This sounds lovely, for schooling a 5 year old and an 8 year old. However, as a previous homeschooler now getting ready for my own child to start middle school, it’s not very realistic for most of us. Do my toddler or second grader need screens for school? Nope, not at all. Will it help my 11 year old, dyslexic, adhd, STEAM-driven child, to learn how to type on a computer, and use Google when they need an answer RIGHT NOW for their current hyper-fixation? Yes. Technology is a tool to be used as each family finds best. Also, as someone who grew up in the heyday of 90s/00s homeschooling, families had the option to not be present or engaged with each other long before personal screens were a thing 😂

Seems like she’s setting up a false dichotomy between screens and unschooling. Apples and oranges. The real contrast is between screens and low/no tech or between highly structured homeschooling and unschooling.

I don’t think this is an unrealistic view of what homeschooling can look like. My children are all young adults now (and we avoided screens for much of their schooling) but I teach in a hybrid homeschool program and *most* of our families rely very little on tech and very heavily on real books and time outside. I honestly see no good reason for children under high school age to have access to the internet. This doesn’t mean that mom or dad never looks up a video about a subject of interest to further something they read about earlier. But aside from that, the children need to do the real work of reading from a book in their hands, writing with a pen or pencil, drawing, crafting, cooking etc etc etc. Smart parents of teenagers will, of course, have to teach their children how to incorporate technology into their lives in a responsible way. But I’d rather see them err on the side of doing it too late than too early.

The characterization of online school being only all or nothing (hours and hours in front of a computer vs. unplugging) simply isn’t accurate and doesn’t allow for the myriad ways homeschooling families use online classes.

I can't speak to the question of technology, because I bounced back and forth between too permissive and too restrictive, but in terms of the rose-colored descriptions of homeschooling, I ran into them at every turn in my 15 years of homeschooling. It seemed to me that many homeschooling parents would stake out a position of which they were not only convicted but extremely proud, and they would then present -- via a post on a blog or on a forum, or in a book they authored -- their position as the Secret of (Their) Homeschooling Success. These positions ran the gamut -- no television... no sugar / dairy / refined grains... no vaccinations... no textbooks... ONLY textbooks... no Harry Potter... no fraternizing with non-Christian homeschoolers... no fiction (I wish I was making this up, but yes, there really was a homeschooling supply company that believed that reading fiction violated Philippians 4:8). With the rise of the Internet, anyone could tout her formula for success, and it all began to look like so much virtue-signaling. ("See how counter-cultural / devout / bad-a** we are?") I just don't see how this woman's story is anything but self-serving.

People lose me when they start bragging about not owning a television. Homeschooling is about picking *what works best for your child and your family* and hopefully having the privilege to implement that so your child/ren can learn, thrive, and grow in a safe environment. It also does not address the very real need and necessity of virtual learning - be it for medical, financial, or emotional reasons. I would love to just see homeschoolers actually agree we want to see *all children thrive, including children who attend public school* instead of trying to one up each other in the virtue signaling.

The problem with most luddite-based arguments is that they draw rather arbitrary (and frankly, squiggly) lines for choices that are, to be quite charitable, personal preferences and affectations. That's totally ok. Humans live and raise other humans in a variety of different ways. Most of our choices will get things mostly right, somewhat wrong, but with good will we figure it out. And the beauty of all this is in the contradictions. The same person can dedicate himself to teaching children online and send his own children to a small, technology-free school, and see integrity in both choices. But we're not about tensions these days much, are we?

The only thing I really dislike about writing like this is that it tries to imply that this idyllic unschool described is the “best” way to do it. When really, there are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. The “best” way is the way that works for each kiddo which really, is the whole point of homeschooling.

My kids are long grown, but I remember the effects of screens on them. Oldest with ASD couldn't watch too much TV when he was under 6 as he'd get moody the rest of the day. He know has a film degree and films customer service interactions uses a computer much of the day, and is almost finished with his Master's in screenwriting (online). Second ds stopped going outside as much and seemed to turn more inward when we gave him a Gameboy at 8. He has done various things, but got his higher ed online, too. Dd felt very behind in 5th grade B&M school when she found every other kid knew how to use Prezi and Word. She teaches middle school orchestra; her first year, she had kids who had had yo learn their instruments online--tough stuff. But I highly encoursge parents in my preschool classes to quit using their phones as babysitters and to hold off on buying tablets. I fully believe it is better for under 6s to live with very minimal tech.

I think you give a little bit of technology with training (how to use Word, how to make a PowerPoint, how to find good sources online), and then constantly assess how it’s being used or misused. Then you pull back when it is not being used well, or used compulsively. Yes, it will always be a part of our children’s lives. So that means they will be able to learn how to use it not all at once, but over time. And there is a big difference between a middle schooler’s desire for technology, vs. a junior or senior in high school. They grow and mature in their use of tech, with the right supervision.

"Resistance isn't the key. Responsible incorporation is. I'd like to see more pieces on responsible incorporation." This is exactly how I feel too. Trying to "ban" new tech will never work. Mind you, I'm a fan of textbooks and workbooks that don't have your kid staring at a screen for hours, but even online tools/spreadsheets are immensely helpful. And YouTube! These are tools - use them as such.

Both of my DD’s attended online classes for their entire high school years. When COVID hit and the public schoolers were sent home to do online school, parents were in an uproar as to “that online thing wasn’t working for their kids.” Actually, maybe their kids didn’t have the character and fortitude to live up to their responsibilities! I was shocked at what people thought what their kids were doing was “homeschooling“! It was not. It was the farthest thing from what our family did. These students were doing CRISIS SCHOOLING at home, NOT homeschooling. Kids were allowed to not show up for class, not turn in homework, not participate in class discussions (on the assigned reading to be read prior to class). All in all, it was an absolute mess. If what I saw displayed during that online class experiment was all I could ever hope my kids received and called an education, I would have pulled them from it straight away! Our online experience was delightful. It gave my DD’s a chance to meet others from all over the world, studying with teachers from all over the world. My girls were inspired to be math and science warriors from female teachers that showed them that being gifted in math and science was cool for a girl, and to think about studying engineering. I ended up raising computer literate girls, who loved reading The Great Books, and were able to write awesome essays and write constructive literary analyses. Sadly I have run out of kids, but if kids are allowed to stay in their PJ’s and lay in bed with their laptop, how in the world could you expect them to eventually challenge themselves to take on the world. Because both of my girls were musicians, with them now gone, the empty nest is indeed quiet! But, I look back and see 2 resilient, self-reliant human beings who have worked hard and are enjoying their further education and independence. Homeschooling just worked for our family, and I am glad we had it available as an option.

I work in tech law and my husband is a computer game designer, so we are not anti tech by any means. Nonetheless we have kept a careful eye on the research relating to learning and screens. There seems to be a few studies popping up noting that information is understood and retained better when paper and pen are involved. The brain evolved to deal with a 3-d tactile world and some seem to struggle to make the leap. My own son became frankly unhinged by even a little screen time-he became twitchy, uncooperative, and could not sleep. We allowed it on weekends only until he was older. But I think the research will hold the right answers eventually.

I love your spoiler alert-- yes, screens are going to be a part of the lives of our children-turned-adults. But this sentence of yours really caught my attention and made me think: "So far, resisting new technology has *always* turned out to be a dead end." Is that actually true, and if so, for *everyone*? Do you mean for societies? Then perhaps it's mostly true (my Amish relatives would probably disagree with you, but I am certainly not one to hold them up as a perfect solution). On an individual basis, I do know many individuals who actively resist new technology and they are thriving as opposed to many of my adapter-friends who are languishing.

I find some incongruity in her profession as an editor and published author and her opposition to screens as part of her home schooling. Clearly technology is part of her adult world. Why is using it offensive? I’m a low tech person by preference (typing this on a new iPhone) although I enjoy a good gel pen for my usual brainstorming. However, my husband and 8 homeschool graduates all require computers of some form for their careers including law enforcement, carpentry, sales rep/truck driver, nurse, nuclear engineering technician, military and college students of various fields. My current high school junior just took the SAT on his laptop. His youngest sister had a Zoom biology class when the co-op was unable to meet in person. I agree with the author that young children thrive on outside activities, reading real books, less technology and more personal interaction—older children do too. It seems like the parents have access to tools that the students are denied. I’m not sure about the benefit of filtering everything until graduation is the best approach.

My opinion is that learning computer applications is relatively easy compared to the hard work of mastering mathematics, writing, and other topics that serve you well. My wife did a great job of this while she homeschooled our kids for 18 years.

I agree with you…kinda. My own kids are 27, 24 and 19. We *were* a bit on the Luddite side, too. I’m big on time in nature/on the farm/in the library. Love puzzles, books, construction toys/tools. But. My kids still had Nintendo DSs. We had Netflix (remember when that meant DVDs in the mail??) And, while I did have an elaborate token-based system, so their time on screens would not exceed an hour a day, I thought then, as I do now, that it was still important to be culturally relatable. As you said, they will still need to function in a world of cellphones and WiFi. So it’s hard. I honestly have no idea how my nieces and nephews who now have toddlers and babies will raise their kids with the ubiquity of tech and devices.

I was a double-aughts homeschooler. The kids mostly worked in books and paper, until I couldn't hack the math. Then they took math through the local school district internet academy. But screens were a part of their lives. How else could we watch the LotR trilogy every year, or raise lifelong Trekkies?

Mad scientists, tech bros and girlies.....keep forging ahead 🙌

As a public school teacher, I also see screens creep into my classroom—against my will, mind you. I would love to give all my students paper copies of everything: worksheets, documents, a physical textbook, etc. But cuts to education in my state mean that I got 1200 copies each month at my last school. Realistically, what this means is that the students get a paper worksheet and then read everything to do that worksheet off a screen. It cuts down on plagiarism, and also has them physically writing things down, but it’s definitely not my ideal.

“Everything in moderation.” Modern technology is a tool. Now, there are some good studies out there that say screens can hinder brain development after a certain amount. I’ll buy that. But she implies that giving up screens means “going medieval” which she implies means no scheduling. I laugh: in the medieval times people were just as capable of scheduling their time. Why can’t we do a schedule without screens as well as with? The “end time” for us is as important as “start time.” People like clearly set expectations no matter the tool. My oldest teens are right now figuring out how to manipulate ChatGPT. They are both excellent writers, so they can use the program to flex their understanding of writing structure and embellishment. Why did they get into this? Curiosity. They don’t use it to get their As in dual credit or college courses. My oldest is going into computer science, data sciences, and AI design with the intent of being part of the ethical oversight of it someday. It is here to stay. How will we use it? One more note: that oldest kid has also read more classics (and then some) than I had to read for my literature degree. He needs no limiter for a “screen addiction.” He schedules.

Back when I homeschooled my daughters, we used a home computer (with Internet access that you had to enable) for all sorts of things in our school—writing assignments, checklists, record-keeping. We paired that with books, textbooks, videos, and attending field trips and museums and zoos. My granddaughters are homeschooling (and live in my home with their parents) and spend a similar amount of time reading and writing and doing math, and then accessing the Internet on devices that *could* have 24/7 access, but are restricted by parent-enabled software limits. We watch TV together as a family quite often, as well as movies, and they are only “sheltered” from culture as is appropriate for their ages of 9 and 12. So, none of are luddites, nor are we just hanging out online in whatever social media platforms we want. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good topic and I hope you talk about A.I. more. IF it truly is capable of taking over a bunch of industries.....then hell yeah I'm all for it!!! A LOT of industries/systems need to GO. I'm amazed at the potential of A.I. in the medical field and the advances that's already out there.

C'mon in A.I.! Imma need you to turbocharge..