Unschooling

I love this quote from Marisa on Facebook, she was describing what ‘Unschooling’ is to another user and this really does sum it up for me

Unschooling is basically the opposite of school, the term came about from John Holt who was a teacher, he tried to reform schools in the US and failed and instead switched to encouraging parents to homeschool but not to do school at home. Unschooling comes from the same prinicipal of having an unschooled musician or an unschooled artist but is extended to every subject. Other descriptions that are used are child led learning, whole life learning, integrated learning, incidental learning, organic learning etc and if you search other peoples blogs or sites on homeschooling/unschooling you'll see those terms. In basic terms the school system is to learn xyz incase you need it when leave school, learn it now and it might have meaning or use later depending on what you do when you leave school. The school system decides that everyone needs to know the same set things to succeed and a big focus is put on reading, writing and maths. The unschooling way turns that around and instead we follow the philosophy that *if* you need to know xyz then you learn it at that time (and if you never learn it then there's no harm because you've never needed it so why know things you don't need to use), in context with meaning and because you want/need to, therefore it already has use and purpose and because the information is being learnt because the child wants to learn it it will be remembered. It also takes a big shift in thinking away from children needing to be forced to learn xyz at a particular age, tested or otherwise assessed, rewarded or punished for good/bad performance and instead we trust that children want to learn that their basic drive for knowledge, competence and independence is all they need a long with a little facilitating (showing them how to find the information, answering questions, helping when they ask for help, expanding their world so they experience many things), guidance, love and support. A bigger focus is put on relationships, there are no subjects, we don't do math or reading or writing those things are learnt through living along with everything else. A good example is to think of how we all learn to talk, we learn because communicating is important and talking is the best way to do it, babies have speech all around them as part of their everyday life and through just living they learn to talk, they don't need lessons in how to speak or to have it broken down in to tiny parts for them (i.e the way phonics does with reading).

 

Right now I’m currently working on the question ‘Is homeschooling what Rocket Boy needs?’ and I keep coming up with the answer ‘Yes’

But this doesn’t mean we’re going to throw out all our work books and just play with lego from now on, as while Rocket Boy would love this, I struggle with letting go.

I love lists, and routines and structure, I like having a set curriculum and goals to meet each week.  I have folders decided to different parts of my life, meal planning, daily schedules, even a Christmas planner with 2013 Christmas planning already started.  While I can and do just go with the flow and quite often make impulsive decisions (after all every move we’ve made as been decided within days of the itch to move) I couldn’t live this way every day.

I don’t think I can just unschool, but I can make steps towards unschooling and let Rocket Boy take back some of the control with his education.

We don’t do any work after lunch as he’s expressed many times that he’s had enough by this time of the day.  If he doesn’t want to do something I suggest, we don’t do it.

I still have rules around screen time, if he wants screen time he has to earn it by completing Reading Egg lessons.  He also earns money for new Lego sets by completing work such as Reading Egg lessons, reading books, and completing letters in his Handwriting Without Tears work book.  I know these are so very school like ideas but this is the control I just can’t give up yet.  Maybe with time I will be able to let go a little more.

Do you unschool? How did you find this way of learning/teaching? Was it easy to move to unschooling or did you never start ‘schooling’ in the first place?