Comments on: What Is, And Isn’t Unschooling

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:49:14 +0000

Thank you for putting this, and other pages, together. I've explored the idea of unschooling for 3 years now, and I know its the right choice for our family although I've never really implemented it yet. In fact, our oldest child is in public K at this point, but will be coming back home as soon as this year is done. This site has given me the inspiration to finally proceed with unschooling for our children, and to make this lifestyle a reality. I can't wait for this summer to start! Thank you so much again! Cats last blog post..more reading success

By: The Smorgasbord

The Smorgasbord — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:21:24 +0000

Thanks for this post, we have a 3 year old and have been considering this for some time. Your descriptions help us to understand more about what unschooling actually is... The Smorgasbords last blog post..Airpod Smart Car

By: sweet mommy

sweet mommy — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:50:46 +0000

Hi Joanne, Your ideas hit the right spot. Young children are curious and inquisitive by nature. But the school makes them lose all interest in asking questions or exploring life beyond books. sweet mommys last blog post..Today’s To Do List

By: Simone

Simone — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:28:26 +0000

I got wind of unschooling just over a year ago, and it’s horrible. You see, I am stuck in a school with horrible little teachers (I am exaggerating, the teachers are very nice, average sized people) shoveling facts into me to be regurgitated at exam time. And I’m stuck in it! My parents are of the mind ‘taught to learn, schooled to learn’, and wouldn’t allow me to begin unschooling citing that I would ’sit around on my bum all day, on the internet’ and ‘won’t learn anything’. I turn 16 in about 2 weeks, and when that is done I will hopefully be moving into an apprenticeship thankfully, out of the fact-regurgitating school system. Maybe one day someone, perhaps even myself, will go into politics and restart the education system from scratch. It’s a bit far off at the moment, (obviously) but thanks to people like yourself who have forged the way, I hope to unschool my own kids.

By: Paul Hakel

Paul Hakel — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:37:16 +0000

Speaking of unschooling, I’m studying at St. Bonaventure University, and I have total contempt for every school system I’ve been a part of. I literally walked out of a new art class today after the teacher set up the class suggesting he wanted to “perfect” our artistic skills and make us be able to compete for better grad schools and jobs. Is that what ART is all about?!?! It was the most loathsome thing I had heard in a while, and I felt like it totally put “creativity in a vise”. There is no creativity in schools, they’re lagging way behind radical technological developments we have where I can be lectured by all kinds of intelligent professionals in a non-coercive way (such as TED.com for some interesting ideas). The schools are vitally failing to teach anyone to be themself, to be an independent person who makes their own choices and makes learning a way of life. We need students to take control of their OWN education; if any teacher forces material on the students, he/she destroys the purpose of schooling.

By: Alexis Ahrens

Alexis Ahrens — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:15:00 +0000

Joanne,

I am so happy to have found your blog! I resonate with your philosophy. As a recovering teacher, I feel strongly that our education system is in final crisis stage and is about to crumble, hopefully to be re-conceptualized in a completely new way. As more people like you step up and change the paradigm for their children, we pave the way to broader definitions of what it takes to raise conscious, competent, creative, and compassionate citizens. I look forward to poking around here some more. Feel free to visit my blog, “Taking the Lid off the Sun” at http://shinebrightly.wordpress.com.
Namaste’,
Alexis

By: Joanne

Joanne — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Hi Chame. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!

By: chamé

chamé — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:03:00 +0000

well said. very inspiring! I love reading your entries. I’ll add you to my list of favorite links. thanks

By: Joanne

Joanne — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:42:00 +0000

Hi Arp, nice to see you here. Rue’s book is on my list on books-to-buy.

By: Arp

Arp — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:26:00 +0000

Seeing things through my children’s eyes has made a huge difference in my life, starting with walks in the woods with my son when he was 2 and seeing all the different things he was curious about. It piqued my own curiosity quite a bit.

I’ve been reading Rue Kream’s book recently and the light bulb really went off in my head a couple of weeks ago. Your last line really sums it up – I have such a difficult time trying to articulate what unschooling is. I think I just know it when I see it