Ta-Nehisi Coates was asked what he would say to a high school of black kids. His answer will be very familiar to homeschoolers.

What I generally try to do is avoid messages about “hard work” and “homework,” not because I
think those things are unimportant, but because I think they put the cart before the horse. The
two words I try to use with them are “excitement” and “entrepreneurial.” I try to get them to
think of education not as something that pleases >their teachers, but as a ticket out into a
world so grand and >stunning that it defies their imagination.

He later summarizes it as “own your education.” Mark Twain told us to never let school interfere with our education. It’s the same idea.

Sound familiar?

That is essentially what most homeschoolers do. The parents own the education early on, and by high school the kids frequently own it. This often gets called unschooling. I’m not quite sure how you can unschool in school, but the concept of getting the kids to own their education is important. However, I suspect many will end up frustrated by a standardized test focused education that keeps the writer from spending his time writing, and the engineer from spending his time tinkering. It’s easy for us. You want to spend 8 hours every day reading history, or studying horses, or math, or whatever? Fine with me! After the 3 Rs are mastered it’s all electives as far as I’m concerned. If only the school system thought that way.

More kids need to hear the message that education is their ticket out, or up, or to wherever it is they want to go. Don’t do it for your teachers or parents. Hell, you might have to do it in spite of them.

Do it for yourself. Own your education.

Ta-Nehisi Coates was asked what he would say to a high school of black kids. His answer will be very familiar to homeschoolers.

What I generally try to do is avoid messages about “hard work” and “homework,” not because I
think those things are unimportant, but because I think they put the cart before the horse. The
two words I try to use with them are “excitement” and “entrepreneurial.” I try to get them to
think of education not as something that pleases >their teachers, but as a ticket out into a
world so grand and >stunning that it defies their imagination.

He later summarizes it as “own your education.” Mark Twain told us to never let school interfere with our education. It’s the same idea.

Sound familiar?

That is essentially what most homeschoolers do. The parents own the education early on, and by high school the kids frequently own it. This often gets called unschooling. I’m not quite sure how you can unschool in school, but the concept of getting the kids to own their education is important. However, I suspect many will end up frustrated by a standardized test focused education that keeps the writer from spending his time writing, and the engineer from spending his time tinkering. It’s easy for us. You want to spend 8 hours every day reading history, or studying horses, or math, or whatever? Fine with me! After the 3 Rs are mastered it’s all electives as far as I’m concerned. If only the school system thought that way.

More kids need to hear the message that education is their ticket out, or up, or to wherever it is they want to go. Don’t do it for your teachers or parents. Hell, you might have to do it in spite of them.

Do it for yourself. Own your education.

Ta-Nehisi Coates was asked what he would say to a high school of black kids. His answer will be very familiar to homeschoolers.

What I generally try to do is avoid messages about “hard work” and “homework,” not because I
think those things are unimportant, but because I think they put the cart before the horse. The
two words I try to use with them are “excitement” and “entrepreneurial.” I try to get them to
think of education not as something that pleases >their teachers, but as a ticket out into a
world so grand and >stunning that it defies their imagination.

He later summarizes it as “own your education.” Mark Twain told us to never let school interfere with our education. It’s the same idea.

Sound familiar?

That is essentially what most homeschoolers do. The parents own the education early on, and by high school the kids frequently own it. This often gets called unschooling. I’m not quite sure how you can unschool in school, but the concept of getting the kids to own their education is important. However, I suspect many will end up frustrated by a standardized test focused education that keeps the writer from spending his time writing, and the engineer from spending his time tinkering. It’s easy for us. You want to spend 8 hours every day reading history, or studying horses, or math, or whatever? Fine with me! After the 3 Rs are mastered it’s all electives as far as I’m concerned. If only the school system thought that way.

More kids need to hear the message that education is their ticket out, or up, or to wherever it is they want to go. Don’t do it for your teachers or parents. Hell, you might have to do it in spite of them.

Do it for yourself. Own your education.

The second trip of the 2013 version of the Hokie Storm Chasers arrived back in Blacksburg safe and sound just before noon today.  Although I’m positive that all the drivers / instructors felt the strain it is likely that team leader Dave Carroll a…

Prior to the 1980s, action movie stars came in all shapes and sizes. Everyone from Steve McQueen to Gene Hackman was featured prominently in action roles. However, as stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger began to gain more prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the idea of the muscular action star began […]

Yes. In Virginia you have lots of options about how to handle a traffic infraction such as speeding or failing to stop at a stop sign. Prepaying is pleading guilty, so when you prepay, basically you have already pled guilty on the case. Sometimes people prepay a ticket and later realize they may have had […]

As noted previously, we picked up a six pack of Lost Rhino Face Place IPA when we visited the brewery last weekend. I couldn’t resist it long, so Colleen and I cracked a couple open the other evening.

The beer pours a hazy, dark amber color. It’s a …

Are you looking for the best reckless driving attorney in Virginia? No lawyer can claim to be the best. The Virginia State Bar prohibits it. Sadly, many of my colleagues seem to ignore that rule. They don’t seem to think that the lawyer advertising rules apply to them. What other rules do they ignore? Do […]

Guest post by California DUI lawyer Hieu Vu You need to quiz your DUI Lawyer with this. It is important that the lawyer you are talking to understand these concepts. Since the economy has gotten bad, lots of civil attorneys have jumped into misdemeanor work. They will themselves out as DUI experts but won’t know […]

Just for grins, this week’s range session was devoted to “no-shoots.” We often joke that the no-shoot targets are bullet magnets. And I seem to hit my fair share of them, so I decided to practice not hitting them. Stated more accurately, I decided to p…