Homeschooling Methods: Unschooling

Of all the homeschooling methods unschooling is probably the most controversial.  It is a method of educating your child that allows him to pursue his own interests and direction.  

Although this is a very controversial method it is very effective in the right circumstances.  Children are born with a natural curiosity and desire to learn and unschooling does not hamper that in any way.  The term, “unschooling” is attributing to an educator and author, John Holt, who was a strong part of the birth of the philosophy in the 1970s.

Imagine having to teach your child to play, to walk, or to talk. It is unnecessary because children have an inborn need to do these things. They learn by watching those around them and trying to do the things they see their families doing.

A parent does not have to laboriously tutor a toddler and the way to pick up Cheerios and eat them. They merely give them the tools they need (Cheerios) and allow them to figure it out for themselves amidst much encouragement. Imagine then, critically watching a child fumble with his Cheerios and then grading him on Cheerios 101. How silly.

Yet, many parents will immediately feel the need to procure curriculum or to send the child to school when he turns five or six. Nothing has changed except that now the government says that the child is to be busy “learning something”. Generally what he learns is that school is boring, study is tedious, and children are often mean.

Unschooling just continues the pattern of a child learning by example. When he has good books read aloud to him he will naturally want to begin reading himself and will either figure it out on his own or ask a parent to help. By following his lead, the parent allows the child to develop at his own rate. While a few four year olds do learn to read easily some children do not learn until age ten. Most children find it easiest to learn to read at around age eight.

It is a lot like potty training. Some people potty train their children before they are a year old or shortly after. While it is possible to do it is generally difficult. Most children potty train best at about age two to two and a half and some are not trained until age three or so.

The schools must standardize everything and children that are reading are easier to teach. Therefore the push is to get them reading as soon as possible. Sadly this often translates into adolescents that have reading difficulties or despise reading all together.

One of the things that almost all unschoolers will tell you about this homeschooling method; unschooling is a lifestyle. Learning and life go hand in hand as you go about your daily schedule. Chores provide the opportunity to learn important skills. Cooking certainly incorporates math of various sorts, as well as language arts, science, and even history. With an assortment of good books, access to good television (History channel, Nova, etc), and plenty of time observing nature children learn volumes in short periods of time.

Math seems to be the area that frightens people the most. There are numerous life skills that incorporate math, and there may come a time that your child expresses an interest in learning higher math as well. If he chooses to use a book or a curriculum then that is his right.

Some of the math skills that are used every day are:

• Fractions: cooking, measurement
• Geometry: Sewing, home repair, games
• Algebra: Quilting and sewing
• Telling time: Watching TV. or everyday life creates the need for the child to learn to tell time.
• Addition: playing games
• Money: shopping, allowance

One of the beauties of unschooling is that there is really no need for a test.  You know what your child knows.  You will talk together about the book he is reading, or help him look up the bird that he saw.  It is a simple task to keep up with what they are learning.

In a conventional classroom situation teachers must use the test to keep up with what children know and concepts that they may have missed.  The teacher is not intimately familiar with each student so can’t make a quick assessment without a test.  As a general rule no homeschooling family really needs to test no matter what method they are using.

The homeschooling laws vary from state to state and you need to become aware of those that you will be guided by.  If homeschooling is legal (and it is in all fifty states) then unschooling is legal because it is a valid homeschooling method.  Unschooling does create some challenges in some states so it is best to visit unschooling forums and sites and talk to other unschoolers in your state to see how they are complying with state law.

Keeping a journal is a good way to keep a record of what your child is doing on a daily basis.  If there is ever any question by the state you can have something to show them.

Some people feel that Christians can’t unschool because there is a lack of discipline, or other silly arguments. The fact is that there are as many or more Christian unschoolers as those who use a curriculum like Abeka.

Children do not run wild all day in an unschooling household. The parent and child can often be found cooking together, cleaning together, bird watching, taking a nature walk, or reading. Because the child spends more time with the parent, as a general rule, he also models his behavior on that of the parent.

Over time the child will learn to complete his tasks without supervision, a sign of maturity. This cannot be taught by parent, school system, or employer. It must be learned by a child who wants to learn it. When a child is responsible for his own education he can’t make excuses to anyone. A high school student who needs to learn algebra to because he wants to get into college will be more apt to work at it than one who has to learn it because it is a class he is forced by someone else to take.

There are a lot of criticisms of unschooling.  Everyone knows someone who “unschools” and their children run wild, and are undisciplined brats.  Well, perhaps so, but the truth is that there is  a ton of bad parenting going on out in the world and unschoolers are not the only group of people who count undisciplined brats in their midst.

As a general rule unschooled children act the same as any other children.  Some are polite, kind, and well behaved and some are not.  Other criticisms that you may hear are:

• What if there is a gap in their education?
• Children may not be exposed to as many cultures and world views. 
• They will play all day when left to themselves.
• They will have no respect for authority and will be unable to take direction from others.
• They will not be socialized.

If you look at these concerns realistically you will soon see how silly they really are. 

• In the year 2009 there is no way that any child could learn all there is to know in a lifetime.  There will always be gaps in education.  Schools leave gaps in education.
• Children will be exposed to as many cultures and world views as the parent allows.  Even in school they are rarely exposed to more than the worldview and culture of their peers.  Forty fourteen year olds in one room for eight hours a day learn to act like….fourteen year olds.  They dress alike, they talk alike and they even tend to think alike.  Add a child to the mix who dares to be different and see how quickly he or she is ostracized.
• A child who is left to himself will pursue his own interests.  Photography, music, writing, art, reading, cooking…
• It would be a lie to say that all children in school have respect for authority or follow direction.  There will always be children that do as well as those that don’t.  There is no reason to believe homeschooled children would be worse, in fact many of them are better.
• What exactly is socialization?  Back to the example of forty fourteen year olds; do you really want your child to be socialized in that way?  Homeschooled children, unschooled or otherwise, have the opportunity to interact with many age groups, cultures, and philosophies.