SAMUEL LEWIS, co-illustrator of Education-books One-to-One & Unqualified Education, and former webmaster of the Jamboree website, writes for FREEDOM IN EDUCATION about his experiences of growing up in today’s world.
Firstly I must preface that I don’t like writing; I don’t enjoy the mental strain involved in getting my thoughts down on paper in a coherent, and grammatically-correct way. I don’t enjoy sitting in front of the computer screen, either. It is something I spend too much of my time doing, and I am much happier doing something creative, and physical.
So why am I writing on the Freedom-in-Education website…?
For two reasons, which probably boil down to the same thing.
I believe that I have had a sort of un-typical life up to this point, probably characterized by the fact that I haven’t spent a single day in an educational institution.
I have very frequently encountered the question – Does (or did) this work?
And this leads me to my second reason for writing. As of now (2011) I am 24 years old, looking around me and asking myself the same question… Does it work? Life, that is.
It seems that it still hangs in the balance.
When i was little I was told that We were cutting down the Rainforest (a football field per second, I believe), I was told that We had ripped a giant hole in our atmosphere, which would now make it dangerous to expose ourselves to strong sunlight. I was also told that We were burning so many fossil fuels, that our planet was heating unnaturally, that the polar ice cap was melting, that thousands of creatures would lose their lives, and, due to changed weather conditions much of the world would become uninhabitable…
Now I am older. I don’t feel that today’s busy world has a place for me – and more importantly, I don’t really think I want a place in today’s world.
As I write today, i am looking around bewildered and baffled. I am asking myself – What should I do?
My blog then, will be an answer to the first question at least – Does it Work? Read, and you will be able to make up your own mind if my first 24 years were well-spent or not.
Perhaps there are some of you who might have an answer to the second Does it Work?
If so, I sincerely hope that we will be able to work for a new beginning for ourselves and our world, and leave something that future generations will not simply curse us for.
Thank you
Samuel lewis
sending...
I am very much looking forward to reading your thoughts, looking back at your childhood and young adulthood spent at home. From our point of view, as a young family starting out in home education, your years sharing your discoveries, writing and pictures were of enormous inspiration and value. Our children are now aged sixteen and fourteen. and are still happily and confidently learning at home. We are now in awe of our own children’s self-motivation and love of life and learning, but when we started out it was very difficult to know if we were doing the right thing for our children. It was so against the tide it seemed like it couldn’t possibly be the right choice.
This year our daughter did her GCSEs early and did extremely well in them. For the first time our family and friends can see what they should have been able to recognise on their own. We are far more proud that our daughter is able to motive and teach herself. Even more proud that she had a childhood spent playing and being able to follow her own interests. She has never been bored or left behind. Whatever she decides to do in life, whatever the economic climate I know she never stop reading, learning and doing. She is a a happy contented girl and I don’t doubt she will always be so and bring her joy and love of life to everyone she meets.
I am very interested in hearing your thoughts about home education. I am contemplating taking my children out of private school so that I can educate them at home.
I too feel that society as we know it doesn’t offer much in the way of a well balanced, nurturing environment for educating our children, and I certainly don’t want them to grow up being materially obsessed, ignorant, selfish individuals. I want them to be well rounded individuals that love to learn, that love life, not to be part of a society that puts people into a box and tells them how to behave to be accepted.
I know far too many people that are incredibly unhappy. There lives have become meaningless and they plod along with the rest of us in jobs that we don’t enjoy and just do to pay the bills. They strive to have the latest phones, big TV’s, and flashy cars. I want my children to understand that these things are not important and that understanding horticulture and being able to grow their own vegetables is far more rewarding. I want them, without constraint, to have the freedom to draw and paint a picture from their imagination, to realise their potential in expanding their minds, hearts, and soul through following their instincts and not having any fear.
I want this to be possible but first I must overcome the fears that have been ingrained within me by the society that dictated to me how I was to live, work, and behave. I think I’m almost there now.
I know you can’t tell me whether or not it will be a big mistake for me to take my children out of the conventional education system, however, you can give me an idea as to how you feel about the way you were educated. Having some feedback from you would be really helpful.