Un-schooled teen talks benefits of her education

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• Grand Forks area parents talk un-schooling their children
• For home-schooled kids, ‘socialization is not an issue’

While some may question whether un-schooled children are getting the education they need, a student who has lived it for all of her 15 years affirmed its value in an email to The Herald.

For Jenna Muiderman, daughter of Dr. Kevin and Amy Muiderman of Thompson, N.D., said the greatest benefits of being un-schooled are “being able to tailor what I’m learning to what I’m interested in and being able to move through subjects at my own pace.”

She also benefits from learning in “more real world settings,” instead of the classroom.

“I do think my approach to learning is a bit different from my peers,” she said. She’s “very self-motivated” and has always enjoyed learning.

Jenna has been focused on “learning how to learn… so I think as I move out into the world, I will continue to be curious and have the resources to continue to learn throughout my life.”

For the most part, she said, “I have always felt proud about being unschooled.”

In the Grand Forks area, she noticed that home schooling is often associated with Evangelical Christianity which makes her “a little uncomfortable,” she said. She makes an effort to clarify this misconception with some people.

Being un-schooled has allowed Jenna “to focus mainly on creative things,” she said. “I’m hoping to become a writer or actress or something in science.

“I’m particularly fascinated by theoretical physics and string theory.”

Call Knudson at (701) 780-1107; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1107; or send e-mail to pknudson@gfherald.com.

Tags: gf and egf, accent, family, homeschooling, unschooling, education