Un Schooling

Unschooling, the very thing that links all of us different and unique people together. Tell about how you started, or why, or what you are doing, any aspect of your unschooling that you'd like to talk about.

what about, HowUnschoolingHasChanged? those of us, who have been doing this most of our lives have seen it, things change, it is more comin then it used to be, people no longer give you the oddest looks, they find out that you are not in school, and are under 18, but have the people who unschool changed too? are we louder, quiter, more/less polite, are we unschooling for the same resons, are we doing as much cool stuff, are we doing more cool stuff? how has unschoolers being in the news afected unschooling?

Bill Wetzel got in touch with me [reanna] about a homestay on his alternative-school visiting bike tour last summer. He got my name from Sarabeth. And he originally got in touch with her through the web page that I created to follow her bike tour in '97. He's a real live activist, and he's got up to some pretty cool anti-school antics. (And he's been in Utne Reader!) His web site is @ http://www.youthpower.net/

When I first came across the word "Unschooling", I was really and truly thrilled. It seemed like a perfect description of what I did with my life: not school, not "school at home" ---- Unschooling!

Now, though, I'm realizing more and more that that word doesn't fit me either. You see, I never went to school, not ever in my whole life, and I have absolutely no idea of what that's like. So words like "homeschool" and "unschool", which basically seem to mean "the opposite of public school", don't fit me either, because in my world there is no "school" to begin with. How can I be the opposite of something I've never experienced? So for me, there is no "school" or "not school." There is only the life that I'm living, and the things I love to do.

        Amy

P.S. Growing up is such a bizarre concept, don'cha think? People never stop growing, not inside, anyway. Life would be pretty pointless if we did.

I'll admit I'm not always sure about unschooling... I was never allowed to completely unschool... my mom made sure I jumped through the hoops and got a couple of official highschool courses on my transcript so that I could get to university... and that worked for me, and I was glad because I discovered that in Alberta, there's not really any universities that want to bother with unschoolers unless you jump those hoops first.

That said, what I want to comment on some other things... one of the mistakes I see some unschoolers making is in their determination to be Unschoolers. Some would avoid all textbooks, courses, or tests... and while you can choose to do that if you want, don't feel like you have to avoid them just to be counted as an unschooler. Textbooks, official courses, and yes, even tests, can be wonderfully helpful in getting you to really learn stuff you might not otherwise. Make them a challenge to work with.

- Christy

• How I define unschooler is a bit different (and if you ask me, healthier thanthe way many of us do. My definition is thus: "Unschooler: One who does not automatically accept the ideal that school is the optimum place to learn; More generally, one who is aware of one's educational and, as education is life, life choices." That makes my definition include a lot more people, many, many of whom are in school (Mostly against their will, but some willingly, since they believe, and have thought about the fact, that school is the place for them. (Ari)
• Thankyou, Ari. That means I'm included. Nikki

Unschooling has become life for me. I used to think of learning and life as separate, and I defined myself as an "unschooler" because it was a different label. Now I'm surrounded by other unschooling friends, and we talk about it in the context of just plain life, so much that this is just the norm for me. Explaining it to adults or other teens who don't know about it is hard sometimes, because I now just think of myself as "me" and what I experience as "my life". I don't learn "subjects" in school or by courses... I just experience them. I read, research, talk with people (a lot!), work with people on certain things I'm interested in.

And one of the very good things about unschooling|life for me is that I'm allowed to be generally interested in everything! I don't feel the need to limit myself to certain subjects, and I can take my time to take things in. I guess that sounds really familiar to you, and maybe I'm preaching to the choir here, but that was a big realization for me.

~Eryn

For most of my life, I thought of schools as this evil, brainwashing force that should be abolished entirely. Now, though, I have met many intelligent people in school who do like it and still retain their identity in it. I'm starting to think that it isn't school itself that's "bad", but the fact that it's compulsery. Imagine how much better everything would be if children were not forced to attend if they didn't want to, so they could go on their own time. So that way, they could not go at all, or they could go as much as they wanted to, and it would be okay.

~Eryn

• hmm... in one way I completely agree. On the other hand, compusary schooling was made so that the children of poor people who might otherwise have been put to work by their families could get an education. Also, it would be a burocratic nightmare. So maybe it's the buracracy we need to do away with! Well, put it on the list... -marina

I have no idea if I'm supposed to post at the top or the bottom..I'll post at the bottom this time, and you can feel free to move me around later.

I think schools are sort of "bad", in a sense; there are two classes of citizens, and both classes are constantly subjected to corporate advertising. Ahem. :)

Right now I'm looking into becoming more grammatical, language classes for the fall, and different dance options. I'm also mapping an imaginary island and building an imaginary castle.

 - Emma

"And building castles in the sun, wo woooo wo! And singin', "Fun, fun fun!"" - Barenaked Ladies

i never heard of unschooling until i went to the library one day and got the TLH, 'cause i heard of it on a website about homeschooling. (i had been searching the 'net for ideas on homeschooling, because i really wanted to get away from my high school) and then i read the TLH, and went through a period where i couldn't stop rambling about it. that lasted for about a week. and then i bothered my mom and she let me enroll in a home-based school, which wasn't so great but i took a career class there that taught me some good stuff. and then i took my high school proficiency test, so that now when the aunts and uncles ask what i'm up to i can mention that and they think it's impressive. (which i do not understand) so now i am supposed to take two classes at my local community college (cabrillo). now i'm just looking forward to meeting nice people and learning new things.

unschooling to me is just another word for "taking charge of your life". and "doing today what you would normally do 'tomorrow'". in a way unschooling sounds like it would be sorta un-educational, since school=education to many people. but if you understand that school does not equal education, it's easier to understand unschooling.

i don't have much biterness about the school system anymore, it sorta got flushed out of me over time. i think school is not for everyone, but i also think that it is important to have for kids who don't have the resources to unschool. and if you are living in poverty, it's pretty important to go to school because that can help you move ahead more quickly, so that you won't have to be poor for the rest of your life. i can think of lots of kids i know that wouldn't do well unschooling, because they lack certain qualities and resources that most unschoolers sort of take for granted.

-Mari

• Are kids who live in poverty who go to school getting any good done? I went to several schools with the majority of students who did not have financially stable families, not necessarily poor, just people who don't know how to manage money for the most part, which can lead to poverty. Is the idea that they want to escape poverty right? Are we being materialistic saying they should want to be something besides living in poverty? Who are we to decide what is good for them?

I believe that anyone can unschool, it may just take a lot of work. They may need help along the way, and it may take so long to fully get school mentality out of them, that it may seem hopeless and they go back to school. School destroys, and I am generalizing schools together, your curiousity, wonderment of the world around you, and an interest in life. It replaces the "real world" with a world full of tests, bells to herd the cattle, teachers and adults telling you what you should do. All in the name of "what is good for you." This has been my experience with all my schools I have visited, gone to, or been inside. Are you going to say that you should keep all the apples, if 9 are bad and 1 is good, or throw them all out and plant new seeds? -mike

I read the TLH and left high school thereafter. It was the longest 3 weeks of my life until I was out. After being schooled for 10 years, it took me a while to get really unschooling. Like until after Camp. I was addicted to online computer games for quite a while, like 7 months at least, more like 8 or 9. Thats only counting my time when I was out of school. It goes even further back, and it was because of school and the lack of guidance on what I should do with my free time. I was always the best in school, I strove for the highest grade, the ultimate achievement. I was good at school. I liked it because I was good at it, it gave me satisfaction because I was taught that if you were good in school, then you would lead a good life, etc., etc. It took me a while, and is taking me a while, to realize what there is to do in this big wide world without somebody telling you what to do all the time. -mike

I read the TLH at the beginning of 8^th grade and happily skipped onto the road of unschooling at the end of the year... that was almost two years ago. I remember reading something somewhere where someone suggested that for however long you were *in* school, it would take you that amount of time to unlearn the lessons school taught you. I have days where I feel very "unschooler-ish"... and lots of days where I don't. I think the funny thing about my leaving school is that in many ways I've become much slower about my learning. I think I had all these expectations that I'd be running around and everyday I'd surround myself with philosophy books and mathematical theories and I'd play every instrument I had always wanted to. My first year out of school I did.... I think I read about 40 books that year. And so far this year I've probably read under 10. And right there is an example of some school-ish stuff I still have in my system.... I (along with a little pressure from family and other adults) slap these expectations on myself to do this much of this and that much of that. For better or for worse, being in school for almost ten years certainly does some interesting things to you. -eira