OUTSIDE Magazine Reports on Growing Unschooling Movement

Santa Fe, NM (August 14, 2014)—They don’t need no education. At least not of the traditional, compulsory, watch-the-clock-until-the-bell-rings kind. In its September issue, on newsstands August 12, OUTSIDE magazine reports on the growing unschooling movement, which believes that a steady diet of standardized testing and indoor inactivity is choking the creativity right out of our kids.

OUTSIDE contributing writer and unschooling parent Ben Hewitt details this growing movement in “We Don’t Need No Education”, a special report. He estimates his sons would spend no more than two hours per month in a traditional school setting studying the subjects that are universal to mainstream education.

Unschoolers promote homeschooling where children direct their learning and adults facilitate. Unschooling differs from homeschooling in that unschoolers say homeschooling too closely mimics the traditional classroom. Unschooling is usually secular, too. It’s legal in all 50 states with minor state supervision

Hewitt’s report tells the story of his family’s path to unschooling, arguing that their approach promotes self-determination and confidence. It also avoids the health and cognitive consequences of long inactive schooldays like diabetes and obesity.

His personal story also counters common objections to unschooling. “Our sons are not entirely self-taught,” he writes. “Our days do have structure.” As for his sons’ futures, he offers evidence unschooled children do just fine in higher education and professional life. “I want for [my sons] the freedom to be children,” he writes.

The story appears in the September issue of OUTSIDE, available on newsstands August 12 and at outsideonline.com.

About OUTSIDE:  OUTSIDE is America’s leading active lifestyle brand. Since 1977, OUTSIDE has covered travel, sports, adventure, health, and fitness, as well as the personalities, the environment, and the style and culture of the world Outside. The OUTSIDE family includes OUTSIDE magazine, the only magazine to win three consecutive National Magazine Awards for General Excellence, The Outside Buyer’s Guides, Outside Online, Outside Television, Outside Events, Outside+ for the iPad, Outside tablet edition, Outside Books, and now Outside GO, a revolutionary, 21st-century adventure-travel company. Visit online and on Facebook, and follow on Twitter.

All information above was received in a press release.

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Girl on Fire

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Brandy is the wife to a carpenter/musician and the mother of 3 amazingly awesome homeschool/unschooled girls. Brandy is a Photographer as well as a Coach for the Weebellion as part of Rolling Rebellion Jr. Roller Derby. Brandy is passionate about many things and suffers from a very painful and degenerative neurological disease called CRPS/RSD.

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