it sounded like she was coming up with the plan as she said it

[@MeganGrace130513]

Kids should have books in the house/go to the library from day 1 tbh, like, it shouldn't be something you do just because you're 'teaching', access to books should be a normal, expected, part of raising kids. It boggles my mind (plus the focus on cooking etc. There's nothing stopping people doing that regardless of school...)

[@gracemvs]

It made me SO sad when the one lady said “I will read to him every night.” My mom read to me every single night since she was pregnant with me!!! even after I learned to read, she would read more difficult books out loud to my brother and I (we went to public school and are both lawyers now). She read us the entire Harry Potter series out loud!!! What do these people mean they’re only starting to read to their kids now???

[@Chasardous]

"I'm going to teach him about doing the things you love [no pause] I'm going to take him grocery shopping" lmfaooooo

[@Princess.Babosa]

All these unschooling moms have a cookie monster pajama pants vibe

[@MikasRhetoric]

So accurate

[@kleinefussel9]

You missed a beautiful sentence from the unschooled girl/woman: "i did not get the education i deserved". damn.

[@kelswells]

I was reflecting on my high school English classes the other day and realized that participating in Socratic discussions in AP Lang/Lit gave me the ability to critically analyze media and engage in discussion at a level I wouldn’t have reached otherwise. 5 years later I’m so glad I had the chance to take those classes.

[@MikasRhetoric]

I did Socratic seminars with my grade 7/8 classes as well for that reason!!

[@amandak.4246]

lol lucky. i didn't learn anything from them except to learn how to start speaking as soon as someone stops speaking. bc we got graded on how often we contributed/spoke in socratic discussions 😅

[@melissacarron2309]

This is one of the ways that we have people who believe insane conspiracy theories, because they have such a profound lack of understanding how things work, that they believe everything is fantastical and magical, it’s like a Middle Ages peasant seeing a mirror for the first time and believing that someone is stuck in there copying their movements lol

[@ilovemydog615]

Thank you for making these videos. Even though I'm pursing my doctorate in clinical psychology, I've never been taught the real value of primary education and primary educators. One thing you said in another video really stuck with me. While talking about the value of doctors/engineers against educators, you said "...without educators, these other professions would cease to exist...".

[@MikasRhetoric]

Thank you, it means a lot that you take meaning from my videos!!!

[@kkulist]

The pretending to "hold a bubble in your mouth" is a polite way by the teacher to get everyone to stop talking while they are teaching.

[@gracereece2097]

My Church runs childcare for a few days leading up to a big event we host every year, so the kids parents can help set up for it. I volunteer every year, and my friend and I have slowly been transitioning to run the childcare for the pre-school age children (3-5/6 years old) over the last few years. These days are LONG for the kids and for us. We usually get there around 9 or 10 in the morning, and the parents don't pick them up until 9 or 10pm. "Hold a bubble" is a life saver for our sanity! It is fun for the kids, AND it gives us adults a bit of time to think and figure out what we are going to do next. It also works for getting (and keeping) their attention while we give them instructions for their next activity or explain rules for a game. The kids actually love the "hold a bubble" game, too. It really works!

[@CaseyfromKentucky]

"Unschooling" survivor from the US here... my only saving grace was that I got to go back to public school against my mom kicking, screaming, and disowning me. I'm 32 years old with a masters degree, and I'm still finding new ways my early educational and social neglect impacted me.

[@AltLabPhoto]

You touched on it at halfway through this, but it’s so funny (in a sad way) to me that all of the things these unschooling people talk about as benefits is just like involved parenting 😅. But then completely ignoring the fact actual schooling isn’t just being taught specific subjects; it’s building social skills, physical skills, emotional skills, it’s critical thinking, & most importantly what I think their issue is because of their own beliefs, is being exposed to other individuals with other cultures & perspectives completely different from your own & ultimately these parents don’t know how to navigate those conversations with their own children… at all or without just pure indoctrination. The irony.

[@debbir1575]

Second language: it was an elective course when I went to school. You usually got one or two electives like home economics; wood shop; languages; chorus; etc.

[@wooogie672]

second languages were also elective. however, my middle school only offered french and spanish, starting in 7th grade. my public high school offered a lot more languages but it was also a brand new school in a wealthy area so…

[@debbir1575]

@@wooogie672 Same on what they called junior high where I’m from. French and Spanish High School; different district, Spanish and German only

[@Kirbywonder2468]

second language was required for me in high school! from CA. i believe i took two years of HS spanish (french and german were also offered) but then i dual enrolled in community college and did american sign language instead. i don’t remember if you’re required to take 3 years of a language, but they recommend people do it so they can say they’re fluent. second language was required at my community college to get an AA, but not an AS iirc. although language was technically an elective because you could choose which one (or test out), some level of it was still required to graduate.

[@debbir1575]

@@Kirbywonder2468 I graduated in the eighties in Michigan 🫣

[@willowwisp4307]

We were required to have I think 1 or 2 language credits for graduation. I took French my freshman year and then I ended up getting another credit from graphics due to us learning a slight bit of website coding during senior year. Only other languages we were offered were Spanish and sign language

[@cee__air__uh]

Oooh also just recognized the TikTok mom (Kelsey) you featured and she has some real wild lore. She used to be besties with the late Jessie Lee - a Pruvit (mlm) distributor who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and publicly engaged in pseudoscience practices to “cure” her cancer - she passed away last year. It’s such a deep dark rabbit whole to go down but very interesting, her engagement in mlm bs is infuriating lol. I don’t know if Kelsey is still in Pruvit but I can guarantee she’s still in some sort of mlm.

[@brynna8619]

That's why she looks familiar! Thank you

[@wooogie672]

jessie lee also essentially kidnapped her downline (including kelsey) to a trip in south america under false pretenses and at least one person had to leave because of diabetes complications from not packing the right supplies BECAUSE THEY WERE LIED TO BY JESSIE LEE 💀

[@notshardain]

@@wooogie672 SHE WHAT????

[@LittleMissLounge]

@@notshardain Then after they rightfully criticized her, JLW made a very dismissive response video. I'm genuinely sorry about what happened to her, but she was an awful person.

[@wooogie672]

@@notshardain look it up i’m so fr there’s a ton of videos about it and JLW’s response

[@grasstastesbad]

god… those parents are dooming their kids

[@vapiddreamscape]

YES this is my favorite kind of mika content! im from a family of educators and unschooling as a concept makes me actively enraged. im a college instructor so I have was less pedagogy training than a k-12 teacher and i deeply respect all the knowledge you bring to the table here

[@MikasRhetoric]

I just feel like the knowledge being gatekept is what got us here in the first place

[@vapiddreamscape]

​@@MikasRhetoricabsolutely! I'm def the hyper-specific target audience for a three hour KZbin video on reading/literacy pedagogy because I find it all fascinating as someone who is working w a lot of students coming out of k-12 writing and trying to expand their writing skills beyond the very specific set of skills they learn in public school (in the pnw of the us for context). you always bring such good insight to the table

[@OzTheRotten]

I know you kind of made a video on this topic already, I'm happy you're making a rant video about this. Education is so important and I feel like a lot of people don't understand that. Edit: Also teachers hold a very important role in our society, so thank you😭.

[@AnarchyIsLove]

as an adult who has used all the "useless" stuff they teach you in public school, I appreciate this video

[@lilliputianhitcher3808]

there is nothing more toxic than a parent who acts as thought their kids are just photocopies of themselves and not unique individual humans with their own needs and wants… yucky

[@daisyfe3t]

This is absolutely fascinating! My son just started kindergarten and was at daycare for most of his life. Do I feel guilty and sad that a lot of time with him was "lost", yes. Do I feel like they taught him things I would've never been able to communicate in the way they can, yes. In my personal opinion, public school is SO important and you can still teach them things like cooking, gardening, etc (as preciously mentioned multiple times, p a r e n t i n g). Great video!

[@daisyfe3t]

For the foreign language question - where I went to school, you had to take a foreign language for 2 years in high-school and was an hour each day

[@valerieodonnell6764]

As a parent I approve of having to hold your hand up to speak. Kids need to learn to wait for your turn, respect when others are talking, etc. You are not the center of the universe. Too many adults still haven’t learned that lesson.

[@faithdavis6993]

"Hold a bubble in your mouth" is a strategy teachers of younger children use to get children to be quiet, typically so the teacher can speak to the class. "Okay everyone, hold a bubble in your mouth and put your listening ears on"

[@TangentialTif]

Hannah Alonzo is a creator with a teaching background. She has a video doing a deep dive on all of this with examples of how the US school system works. TLDW; kids aren’t at their desk for very long at a time and it equals less than half the day, but the system was built for movement and variability. I’m ancient according to these TikTok moms and even I as a kid remember that sitting at a desk for a long time didn’t start until at least middle school. And I had undiagnosed ADHD so I definitely remember that change.

[@myst0dreamer]

I think I did sit at a desk for a long time from first grade on. All I remember about doing anything else was going to the bathroom, and having 2 recesses per day in the early years. For those early years we even ate lunch in the classroom. We had a morning snacktime. We didn't change classes until about 4th grade and also we mostly had the same teacher all day in the first couple of years. Yes, the same teacher taught math and reading. I don't remember any other subjects until 4th grade either. Oh, wait, I went to a religious school so we did have religion class. What did we do all day??? I don't remember. School went from 8:15 AM to 3:15 PM. I don't even remember much bad behavior in the classroom back then, except talking.

[@flaggov6949]

​@@myst0dreamer Me too. After kindergarten, we were at our desks save lunch and 2 recesses. Which weren't very long. And we were required to go outside for recess which I hated because where I lived had a long winter and I don't handle cold well. Bored at a desk or freezing cold.

[@someonerandom256]

I was at a desk all day from Kindergarten on.

[@myst0dreamer]

I was thinking about what we did a little more. Reading, I somehow feel, I could be wrong, was a broader subject than it seems to be today. We learned the alphabet, how to print, and how to handwrite, specifically penmanship. We did spelling and phonics. We read from readers in the beginning (I always read the whole thing right away.) We also learned arithmetic, the times tables, "new math", and long division. And the religion class. I really don't remember anything else. That was at least the first two, maybe 3 years. After that we started changing teachers/class. We added English, History, Geography, Science until 8th grade.

[@ginaginagina.]

Not to mention that “non traditional” education already exists in Montessori and Waldorf philosophies for those who want to steer away from the traditional model of a public/private school.

[@syddlinden8966]

Most of the people I see posting about doing unschooling cannot afford Montessori or Waldorf schools. Those schools are not cheap and typically not publicly funded.

[@macie3731]

@@syddlinden8966so taking the kid out of school altogether is the solution?

[@TiaNichole17]

Unpopular opinion: I think “unschooling” was created to incorporate a play based preschool’s philosophy mixed in with a Montessori philosophy and they labeled it as unschooling.

[@TiaNichole17]

@@syddlinden8966 I have seen some of these parents have their own businesses and has money, they can easily link up with another parent and pay for a teacher to come teach their kids for half of the price of private school. Or they can get a homeschool curriculum and teach them the material themselves.

[@gongalicious]

Went to school in Texas: we were required to do a second language but it didn't get equal time as English. We didn't have to take languages until high school where I grew up, and we only needed to take about 2 or 3 years of it to get the necessary credits. Also! The lady in the first tiktok says she's an entrepreneur, right? She works for an MLM lmao. I think it's Pruvit. So yeah she's not a legitimate entrepreneur. Edit: Lmao I should have waited because you found this out literally right after I posted this. That lady is pretty notorious in the anti MLM space so it was crazy to see her blow up for this.

[@MikasRhetoric]

Yeah I looked up the MLM lmaooo

[@debbir1575]

Our public education system can often be broken down to its differences by what school district you live in. We moved a lot when I was a kid, within the county and state where I was born. I changed school districts often and would be behind or ahead of my classmates.

[@Princess.Babosa]

NOT TO COMMENT A THIRD TIME BUT i think a big problem is that these unschooling parents dont realize you dont just gain base knowledge as you grow up, it isnt a concept like common sense. They talk about teaching their kids life skills that they as parents are *supposed* to teach their kids (while accusing the schools of failing because they dont teach these things, not realizing their own parents likely failed them) and doing things like going to the zoo but like.. your kid isnt going to absorb reading, writing, and math skills magically. Taking them to the zoo is enrichment, absolutely, but it's bordering on popcorn in terms of educational value if all youre doing is looking at the animals. All of these unschooling parents are parents of young children too. They are all in the VERY easy part of the education process comparatively. Its easy to say "we'll go to the zoo, we'll go to the aquarium, we'll read books" but in four years when they reach anything more advanced than spelling and addition tables these ideologies will crumble fantastically or these children will become nonfunctioning adults that will struggle at what are the most commonplace experiences for the rest of us

[@Spamhard]

Lets not forget that taking your kids to the zoo is going to be better enrichment if they can actually read, so they can learn from the educational signs around. And grocery shopping is going to go a whole lot better if they can read aisles and labels and packaging, and do basic math for pricing, decimals, percentages etc.

[@Princess.Babosa]

@@Spamhard the worst part is that the parents failing to teach their children won't deal with the outcome of the situation. The rest of us will as they blindly flail through society.

[@Spamhard]

@@Princess.Babosa Exactly. And the kid will suffer their entire life. Watching that guy on tiktok who's learning to read as an adult is sad to see. Good that he's learning now, but sad that he was put in that position.

[@delanieoakley4]

this topic gets me so hyped as a former homeschooled kid- so excited for your take

[@MikasRhetoric]

I hope you like the video!!

[@batsradpossum392]

What really irks me about those unschooling videos is those parents are filming and posting their process online… and probably making money of of outrage engagements. Like their focus isn’t 100% on the child’s need, but the child is part of the generating of wealth and the lie of “oh it’s for their own good” is perpetrated? Gross

[@batsradpossum392]

Also stop posting your kids online!!!!

[@kareraisuderp97]

Teachers are so under appreciated and it makes me sad. I remember when I was in elementary school i loved drawing and it would distract me but one of my teachers bought me art supplies and gave me old printer paper to draw on. I still remember that and I'm almost 27. I feel like where I am the low pay and disrespect from parents and the constant taking of funds for proper materials just ruins teachers and the want to teach.

[@cee__air__uh]

In my experience, learning a second language has been required in both high school and college. Each school has a slightly different selection of languages you can learn depending on the teachers they have available, but Spanish, French, and ASL have been pretty standard. I’ve also seen that German and Japanese (which I’m currently taking) have become more common.

[@Goldenfur12698]

I am a fellow highly educated (doctored) professional with an assload of student debt. I only have the debt BECAUSE this job makes me happy. it's not like they sprung me with the bill when I walked to accept my diploma, it was a calculated risk that I took willingly. I want to cry for this woman's children, when they become adults they will either be the most horrific people or they will have no relationship with their mother

[@angleofcarts]

The thing i cant grasp about unschooling is that homeschooling is literally an option. You can literally keep the kids home with proper education but you choose to just strip everything but the few basic words and pronouns... its sad

[@MikasRhetoric]

I also feel like the people often unschooling think pronouns are not what they actually are if you catch my drift

[@angleofcarts]

@@MikasRhetoric lmao youre right

[@amethystimagination3332]

Why are these people so against books and reading? Some of my happiest childhood memories involve reading books. I would read the books then my friends who also read the books would go outside and act out scenes from the book or make our own characters that live in the world, I would draw things inspired by books I read. Books are an amazing part of childhood and screw you unschooling parents for denying your kids that

[@myst0dreamer]

You just brought back the memory that my friends and I liked to act out plays in grade school. Thanks. I have also heard that many college students cannot read entire books anymore. In grade school one of my favorite things was to go to the library every 3 weeks to take out as many books as I was allowed to (12), read them all, then come back to get more. I was the kid reading outside during recesses. Yeah, I was the odd one doing that, but I wouldn't trade what I learned from doing that for a different experience.

[@l.l.l364]

Im from a 3rd world country and its illegal to not send ur kids to school here , wtf is happening in america

[@MeMah-tr2ye]

I was "unschooled" from 1st-8th grade. I ended up being thrown back in at 9th just to fail and drop out in 10th. Currently 10 years later, im still trying to get my GED. Ive had to lie and grind my way into a decent paying job, im very lucky but honestly-please hear my experience and do not make another child struggle like us unschoolers have. I truly believe there are unschoolers out there getting the best, but i suspect it's mainly a cop out for neglectful parents, god knows mine were.

[@ElizaKnows]

44:56 sooooo you’re going to parent your child? All the things she said should already be happening !

[@agroteraaaa]

too many of these unschooling moms are giving the same energy as the girls who bullied me in high school for liking to read. like, i know my flavor of intelligence is not universally applicable and the american education system has BIG flaws, but at least i'm not taking it out on an innocent child.

[@ohkaypretty]

The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler makes the exact same argument as you illustrated with your student - reading strategies taught in isolation have FAR less of an impact on comprehension than background knowledge.

[@mv9653]

My issue is less the fact that unschooling is a thing and more the reasons so many parents choose to unschool: the idea that public schools are “indoctrinating” children by teaching them things the parents don’t like or agree with. It ties into the idea that parents own their children.

[@caitlynn5652]

I don't have children, but this subject upsets me so much! I think there are many issues with public school, but parents taking over all of the education is definitely not the answer. I grew up in BC and took so much French, can't hold a conversation to save my life 😂😂

[@ThyCatalystRaves]

Wait, wait, wait.... Children are entering the FIRST grade without being able to speak or read BASIC SENTENCES?? 😬🙁As in, by the age of 5, they CANNOT speak full on?? Pheeeuwww, I am growing more and more eternally grateful that I grew up in a lit heavy household.

[@lilliputianhitcher3808]

i hate that the world has evolved into: things shouldn’t be hard… but actually things being hard is good

[@lilliputianhitcher3808]

also lol i did catering and cooking all the way to year 11 in school, that’s just factually incorrect lmao

[@angelaatwood486]

As a 6th grade social studies teacher here in Texas (yes I know), unschooling scares me. Many reasons why, in my state on public school there is tons of testing that not even private school has to do. They aren’t held to same standards with lessons, nothing. Many unschooling parents don’t even have a college education and that might sound elitest I don’t care. Teachers are paid like garbage and have to have at minimum a bachelor’s. We have gotten homeschooling kids coming to middle school reading on a 2nd grade level. A lot of these parents arent equipped to teach even the ability to critically think. There are studies that show homeschooling kids out perform public school kids on college testing. My argument is that I think it works for some, not parents like this. Some parents can do it, most are former educators. So in my states our curriculum is changed almost yearly to have highly qualified instructional materials. I’m also concerned a lot of the kids that are forced into this unschooling are usually kids with behavioral problems that need structure. Unschooling doesn’t teach them anything but everything is about them and they never learn to live in a community. My classroom is a community.

[@chelscara]

I definitely think they need to test that again, because I feel like that stat will be changing soon.

[@KeaIrene23]

I agree with you! It can be done, but it takes a LOT of planning and effort from the parents. I have also seen most success come from college educated families. I am currently back in college to get a degree in English/Education, and I have seen a difference in my teaching. My son has always done well, but again, I attribute that to the fact I bought a standard-based curriculum that taught me HOW to teach him and didn't try to make my own when I wasn't qualified to do so. I would add to it, but our core curriculum was done by qualified people. I also made a detailed plan for the whole year and spent hours watching/talking with licensed educators about better ways to teach these subjects while staying aligned with standards.

[@ninaabbel938]

I’m from Europe and the entire concept of home schooling is just so foreign to me. I teach middle and high school aged kids, and they need structure. They need the social environment a school provides. I don’t teach them any of my values, but I do teach them about their own values and how to value and respect others. I teach civics and arts. So turning them into citizens is my jam. That lady that was talking about “civic minded” was just baffling to me. So you want your child to be disruptive and unproductive. She’s setting her children up for failure.

[@valerieodonnell6764]

I homeschooled my son for 1 year because of Covid. He was soooooo ready to go back when the schools finally opened again. He missed the social aspects more than anything.

[@wxnxyz]

12:43 mostly yes: 11 states require a year of non-english language for HS graduation and 24 have it as one option in a required category. additionally, a lot of colleges will require 2-3 years for admission.

[@wxnxyz]

also on a note more comparable to quebec, this is definitely not the case in a lot of the US but I know a lot of California elementary schools include spanish lessons since it’s so widely spoken here

[@tomiedollie]

I absolutely agree with the student loan thing being worth it. No amount of debt can erase the experiences one gains from obtaining a higher education; Especially if your school has extracurricular programs that take students outside the classroom to learn hands-on skills related to their interests.

[@noodlepoodle3582]

Ok but I would absolutely watch Mika lecture about pedagogy for 3 hours straight

[@jmicha91]

I will never agree that a single person (even if they'd have a teaching degree - which those parents do not have) is capable to effectively teach their children at home in way that would enable them to go to the University or have a successful career.

[@MikasRhetoric]

Yes I agree too, like I have no idea how to teach for example 3rd grade social studies

[@julieblair7472]

I will tell you right now learning how to sit down in front of books, computers, and papers is THE way to encourage your child's creativity. You have to learn to do things and sit still and focus to create from your ideas. No one needs to be taught how to play outside. These mlm hustle divas don't even have hobbies.

[@Gabngaff]

Lol the bubble thing is a way to get kids to be quiet. Teachers will say “catch a bubble” and you fill your mouth with air to stay quiet. Literally a funish was to get kids to quiet down🤣🤣i didnt think this was so serious

[@LittleMissLounge]

Oh, nooooo! Kids might learn to be quiet, respectful, listen to others, and take turns! We can't have that commie shit! 😭😂

[@bridgetnannig6551]

As a former teacher of a lot of kids who are growing up in really tough circumstances, these people don’t understand how important schools are to ensuring kids have access to resources (food, counseling, mandated reporters). It’s not just “government overreach” for funsies

[@TrackerRoo]

It's why I'm always super suspicious of people who home school. You're cutting the kid off from a social life and outside adults who would be able to spot signs of abuse.

[@aries_8197]

The “Bubble in your mouth” thing is a common phrase used in preschool and kindergartens where teachers who are about to walk their kids through a quiet area or to a different area of the school tell their students to put a “bubble in your mouth” (just holding air in their mouths) so that way they don’t talk or scream indoors while they’re walking and allows them to listen easier to follow directions. The kids kinda see it as a game to hold the bubble as long as possible. Idk why that mom had an issue with it cuz it’s pretty useful even for parents if they have 2 or more kids and need them to listen or stay quiet to not disturb people.

[@Tazzie1312]

Because her kid has the right to speak whenever he wants, dontcha know, and he should get to interrupt people and never be told no.

[@Miguel-zp5un]

As someone who hates being around people in general. At the very least, school taught me that social skills and knowing how to talk in front of people and being part of group discussions are really fucking beneficial.

[@myst0dreamer]

As a shy kid, I wasn't always comfortable with school, but now I imagine how socially unprepared I would have been if I hadn't gone to school. I might have been too afraid even leave the house.

[@popqueen823]

The “catch a bubble” is usually a way to keep kids quiet in the hallways 😂 to hold a bubble of air in their mouths so they don’t shout or make too much noise in transit. when I worked at the YMCA we did “ bubbles in, Ys up🤙🏽” to keep kids quiet and accounted for when moving in big groups😂

[@Thenewboidahlia]

Second language when I was in school was if I’m not mistaken mandatory for at least 3 years? I had the option of Italian and Spanish and I think German or something? And my brother was able to take ASL for his second language class. Also that second tik tok lady was TERRIFYING she had the crazy eyes 😂😂😂

[@SereneSalem]

This is probably my new favorite video from you!! As a new substitute teacher and someone considering going into education later in life, I love hearing your perspective!! Very insightful 🫶

[@MikasRhetoric]

Thank you!!

[@rileynavarra7652]

i'm indigenous but adopted by monolingual white people so they never had the ability / put in the effort to teach me my language. that's why i'm so grateful the public school in my city (regina) had a cree class as an elective! i'm not even cree but learning a bit of the language helped me with transferable skills for my language (like animate vs inanimate, word order, etc)

[@FarkleBeans]

I listen to your videos during my workday, and the amount of times I've done you dirty on a pause face is shameful. :D Also, weird how all my kids went to public school, and I STILL taught them how to shop on a budget, and we played games, and learned about the environment around us, and cooked/baked, and had fun. Sure, they went to school, and I worked, but when we were home, I was doing this thing called parenting. They're pretty well-rounded people today, and I'm grateful for that.

[@HellsFurby]

You make such a great point (well tons of great ones actually) about reading and holding the can up but girl you took me out with “ well there’s French on it” that cracked me up 😂😅 but it’s seriously something people don’t seem to think about and good lord the literacy rates are kinda scary in my opinion. Plus it’s such a disservice to these kids who are going to struggle later in life because of the educational choices they make for their children now without being equipped to do it in the first place. Sad that it’s happening, but for ages people have hidden behind homeschooling and I guess now the unschooling thing as a means to isolate their children from the world for whatever purpose, many times it has been used for nefarious purposes and it drives me mad.

[@MikasRhetoric]

Yes I 1000-% agree!!

[@emilyann878]

from a future school librarian, thank you for this insight! having to explain why collaboration between teachers and librarians is so important can be really time consuming because people just don't get it. they think the internet can effectively replace us.

[@jenrt927]

The one creator talking about unschooling is just listing how to parent…

[@jenrt927]

Oh you say that 😂

[@melowlw8638]

i was waiting for more ppl to talk abt it, im so glad one of said ppl is u 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@schmieschiemalt1128]

The moment I saw the 'Unschooling' trend I started waiting with bated breath for this vid to drop!

[@SirThinks2Much]

"I'm going to take him to the aquarium" has she never heard of field trips? Oh, right, that would require her to sign a single paper to acknowledge her child is doing an activity.

[@hikkipedia]

The mom in part two with the weird hime cut is giving Ruby Franke. Def in a cult. She's gonna be on Netflix in five years.

[@Awetree]

In my high school (I graduated in 2014 and my graduating class was like…150 students and the school as a whole 7th-12th grade maybe had 900 students) to graduate with HONORS you had to take 3 years of one language or two years of two languages. But we only had French and Spanish UNTIL the year after I graduated they cut French. At one point they had German with no teacher, just a few kids doing online courses in the computer lab. EDIT: wanted to add I’m from rural Indiana.

[@MikasRhetoric]

I did online physics and advance math like that

[@hyprsens]

Didn’t wanna engage with this topic until I heard a statement from you. As a child free person in other communities my opinions on what it means to do right by a child are always snubbed

[@user-9097]

this is actually one of my favorite vids from u! it's really interesting to hear about education. it makes me appreciate it more cuz my exp w school was pretty crappy. like i grew up in an asian household so i pushed myself to do well. and even tho i did succeed, i never finished uni and feel like i have low IQ in general. cuz it takes me so long to write essays / think + i could never notice & piece together things in media like video essayists do. maybe im just being unnecessarily hard on myself, but yeah. watching this video was interesting to me cuz it makes me wonder if i really learned what school was supposed to teach. or maybe i am actually dumb instead. regardless i'll definitely be rewatching this video one day 😊

[@MikasRhetoric]

I don’t think your unintelligent, I think you just need to ease into the way you break things down on your own terms (with some guidance) I have an Amazon list of books I reference that you could look at and some are easier (and have perhaps maybe in Minecraft pdf versions I have been told via rumours)

[@manicpanic9186]

in the u.s. in high school they require 2 ‘foreign’ language credits to graduate. usually it's Spanish from what I have seen but my school offered French... our teacher knew English and Spanish but no French both years, and we just did rosetta stone or watched French TV. charter schools are great.

[@infamousportaluser]

When applying to college I noticed many universities required you to have taken two foreign language classes to apply.

[@Mila-Rosa]

I went to a charter school but it wasn't like that at all. Charter schools in South Florida seem to be different than the rest of the country bc I'm in NY now and everyone talks so much shit about them but my school was free, well funded, and the education was top notch. I wonder if my school was just an anomaly or if the regulations are different

[@solarmoth4628]

My state requires 5 credits. I think it depends on the state? You need to take it for 2 years to graduate or show you already speak a second language to be exempt.

[@Kayla_P99]

We required 1 year I think, however for college I took 3 years to be competitive

[@coffee8599]

My high school had Spanish, French, German, and Latin. 2 years. University, it's 2 years again or science track, and you don't have to take language. Tennessee here.

[@knitwitchpgh]

I literally had the literacy rant to a friend. My boss at my second job, brags about how her son (yr older than me) didnt learn to read until he was 11. She homeschooled her sons until they were in highschool age. And all i could think was "so for 11 years your son was completely dependent on you" thats all i feel it is. You want control over a human and what information you want then to digest. Not to say its linked, but hes an alcoholic, cant hold down a job in the food industry, and lives with her still. Im 33 years old. This dudes turning 35 in a few months. And his moms taking care of the unplanned pregnancy he had with a hookup because hes financially dependent on her. I always wonder if he did go to school as a kid if things would be different for him

[@brokenfoxproductions]

I'm so glad that I found this video. I'm only about 3 minutes in but I am a disabled adult who had unschooling at specific parts of my upbringing along with a lot of alternative public School options and special needs residential school options, prior to myself dropping out of school at 16 and having to self teach everything that I needed for my GED (which I got at 18). I stopped going to regular public School in 6th grade, and I was never really in a normal classroom setting before that. I was a special education student due to mental health and physical disability reasons. The public school system personally failed me, so I understand why people get skeptical and turn to homeschooling or unschooling options, because at times those were the only things that were available to me due to my personal situation. As someone who is also now a parent, specifically a parent of a kindergartener with special needs, I cannot in any good conscience recommend that parents undchool or loosely homeschool their children. (I should mention that I'm typing this as I'm watching your video if anything comes up part way through my long comment.) I personally am finding out to this day that because I was essentially unschooled from the ages of 14 to 16, at which point I dropped out and self-taught GED prep and the rest of high school before getting my GED, just because I was motivated enough to teach myself what I needed to pass the GED test does not mean that I learned enough to function well in society. I did not learn the processes of how to function socially and in a lot of institutions like work, because I didn't have that structure whenever I was a child. There are also a lot of things that you learn how to do in school like how to apply for college or how to apply for grants that I don't have the ability to do and no one is willing to teach me as an adult because "didn't they go through this in your senior year of high school?" When I technically stopped going to school in 9th grade. I'm really thankful that personally I am a very motivated person who enjoys learning because otherwise I would not have gotten to the point where I can function in society and I can hold adult conversations and be willing to learn about new things, I've seen so many adults who have gone through the same thing as me who basically are stunted to the age where they stopped going to school. They stopped wanting to learn things and stopped having new opinions, and they stagnate and become usually very confused and conservative people with a lot of belief systems that don't align with reality or science. A lot of my family ended up dropping out of public School in 6th grade, and many of them ended up being very scientifically illiterate or genuinely illiterate to the point where they could not write or read past "text speak", many of them held anti-vax belief systems and were generally negligent towards their children simply because of ignorance. If someone didn't go through school and learn why breast milk and formula are the only things that a baby can have they are more likely to try to make their own formula with a recipe that they found on Pinterest, for example. I also think people underestimate just how much help public School systems can give to children with special needs, even more minor special needs like ADHD or anxiety. My son has only been in kindergarten for about a month at this point and I've already noticed that he has improving symptoms with his special needs and his behaviors because he is around teachers who are trained specifically to help children with his diagnosis, and there are therapists and teachers aides at school who are also able to help him whereas at home it's just me. And whenever I came to the point where my son needed to start school, I actually considered homeschooling and I hesitated to send him to public school because of a lot of the anxieties that parents generally have. "What if people are mean to my kid?" "What if my kid doesn't like school?" "What about the dangers of school shootings?" (This one was amplified whenever there were three threats of gun violence at local school districts pretty much immediately after my son started kindergarten.) And I can understand why people might make the decision based on those anxieties to want to keep their child's education at home, but the answer to that is not to just not educate your child or to trust that they will self-motivate and self teach because most children will not do that. You're more likely to get teenagers to do that, especially if they have the reasoning of wanting to get a GED or wanting to work or whatever, put small children do not have the capacity to think in the future about when they're going to get a job or when they have to function in society. There are many benefits for some children with homeschooling curriculums, but whenever it comes to children with special needs or children who may need more social interaction, you're not going to be able to fill that buy a homeschooling unless you spend every hour outside of your homeschooling time making sure that your child is in clubs or extracurriculars or whatever. Unschooling doesn't get the social needs of children met, it doesn't meet the needs of where they need to be developmentally so that they will be able to function eventually as an adult, and it leaves them open to huge levels of ignorance and huge gaps in their understanding of normal societal structures. Personally whenever I stopped going to regular school and basically began either being unschooled or being in residential school scenarios, I was only able to study or work on things that I had already learned. My mathematics abilities were basically stunted at a sixth grade level and I had no ability to self teach something that I didn't understand to the point where I would be able to actually pass a math test for what my grade level should have been. There was actually a point where I was unschooled and didn't leave my room for about 6 months, and at that point my math class was me playing around with numerology and number related witchcraft because it was fun. I thankfully am very good at reading and writing and I was writing at a college level by the time I was in 6th grade so I was able to teach myself history and social studies and all sorts of other things just by constantly reading, and I still try to constantly read and learn new things so that I can keep myself educated and motivated. But it was so much harder than if I could have had a curriculum to tell me what I should have been learning about American and world history and geography and politics instead of having to navigate that myself as a teenager who didn't know anything outside of Myspace. I feel as though the public school system failed me but unschooling failed me just as much. The answer to our children's educational needs is not to stop letting them go to public school or stops schooling all together, the answer is to better fund our school systems, give more attention to the politics and needs of our children so that they are able to thrive inside and outside of school without fear and without anxiety, for school systems to be more aware of mental health needs and to better support students who have physical or mental health needs, to better support teachers because they work their fucking asses off and get treated like absolute garbage the majority of the time (and don't get paid enough), to reduce the ratio of students to teachers so that teachers can actually focus more on their students needs, and to update curriculums to better reflect more modern understanding and science. The answer to our feelings school system isn't less schooling it's better schooling and better education and more options for more students so that they can actually get what they need in a brick-and-mortar school without any of the bullshit that is currently going on in our world climate. School is to educate children and give them a safe space to thrive. It's nice to think that parents might believe that they can do that at home, but parents aren't teachers, and parents aren't counselors, parents aren't IEP specialists, parents are not School nurses. One or two parents is not the equivalent of an entire educational team that is working together to make sure that a student is getting what they need educationally and otherwise.

[@valerieodonnell6764]

I’ve had my fair share of brawls over Christmas dinner regarding phonetics. Lol

[@theriveroftruth]

for florida, you had to be age 6 by september 1st so i ended up being a year behind. i didn’t feel like it impacted me overall but it does irritate me to think about how my partner that’s 8 weeks younger than me graduated a year before i did bc he started school in a diff state lmao.

[@wooogie672]

lollll my bday is september 3rd and i was essentially allowed to start a year early if i attended private school for kindergarten?? idk how that even works or if it’s still a thing anymore (as this originally happened in the late 2000s), but i started a year early 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@nordwithnovelty]

My birthday is July 31 and I technically started a year early - there was a girl at my bus stop who was 3 hours younger than me and a grade below. We had recently moved and my mom lied about my birth date so I could start kindergarten because you could do that in 1990 🤷‍♀️

[@annesophie22]

i'm so glad to see a discussion that includes the situation in quebec. while there is a lot still that is not working perfectly, i think the education plan is helping so that many kids do not completely fall to through the cracks. great video!

[@thenextellewoods6401]

The woman who says I think unschooling will be the best thing I do for my kids - She’s right. Only because she is making it clear that everything she teaches her kids or does with them at all falls under her umbrella of unschooling. It’s the only thing she will do for her kids.

[@mangyfossa]

13:10 in Oklahoma, I got the option of taking 2 years of computers or 2 years of a language class. You got the equal time in Spanish and English if you took both. My school only had spanish, but I'm sure there are others in bigger schools. There were 4 levels but only 2 were required. We also didn't have a language class before high school, you only got to do it for grad credits

[@MikasRhetoric]

I feel like that’s not good because you learn languages far more effectively when you are young

[@mangyfossa]

True, but there isn't much emphasis on a second language as there is in Canada. It could have something to do with how varied our communities are. Different languages are more common in different states, but English is the most common obviously. Oklahoma could be uniquely rough though with how low we are in education. I'm sure a second language is more accessible in better states, but we're over here at 48 of 50 so...what do I know lol And sorta unrelated, but if you'd ever like to bang ur head into the wall until it's completely flat, look up Ryan Walters. These are the types of ppl in our community. It's safe to say second languages aren't exactly a priority

[@ellaisboring]

I love these videos. My dad was a detective/armed forces member of the police/farmer and now a truck driver, my mum was a beauty therapist/daycare worker/receptionist. I am a psychology PhD. And in New Zealand we do second language classes - usually more than one starting at age 11/12 and you pick which one you focus on going forward (but it is optional).

[@hikari482]

As an American, the school district I went to had required electives for all students. One of the required electives was a second language class. You would get the choice between Spanish or French. And the only students who could get out of it were students who already knew a second language and took a test to show they were above the grade level of the language class. Also when I say required electives I mean that things like pe and second language were mandatory and unless you tested out, took an equivalent, or had a drs note you could not graduate without those classes.

[@chelscara]

Ahhh I had LeapPad! And QuantumLeap! I was obsessed with them. Every once in awhile I still just stop and say, out loud in the speakers voice "Space. The Coolest Place" and then just go back about my day

[@lilacheaven222]

Haven't finished the video yet so idk if you talk about this yet, but in my experience the size of the classroom is one of the biggest problems we face. One teacher for 30-40 students is insane. And multiply them by how many courses you have, like 5 or 6. 240~ students per teacher. And then you go home and have to prepare lesson plans, adjust lesson plans, make extra plans for students who need them, correct their work, prepare exams, grade exams, make sure the students are doing okay, keep your ears tuned for any problematic that might be going around the classroom, deal with a system that will choose not to act until it's too late. And if something happens all fingers are pointed at you because you are the visible face. And if you admit you need a break they will call you weak and unprepared and unprofessional. I had the opportunity to work in small classrooms (up to 10 students) and that's the ideal imo. I was able to build connections with and between the students, problems and struggles were so much easier and faster to attend to, and it was so peaceful and respectful. No wonder fellow teachers are quitting. When you are not the one standing in front of the class for years it's easy to criticise.

[@Madetha2301]

„Do they want unschooled doctors?“ yeah, I think they do. They seem to be the same people who don’t vaccinate and use essential oils for everything

[@93Runt]

Your explanation of dyslexia and pattern mashing has made me realized why I've always struggled with learning French.

[@Kattttttz]

damn i wish we implemented similar FSL instruction in AB like you do in Quebec. i remember taking maaaaaybe 2 years of french and wanting more but had to choose between FSL and band for some reason

[@emh.1178]

Ooooh this is so interesting!!!! Thank you for this video:D If you ever do decide to just go nuts and make like a 5 hour series on education i would absolutely watch it, im fascinated

[@syddlinden8966]

I'm impressed how strict the homeschool regs are in Canada. A lot of states in the US have no regs, like parents can just pull their kids, say they are homeschooling, and show nothing to the State. No curriculum, no proof of work, nothing. It's really sad and scary and directly linked to the prevalence of evangelicals wanting to exclusively give their kids a sheltered religious "education." I was in public school through 8th grade and then chose, for myself, to be homeschooled for high school because at the time a lot of the local high schools kept getting bomb threats called in. That said, my mom was very proactive in getting solid curriculums for me to follow on my own and even enrolled me in an English class in one of the local high schools cause she didn't feel like I was getting enough of that in what we were doing. It definitely wasn't to the level of what an in school education I think would have been, but at the very least I didn't have my personal education slowed down and even got into college a year early. But there was a local homeschool group that my mom tried to get together with and was just appalled at the fact that they were all people from church who were literally just homeschooling their kids to keep them separated from the rest of the world. To which both of us were like why you're going to have some shock when they go to college. I feel really bad for these young kids being pulled to do this unschooling stuff from parents that have no idea what they're doing and have no concept of how important early education actually is. It's really heartbreaking. I hope our education system in the states can figure out how to recover from the multiple layers of shit that has slowly eroded it into the state that it is now. Cause it is legitimately a mess and I feel really bad for the teachers and the amount of bullshit they have to deal with. We've lost so many good teachers, it's also heartbreaking.

[@MikasRhetoric]

I just want to say that the regulations are strict in **Quebec** I know of people homeschooling in Ontario and it’s borderline unregulated like in the US. Quebec has very specific education guidelines

[@alhsr1]

This is probably my favorite video Mika has ever created. Respectful discussion, while also standing on their necks.

[@lilygirllisa]

Hopefully, this will bring more awareness to the dangers of homeschooling.There's little to no difference between the two. This is coming from a person who was home schooled all their life.

[@kingintern7566]

On the being outside thing; I gotta admit while the weather wasn't always ideal, my hs was mostly outdoors outside of the classrooms. It was a good way to help me relax while I was walking to my next class and get some fresh air.

[@kingintern7566]

I think it would've been much more effective if the time between classes was a bit longer. My campus wasn't huge but if you had a class on one side of it and the next class on the other side, you had to book it from one end of the school to the other to make it on time.

[@cecilieailinn]

Can a kid truly be unschooled when they haven’t been schooled? No surprise these parents logic doesn’t add up

[@alex_amaler]

omg I've JUST heard about this unschooling insanity and I am SO ready to hear your thoughts!!

[@sourgreendolly7685]

re: second language classes in the US When I was in middle school (2001-2003) we started second language classes with the choice of French or Spanish. But the second half of that time, we didn't have an actual Spanish teacher so my class became a free study period. I wouldn't be surprised if second language classes were completely phased out by now because of teacher shortages. I'm also from the greater Boston area in Massachusetts and was part of the class that they tested the MCAS on, which is required to graduate in the state. This could've varied by state even if it ever was expected. (Fun bonus fact: one of our ballot questions this year is on whether or not we ditch the MCAS because it forced teachers to focus on test scores so harshly that it left a lot of us with more anxiety than actual knowledge.)

[@Kattttttz]

seated and thrilled to hear your take as always mama

[@palmtoptigerxoxo]

I spent so much time going “that’s what you’re supposed to do as a parent” that my head started hurting

[@imiiallen9681]

Thank you for this!! I'm a tutor, and I end up doing a lot of work with unschooled children who end up in the care system (in the UK). You basically said my own thoughts and feelings on the situation.