Unschooling | Alice Khimasia | TEDxWarwickSalon

Alice's talk focuses on alternative ideas on how her children should be educated. Alice has been unschooling her four sons for the past seven years. This journey has helped her reconnect to things which are important to her: the environment, being outdoors, being quiet.
Alice Khimasia is an educational thinker and blogger with radical ideas on how her children should be educated.Alice once trained as a teacher, but has been unschooling her four sons for the past seven years. This journey has helped her reconnect to things which are important to her: the environment, being outdoors, being quiet. Less concerned with top marks, she is offering her children a very different type of education.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@ciannacoleman5125]

As someone who was homeschooled all my life and a soon to be college graduate I look forward to homeschooling my future children. The freedom, joy and diversity I experienced is something I wish more children have. Although my version of homeschooling is a combination of traditional subjects at a child lead pace and child lead “unschooling” in subjects they are interested in. When people ask what I enjoyed about homeschooling or why I would do it with my future kids rather than say a private school my answer is “freedom”. The freedom to learn what I want, the freedom to interact with many different people of all ages throughout the day, the freedom for my family to go and do anything at any point in the year not being bound to a school schedule either as a day event or taking off for a few weeks to go visit family or taking a road trip to visit national parks/historical locations. If you give children a foundation of self teaching/learning they will be more successful in life. And often if you put them back in “real” school for their last years of education or wait until college they will be more successful there as well.

[@gabriellevalentino7319]

I love that you posted this. So many people ask how will my kids be socialized? Like the rest of us? Other than school when are we ever only around people our age? They'll socialize with friends, family, people at the zoo, aquarium, store ect wherever we go we socialize.

[@CatMom5050]

I unschooled my oldest child before I knew that it was even a thing. When she was old enough for school (age 4), she went to regular school. She really had a big change in her during that first year. She had lost a lot of the things that I had taught her. She was already doing addition and subtraction in her head before Kindergarten. Now, she is going to finish 2nd grade. She isn't doing well in regular school, but when i teach her things at home she learns quickly and actually attains things. I am in the process of removing her from the school system and going back to how she was being educated before. School isn't enough for her and it is not working well for her. She is a hands on learner and not a read and copy kind of learner.

[@qqthahir1414]

Hi, how are u guys doing now? We're interested in home ed too, been doing it for kindergarten and now considering it for elementary school as well.

[@debbyzinha1000]

I had similar issue with my son. He learned well at home with me but stuggled with everything in school. He started having very bad anxiety on his way to school and started to beg me to get him out. I didn't know anything about homeschooling, I thought I had to be a teacher or have qualifications etc. I finally did it this year, wish I had dine it before he is in 7th grade. I wish I had done it sooner

[@yessumify]

This is so inspiring. Just the video I needed to type up a notice of Intent to homeschool. I honestly have been trying to homeschool for two years but I've doubted my abilities as a homeschool mom. Half unschooling half book work and then kind of giving up...Praying for help and wisdom and that whatever we choose that we enjoy the journey.

[@Eco-unschoolinglife]

Hi Alicia, amazing talk. My elder son went through almost the same thing ( the light in the eye going off) before I took the decision of homeschooling. I repent the years he spent in school at a small age

[@alternativestohighschool2213]

Listening is definitely the key here. I love that you brought that up.

[@JulieThomasKenilworth]

An inspiring talk and a very honest account.

[@jastillwell87]

Very interesting perspective. Just happened upon the unschooling movement and I find it fascinating. I wonder how unschooled kids are able to fit back into a society where most children have been school taught but it makes you wonder what the world today would be like if more kids learned this way in the past... I do agree that there are so many things you learn in school that are pointless to your future career. Some child led learning I don’t think is a bad thing. I also agree that children should be outside. School should be interactive and fun for kids. I have to imagine it absolutely does contribute to our mental health crisis. Not to mention… if kids were allowed to have more education outdoors maybe we would appreciate our planet and environment alittle bit more as a society…

[@alternativestohighschool2213]

Fit back into society?? They are never removed from society, only from the extremely ineffective education system. Unschooled children are immersed in society. These alternatively educated children grow into well adapted adults that thrive in life, college, and career.

[@icanthereyouvoice]

This video is important.

[@nicoleharris6528]

Very well said! Thank you for standing up for our youth.

[@ajrwilde14]

brilliant and brave, thanks a lot

[@fuzzybearnz]

brilliantly Unpacked education outside its 'schooling box,'.. :), Alice's talk much reflects our story,.

[@alternativestohighschool2213]

Great topic, delivered perfectly. Thank you!

[@tarah7050]

Great talk!

[@famvoyage]

Thank you for this brilliant, much needed wisdom. Thank you!! 🙌🏾❤️

[@blancaroca8786]

school is a place where nearly all choices are taken away from children and most young children often hate school, but little by little are indoctrinated into the idea there is no choice. Alexander O Neill founded Summerhill so long ago in UK which is most radical yet nearly all of the pupils go on to wonderful working lives. The pupils defended their right to choose in the Courts successfully. The media cannot be trusted to report in an unbiased way about such ideas going against the perceived but unproven and flawed wisdom. In the future our schools will be considered as a form of child abuse. school often removes their human rights, freedom to choose what to do. Akin to part time slavery. At least forced military service is just a couple of years and you get to do more physical activities, not everyone needs to be forced to sit on their backsides all day long like at school. it is oppressive.

[@kalpanamurugan5075]

My kids follow ing Banu education.banu education in KZbin is the best

[@Inception1338]

2:00 Germany has a law that forces every pupil into state public school parents who try to homeschool their children are being arrested. By force if necessary, even if parents don't want their children to attend inappropriate lectures like religious contents or sex education.

[@rinneganofrage7206]

That is horrifying

[@erinjames4024]

We are headed that way in the US...vaccines required.

[@Inception1338]

@@erinjames4024 I've seen much worse in the US. - THX 1138

[@erinjames4024]

@@Inception1338 death to all govts around the world telling us how to live our lives! People here still wearing masks and taking the vaccine.

[@Inception1338]

@@erinjames4024 it's idiocracy to the max.

[@anthony3295]

I feel like unschooled kids would be great business leaders and creatives but terrible employees, unable to handle taking direction.

[@mybestlifefortherestofmyli7137]

And that's what they don't want. They need more discipline school children to turn them into obedient employees. I have a masters degree. I've been in school all my life, why is so much education needed in school from pre-k, elementary to high school to now college for subjects we will never use in life and for an 8 hours day in the workforce. And now job positions what used to be acceptable to have an associate degree now requires a bachelor degree. (What changed?) It doesn't give more hands on experience nor it doesn't help in the workforce when it's time to work. And to have more school debt, and work for someone else being paid a salary just to do that for 45 years and have retirement to look forward too. I took my 5 year old out of pre-k before he went into kindergarten and removed my 3 year old out of nursery school. Like seriously, there is no justified reasoning for so much school and to not focus on a child's creative ability. I'm letting my kids be kids and we learn as we go and I make it fun as much as possible and if they want to go to school, they can at a later age, their choice. This is definitely an indoctrination of future obedient employees. Schools are horrible what they are teaching now days anyway and pushing in a child's mind.

[@christianjackson9298]

Pretty, pretty words. And what happens when your child can't get a job because he had no formal education, and screams when he wants something because he's not properly socialised? But hey, I suppose he'll be able to tell his employer he knows all the different types of dolphin..

[@diggydee3895]

That was both a hilarious comment but also misinformed. Love your way with words though 😂

[@charityneverfaileth22]

My best friend was unschooled. She got a job at 14, and has been working every since. We are both on our 30s now. I don't think it hurt her at all on the long run. When we were kids she was sometimes jealous of my experiences as a public school kid. I loved school, but I was sometimes jealous of her freedom. We had different experiences, but we were best friends our whole life and still stay in touch even though we are both married and live in different states.