Free education: pros and cons

In the 21st century, renewed interest in raising children with freedom. Developing centers, kindergartens and schools are being opened throughout Europe and in a number of Russian cities by this method.

Some believe that free education spoils children, others - which expands the boundaries of the child's capabilities. Taking one side or another, it would be nice to get acquainted with both. Sometimes the result exceeds expectations, and sometimes at the end we get far from what we would like. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of liberal education.

We also read: What does free parenting mean: principles and regulations

pros

• There are no patterns and stereotypes. There is no egalitarianism, an imposed model of behavior: what and how should do. The herd feeling “To be like everyone else!” Is not instilled in the child. It is not affected by communities, individuals with false beliefs and subjective evaluations. A small person has a personal position, a vision of the world and his own opinion.
• Trusting relationship. In a family where there is no coercion, and weaknesses and shortcomings are perceived as character traits, a friendly atmosphere, warm relations and complete trust reign. There are no secrets, misunderstandings and insults.
• Freedom of choice. The child himself determines the mode of the day and leisure, how much he should eat and when to go to bed, what to do and what classes to attend. No pressure. The kid is free in his preferences and chooses his own path of development. In the future, it is easier for such people to find their destiny in life, because from childhood they gain experience in independent decisions. Know their inclinations and what they want.
• Openness and sociability. Children raised by freedom are open to the world. In any situation, they feel confident. They have an extensive vocabulary and do not hesitate to express their own point of view. Actively participate in performances, disputes, competitions. Enough ambitious and proactive that does not go unnoticed. It will be easier for them to win the recognition of society and break through the career ladder.
• The development of creativity. This is an opportunity to fulfill oneself. Removing boundaries and prohibitions, eliminating imposed choices allows one to fully reveal one's abilities. The child independently determines his hobbies and interests, openly shows creativity. The inclinations laid down by nature develop freely.
• Responsibility. Freedom of choice obliges children from an early age to be responsible for misconduct and mistakes. The child learns to weigh decisions, think ahead, see the consequences, solve problems on his own. This is an invaluable experience. In the future, he will not shift the blame onto the shoulders of another, will not become depressed at the slightest failure, and will find a way out of any situation.
• Individual approach and respect. Each baby is perceived as a unique personality. An adult listens to the opinions and desires of a small person.Methods of education and impact on the child are selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the character.
• No violence. The child is not forced into anything. Education freedom means the absence of any punishments, instructions, teachings. The baby has a positive attitude towards the people around him. Not seeing cruelty and violence, he himself will not show it.
• Healthy psyche. A positive psychological climate and a friendly atmosphere create favorable conditions for the normal development of the children's psyche. The child is protected from prohibitions, screams, punishments. He is not worried about aggression, nervousness, fear. The kid grows emotionally balanced.
• A high self-evaluation. Participation in family affairs, the ability to express personal opinion enhances self-esteem, significance. Healthy self-esteem develops. Such children are self-confident, purposeful, focused on success. They lack internal bans and barriers. It is this factor that allows you to move forward and achieve success.

Minuses

Education freedom brings significant advantages. However, like any system, it has errors. What problems can a child face and what difficulties await parents who have decided to raise a child with a liberal style?

• Pampering. Since much is allowed and there are practically no prohibitions, babies often grow up spoiled. If inside the family, the parent and the child were able to find a compromise, then problems arise outside the home. In kindergarten, in a school where discipline and certain norms of behavior are established, a child can be met with harsh criticism and intolerance of his pranks.
• There is no exactingness to oneself. In fact, children love the rules and requirements. For them, this is a kind of beacons by which they navigate in the world of adults and serious people. Often, children raised by freedom do not know how to be demanding of themselves and suffer from this. Faced with prohibitions and strictness, they do not understand what they want from them. Reality can cause aggression in them.
• Difficulties in communication. A free person gets used to the fact that loved ones perceive him for who he is. For a child, this is natural. He is convinced that the whole world should accept and love him. Listen to children's arguments and reasoning, reckon with the opinion. Expecting a special relationship to himself, the child is faced with resistance, experiencing difficulties in communication.
• Heightened self-esteem. The kid along with adults - this can play a cruel joke. Confidence easily grows into self-confidence. Overestimating one's own capabilities often leads to a collapse in endeavors. The result is a lack of acceptance by society, misunderstanding, disappointment, depression.
• Not suitable for everyone. There are children for whom the rules are simply necessary. They do not feel the good-bad boundaries. Disorientation leads to mischief, whims, children's tantrums, misunderstanding. Since there are no identical children, how justified is the use of the “free” method of education for all, without exception?
• Parents are not authority. It is difficult for parents to maintain authority in the eyes of the baby. The equal rights of an adult and a child blur the boundaries of what is permitted. After all, children both indulge and fight, which means that you can behave like this with an adult: disobey, grimace, hit. However, scolding and punishing the child do not correspond to the method of free education. Agreeing in a good way is not always possible. How to be
• Expensive. Private kindergartens and schools working according to this method are more expensive than usual. Hiring a tutor at home is also expensive. You can educate a preschooler yourself, but then you have to sacrifice the income of one of the parents.
• It’s hard to implement. The absence or remoteness of specialized educational institutions impedes the implementation of this method. Let's say a parent can raise a preschooler. But then he has to go to school.State-level educational institutions work by a different method. Specialized schools are not enough. Independently fully realize free education can only those parents in whose district operates a "free style school."

You need to understand that there can be no single method of education for all kids. In addition to being children of different sexes, they still differ in the type of temperament: melancholy, phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric, plus all kinds of combinations. It is impossible to create a universal way to solve the problem. It is impossible to come up with a book that everyone would read, a film that would satisfy the interests of the whole society.

The modest and shy ones need more freedom, the nimble choleric ones need rules, the naughty people need borders. Since the children are different, the method and methods of education will be different.

We also read: What does free parenting mean: principles and regulations