Coming Out of the Unschooling Closet

Posted by Sara Schmidt on Dec 29, 2010 - 12:38 AM

Throughout December, I've been participating in the Reverb 2010 challenge, which includes a daily prompt designed to help one reflect over 2010 and plan for 2011. It's been a fun, enlightening, and sometimes painful process that I'm truly grateful for.

When I answered today's prompt, which was to discuss a defining moment in your life this year, I found myself recalling some ugliness directed at unschoolers earlier in the year and my own reaction to it:

Until the reaction that people had over that piece made the hair on me bristle, I didn't really want to claim that word. I'm still not a huge fan of it, as I don't think it truly describes what we do, and I hate labels anyway; I like "self-initiated learning," and terms like that, I suppose, that seem more specific. “Self-taught” definitely describes me in many respects.

It also taught me a bit about living authentically, and what it really means to live by your own rules rather than by the rest of the world's:

Nonconformism is, apparently, about much more than just sticking it to the Man. It's about sticking to your choices and ethics even when it's so hard and when everyone around you doesn't understand and translates it through fear and criticism rather than questions.

(To read the rest of this post, you can visit my blog.)

I have obviously learned so much from my fellow bloggers and the resources here at IDEA this year and I am so grateful for this opportunity. As much as I've learned and grown this year just by being here, I couldn't even begin to predict where I'll be this time in 2011. All I can say is that I'm excited to find out!

Happy New Year!