What's in a name?

It was recently pointed out to me that the word 'homeschooling' implies just that.  'school at home'.  Only what most homeschoolers look for is anything but school at home!

There is very little about school that would appeal to me or my children.

Sir Ken Robinson gave an excellent Ted talk regarding how the assembly line method of education works (or rather doesn't work)

Children don't learn in scheduled patterns.  They don't all learn the same things at the same time.  Children genetically are ready for different skills, at different times, based on how their brains are wired, and when you add in the variety of experiences that can help (or harm) their desire to learn and baseline abilities you have a thousand different configurations of five year olds.

But when you have those thousand 5 yer olds in one district, you have to make huge compromises if you want to  educate them all roughly the same at the same time.  Aside from the huge step down to the kinda minimum that most can do, there is the need to remove freedom, 'fluff', and empty time in favor of review and drill so that all can pass the dreaded assessment tests.  (how can you ask a kid to 'pass' what is supposed to be an assessment?)

Someone choosing to homeschool, may only be looking at the religious options, or the safety from bullying and peer pressure, but it only takes a few weeks with a child to realize how different they each learn, and how fast they move on favorite topics (and how slow on their least liked). I can't imagine anyone really continuing the whole school pattern for long.

Sure some parts are the same, most folk who educate their own follow the same basic topics at least.  And some even give grades, or take attendance (why if you failed to learn anything new or review old interesting topics, you have failed as a parent, learning should be 24/7).  But overall the real education takes place in a thousand fun and interesting ways.

The trouble is, we have a lousy name.  We need a new name to describe what we do with our children's education.

We need a name that screams of the freedom, power, independence of education.

How about : Home education?  We are still home more than not, so that part applies.  Yet education has become synonymous with schooling to many, so I think many would hear it and assume it just means 'homeschooling'.

Free Education?  Sadly free is another word that has become twisted.  Instead of meaning 'the right to act speak or think as you desire' it means 'paid for by your tax dollars'.  (or occasionally it means 'included in the price of this other item').  Some confusion might result when folk learn we do not make use of the tax  funded schools for the education.  Many others who school the way I do (at home, with a variety of methods) might not wish to use a name that is so similar to 'unschooling'.

Variety Education? Gives the idea that not all days are the same. Though leaves none of the idea of home.

Creative Education?  This would really give the impression our education is heavier in the arts.  While we like the arts, and study them quite a bit, I still get the feeling this word would conjure up images of free flowing hippies with paint splatters and home sewn clothing.  (not that there is anything wrong with paint splatters, just it fails to describe the majority of other folk schooling outside the school system).

Sigh, I really don't have any great ideas.