{"id":7211,"date":"2022-05-02T09:48:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T13:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=7211"},"modified":"2025-08-23T17:43:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T21:43:44","slug":"off-the-beaten-path-alternative-schooling-at-a-glance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2022\/05\/02\/off-the-beaten-path-alternative-schooling-at-a-glance\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Beaten Path: Alternative Schooling at a Glance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Classroom alternatives are a popular form of education for modern families. But how do these options actually work?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some may think that homeschooling lacks the structure or foundation that sets kids up for the real world. Many homeschool parents would reply that this alternative helps their children gain confidence, connection and sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ashley Mitchell’s Chilren Listen to a Guest Speaker and learn about the civil war at the Lincoln public library.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ashley Mitchell of Lincoln, Maine, said, \u201cI know it\u2019s controversial, but I really don\u2019t think you have to push kids to learn. I really think you can just be an assistant and let them lead the way.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But without a strict curriculum, will children meet the standards? Mitchell said, \u201cI believe that we are always schooling, at all times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Most homeschoolers identify that they began schooling from the very start. Mitchell\u2019s five children, ranging from 3-years-old to 12, have been cooking, cleaning and learning at home from the get-go. Learning always followed natural curiosity in their household. Mitchell\u2019s son noted a favorite musician who drove him to pursue music deeply.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The can-do attitude and involvement of all family members to promote learning has nurtured self-confidence. Child-led learning has provided these local homeschoolers with the positive influence to teach skills outside of textbooks alone. \u201cGetting them to do school is never a fight. We are able to do everything child-led and interest-based,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ashley Frodhal explained that her three homeschooled children–11, 8 and 6–often start their mornings with breakfast conversations that turn into opportunities. She adapts them to fit a curriculum. This week, the topic was ocean windmills. There are many options when it comes to alternative schooling styles. Frodhal said, \u201cWe\u2019ve always used a curriculum as a spine. I try not to let our curriculum rule what we can and cannot do. I let there be room for life and living and there is no stress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For these families, homeschooling has allowed for a deep connection to their children. For Frodhal and Mitchell both, homeschooling has a built-in toolset to help children stay connected and self-led as they align with the outside world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe critics used to be there. They still are. Instead of fighting and constantly debating, I just let our actions speak for themselves. At just 9 years old, my daughter was honored by the town of Lincoln for all her volunteer work,\u201d Mitchell said. She pointed out how her children are confident in first-aid preparedness. They can hunt, fish, enjoy hiking and keep nature journals as part of their schooling practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The real world has been a primary source of inspiration for alternative schoolers. Families pursuing this path feel they are cultivating the framework for responsibility, teamwork, integrity, curiosity, problem-solving and a strong and healthy sense of self.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Classroom alternatives are a popular form of education for modern families. But how do these options actually work? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some may think that homeschooling lacks the structure or foundation that sets kids up for the real world. Many homeschool parents would reply that this alternative helps their children gain confidence, connection and sustainability. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ashley Mitchell of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8136,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211\/revisions\/8136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}