Unschooling

I was browsing around the NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) website today. They now have, along with their monthly newspaper clip contest, an online multimedia category, which includes audio slideshows and videos.

This Los Angeles Times video, Unschooling, was a winner last month in the video category.

The story was about a family in which the daughters teach themselves, or learn things organically, rather than be given a formal structure in their education.
I couldn't help but wonder how this will benefit the children. Yes, it definitely helps them develop a sense of themselves. It helps them learn to recognize when they are interested in something and when they are not. In turn, they likely learn about themselves on a deeper level too; In later years, it may help them figure out what they want to do in life without having to consider the pressures of the rule-filled world.

The problem is, there IS an outside world with rules and structure. That's not to say that the girls are not learning about the outside world, but are they learning to survive in the outside world? In what grown lifestyle will they function and contribute to the world if they don't know how to survive, contribute, or even function within it's structure.

I would think it easier to learn with some structure growing up and then choose to live an unstructured adult life. At least then, you know how to function and you understand the structure and organizion, red tape and beaurocracy or the world and you're choosing to go another route.

I'm not sure it can be done the other way around.

Here's the video.