There’s an irony to our homestead idyll that concerns Aly’s education. We’re pleased with the results of her unschooling so far. She’s done extremely well on her ACT and SAT tests. She’s being courted by some prestigious schools. She’s had success pursuing opportunities in her chosen field of study. According to our society’s accepted standards, she has acquired an education as good, or better, than most of her peers.
Nevertheless, we worry about certain gaps in her knowledge set. Particularly, we are working to ensure that she has a proper cultural education. Living semi-remote, with very little daily interaction with the “real” world other than daily radio news, she risks going off to college without a set of references that will help her find common ground and interests with her new friends and acquaintances. We’re becoming more concerned with aspects of American and world culture that she’s completely unaware of: television sit-coms, popular music, slang, even common comfort foods. The isolation and insularity that so many people admire, even envy us for, may make Aly socially uncomfortable when she leaves the homestead and becomes more immersed in society. Continue reading