Living and learning is a natural state of being. We live, we learn, it really is that simple. It is complicated by schooling – school interferes with learning.
My family has been unschooling for 10 years now, since our oldest was 6. We live our lives without school, we don’t separate life into subjects. Everything is connected, one thing leads to another, and connections are constantly being made in our brains.
We are learning beings, it is inherent in us to keep on learning.
Our kids wake up each day and decide what they want to do, I’m not sure if it’s really a decision or just following a natural flow of things. We have lots of choices since our lives are not tightly scheduled.
Some advantages of unschooling are:
-Freedom to learn what, how and when you want.
-Freedom to eat when hungry, sleep when tired, use the bathroom as needed without permission.
-Freedom from being graded and tested.
-Freedom to be who you are, to figure out who you are, your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, interests, style, hobbies etc. without being forced to conform.
-Having control over your own mind and body.
-Real, natural learning.
-Learning in your own way and time.
-Not having to conform to school standards.
-Closer family.
-Freedom from school schedules and constraints.
-Living and learning in the real world, real life, not an artificial environment such as school.
One of the important things to remember is that each child has their own unique timetable and their own way of learning. I believe that unschooling fosters and encourages the individual and does away with averages and milestones and timeframes that someone else has set as a standard of achievement. I am their mother, I nurture them, I love them, I listen to them, I observe them, I talk to them, I spend time with them, I play with them, I respect them, I give them time, space and freedom. I also facilitate and by that I mean answer questions, look things up, provide resources, take them places, offer suggestions, ideas and pretty much just help them figure out their world. I love being with my kids and sharing their lives with them. We learn so much from each other.
They are interesting, curious, inquisitive people. We talk about everything under the sun. We all have different personalities and bring something unique to the table and generally have a good time with each other. We take each new day as it comes, learning is happening all of the time, and it’s inevitable.
The unschooling life is a wonderful way to live with your children. We are our children’s partners in life. We have been building the foundation of trust and respect for 16 years. We learn about the world by living in it. We follow our interests wherever they may lead. We are happy, whole people just living our lives as if school didn’t exist.
“There is no difference between living and learning… it is impossible and misleading and harmful to think of them as being separate.” ~ John Holt
Written in joy by Stephanie Waldron
Tags: freedom, john holt, learning, real world, unschooling encouragement, unschooling families
I love your writing, Stephanie. You are a great mom!!
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love the article, Stephanie! And yes, we love this unschooling life too!
Love this unschooling life!
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