10 Reasons to Unschool

Posted in Philosophy of EducationParenting on Jun 14, 2010 - 12:17 AM

There are so many different philosophies of education in the world to choose from. It's a rich, diverse world, so it's only natural that there are so many different ways to learn and grow. It's a shame, however, that most of these paths toward learning are concealed from the majority of people. If asked what education means, most people cite the public school method; and though others might also toss in private or homeschooling, there are still so many variations out there that go unnoticed, or even unheard of.

If made aware of all of the different options available to them, I believe that many parents would not choose to send their children into public schools as they are currently operated. I do know many parents who seek out religious or secular private schools, but not many who consider--or, most likely, are even aware of--the dozens of other options available. On my own quest to discover what education truly means to me as both a teacher and a mother, I learned about many different ways to become educated. At one point, my husband and I even decided to send our child to a private Waldorf school--before we realized how far away it was, as well as its annual cost. We have since decided to homeschool with a largely Waldorf approach.

Within my educational journey, I also discovered unschooling, a viable and wholly democratic way to learn. Though complete unschooling may not be the best choice for my family at this time, there are many good reasons why a family might choose to unschool. I have recently written a top ten list of reasons why parents may wish to unschool their children. Here is an excerpt from my list:

While many people believe the opposite, unschooling and other methods of homeschooling offer more frequent--and diverse--opportunities to socialize than traditional public schools. Instead of being grouped with peers due to a single commonality--age--children get to make friends with people of different ages, races, cultures, vocations, you name it. It is not uncommon for an unschooled child to have friends in multiple counties--even states or countries--with whom he or she frequently visits or speaks with.

The other ten reasons, posted in two parts, can be found here.

Tags for this entry:
curriculum, parenting, unschooling, homeschooling, parent involvement, media, homeschooling and unschooling, current events, unconditional parenting

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