what unschooling is and isn't
Today, I’d like to kick off the new year by talking about unschooling, which is not to be confused with;
how to pleasantly coerce your child to do schoolwork
how to get your kids to do schoolwork on their own
how to make schoolwork more fun
Unschooling IS about unpacking our beliefs about how learning happens, what's good for kids and adults, and what's really important in our lives as parents who want to raise happy, functional adults.
If you're new to the concept of unschooling, expect it to challenge your current beliefs - perhaps a lot. Perhaps for a long time.
Unschooling is not something you read about, learn, and implement in the course of one day or week or month.
It takes years to really "get it", and it'll be a continual exercise in expanding your trust and confidence in your child.
Sometimes they'll do things that make you nervous, and instead of reacting out of fear or worry - unschooling gives you a different set of tools to process your experiences - and to respond differently, and mindfully.
It invites you to look at your child from a different perspective - to perceive that your child is not an empty vessel, and that his interests and tendencies are worthwhile, valuable, and even educational.
Unschooling invites you to consider that humans are actually hardwired to be curious, and so everything is educational.
Learning happens as effortlessly as breathing, without carrots and sticks, without gold stars or threats.
Learning is LIFE, and it's impossible to separate the two.
Unschooling is legal in all 50 states, and it's not new--there are plenty of grown unschoolers who are now parents themselves, and unschooling their own kids.
It's not hands-off parenting, and it's not child-led learning either.
Unschooling done right can be an intensive, emotionally dedicated style of parenting.
Unschoolers tend to spend more time, not less, with their children - although that time may look very different from a traditional homeschool family's time spent together.
Unschooling is, ideally, neither parent-led nor child-led. Rather, it's cooperative, collaborative, and dynamic, ever-changing as the needs of both parent, child, and/or siblings shift.
It is about providing scaffolding - guidance with freedom. The idea is to strike a healthy and age-appropriate balance of control without shaming or force, and certainly without punishment.
Everyone's needs, desires, and preferences are taken seriously - instead of the parent's (or the children's!) always taking precedence.
Unschooling can be a life-changer, a massive paradigm shift, and an invitation to have closer, more authentic relationships within your family.
We’ve unschooled for 20+ years now, and I can say that it’s been challenging, intense, fun, exasperating - and SO worth the effort.
Growth and change don't happen overnight, but they do happen.
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