The Right Now Fallacy

I think schools do a really good job of reinforcing the “right now”
fallacy.

That is, they operate on the fears of parents that if your X-grader
can’t do something “right now” then their “educational foundation” is
shaky, and they won’t be able to do X or Y in the future, because they
didn’t master this lesser thing “right now.”

I look at some of the things I do now. For example, I knit, and I
spin, and I run a tractor (drill holes, repair the road, move dirt). 8
years ago, I didn’t knit. 4 years ago, I didn’t spin or do anything
on a tractor. This summer, we’re building. This week, I plan to
build my first rocket stove.

I can’t point to anything in my “educational foundation” that has
prepared me for any of these, and I can also point to several things
in that “foundation” that have made each of these more difficult. The
major one being a constant little voice in my head that tells me I’m
not a professional, I probably don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m
probably going to screw things all up.

You know what? Sometimes I do.

The first year we had the tractor, I dug to place a culvert. It took
me the better part of a week and a half, because I had never used a
backhoe, didn’t know what I was doing, and did it from the wrong
angle. (I was 90 degrees off). But my culvert fits just fine, drains
my road, and fixed the problem. Next one–the next one won’t take as
long, and will be even better.

I think the thing about homeschooling (and especially unschooling) is
instilling a lust for learning, a sense of capableness, an ability to
ask for assistance (and do research), and general thoughtfulness. If
the budding vet needs higher math, she’ll pursue it. And if you’ve
set her up to know she can, be self-assured that she can find answers,
ask for and receive assistance from people who are knowledgeable, and
can stick with and learn something she’s passionate about . . . isn’t
that a much firmer “educational foundation” than a crummy math class
that she hated?

I spun a LOT of lumpy thick yarn on the way to being able to handle
fiber to spin the yarn I want. I kept spinning yarn I didn’t like
because I knew what I wanted to spin, and I knew that practice would
get me there. I didn’t do any spinning as a child (that’s not wholly
true–I did a teensy bit in 6th grade), and I didn’t know any spinners
except that one (and I don’t remember seeing her spin or actually
doing the spinning–I do remember collecting some wool off bushes and
fences to bring back–I just don’t remember getting any further than
combing it). Anyway, it wasn’t some set of exercises that I did as a
child that got me to being a pretty decent spinner — it was deciding
it was something I wanted to do, and then keeping after it.

–Jen (whose theory is that one person’s hobby is another person’s “I
want to poke my eyes out” boredom)