A common misconception about unschooling is that we don’t enjoy learning and that we stay far away from anything that resembles education- but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While it’s true that we don’t do school- we love to learn!
School at home often encourages rigid schedules; bedtimes and wake times, start times and end times, time for math and time for science, time for recess and lunch. We don’t do times. We follow a natural rhythm throughout our days, keeping in mind that rhythms can change at any time. Spontaneity is a huge part of unschooling. How can we be spontaneous if we can never stray from the schedule?
School at home supports a curriculum and forced learning. The goal is to follow a structured set of guidelines, based on standards that were created by the board of education. These standards have no personality or soul. They have no merit. They do not wait for the eight year old emerging reader or the twelve year old history buff who struggles with math. School standards are designed to force every child to learn at the same pace, using the same tools, expecting the same results all across the board.
Human brains are not wired in this way. Children who are considered academically “low” are exactly where they should be when removed from the school environment. We have been conditioned to live and die by common core standards, forgetting that every child learns and thinks differently.
As unschoolers, we never force or coerce our children into doing anything that they don’t want to do. Our home is filled with learning materials such as legos, board games, tools, books, and art supplies. Our kids have access to learning apps, websites, audio books, video games, and of course- Alexa. Outside we have toys, bikes, water play, grass, rocks, and trees, plants, and animals. We go on field trips and play dates with friends and visit as many places as we can as a family. Our children are surrounded by an atmosphere that is rich with resources. It’s impossible not to learn! We encourage, guide, and facilitate- but never force.
Maybe you’re thinking: “life is hard, we all have to do things we don’t want to do.”
We absolutely do not have to do things that we don’t want to do. This “life is hard” way of thinking is ingrained in us from attending – you guessed it – SCHOOL. Children who are forced to spend several hours a day doing things that they don’t enjoy, afraid to be punished for not complying, often grow into young adults who work at jobs that they hate until they retire.
Our job as unschoolers is to change that narrative. We can have the freedom we desire. We can follow our dreams and passions and create financial abundance surrounding our strengths. Our kids won’t be penalized for thinking outside the box- in fact, that’s what we strive for!
Put down the curriculum. Take down the clock. Stop following your favorite homeschooling mama on social media. Look at your kid and lean into the amazing human that they already are. When we let go of limiting beliefs, and we are fully present with our children, it becomes very apparent that they are the only real guide that we need.