Unschooling revisited
You know, sometimes I am such a slacker. I get caught up in whatever it is I am doing (cleaning, cooking, gardening, reading, art, blogging, checking email, whatever) and I pretty much forget about everything else. Homeschooling included.
Lately, thanks to all of the recent unschooling buzz going around, I have been paying more attention to what my kids are doing when I am being “slacker mom” and not actively leading them through a series of well-planned activities.
They are actually pretty busy.
The little ones, of course, are learning all the time. Just the very act of trying to communicate with each other is an education in itself. Plus there are always rocks to be thrown and puddles to explore. Living is learning for these guys in a very real way.
JBug’s latest thing is doing dot-to-dots in a huge book of them I picked up at a yard sale. This, of course means that as she does page after page of these puzzles, she is counting from one to about 100 over and over and over again. That and her magnifying glass which she has taken to carrying around wherever she goes. The ant hill out back is frequently the object of her scrutiny.
Superboy is the project man. He is always into something. Usually more than one something. Lately it has been art, and grilling out, and building stuff with scrap lumber,practicing survival skills such as trying to start a fire using various sticks and strings and such, planning a business with his dad, and about a million other things (which leaves a million messes all over the house, garage, and yard. But I digress…). Anyway, the boy is busy. I can’t keep up.
None of them are doing what is the greatest fear of those considering unschooling–vegging out. (The only one doing that is me!LOL!) They are active, engaged, and learning.
Now, those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile will remember that I tried the unschooling thing before, and I concluded that it did not work for us. I had some success, and some failure, so I decided to leave what I thought was essentially an ideal learning experience behind, and look to alternative methods: notebooking, lapbooks, unit-studies, Montessori, and some Charlotte Mason-influenced methods.
But I am also having the same combination of some success and some failure at every method of schooling we have tried (with the exception of Montessori, which has been a rip-roaring success for JBug and the littles).
So, thinking of Superboy in specific, if we are experiencing the same level of success/failure with other methods, why abandon the ideal (as I see it) of unschooling, and cling to the less-than ideal, yet still only marginally-successful methods? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?
So, I am revisiting the idea of unschooling again, trying to figure out how I can take that ideal, and make it work for us, and in the process I am learning more and more about it. More about how all of the variations of unschooling work in different homes. I’m taking another look at strewing, at making connections, and the very active role that parents of unschoolers take. At least the successful ones. I am looking at unschooling through new eyes, so to speak. And I’m liking what I see.
And you know, although I described myself as a “slacker mom” earlier, I know in my heart that this isn’t an accurate description of what I am doing (most of the time, anyway). On the days when I get absorbed in something and schoolwork gets put off for another time, it is because I am engaged (painting), I am active (gardening), I am learning (researching math programs), and it is all stuff I do because I want or need to do it. In a word, I am unschooling.And I think if I look at my role as being a model and a guide, rather than a teacher or supervisor, this could work. And my feeling is that it will work especially well for Superboy. (I am still sticking to the Montessori for the littles, because I am seeing great fruit from that. Plus I see the connection between that method and unschooling, believe it or not. But that is a post for another day…)
What do you think, folks? Is this thing doable or not? Or more to the point, can WE do it? You know us pretty well by now…What do you see as our major stumbling blocks? What will be our greatest assets?
Filed under: Curriculum or Lack Thereof..., Random Ramblings
Hi Theresa,
I am embarking on an adventure of having my 5 year old daughter and our hopefully (and prayerfully) soon to be adopted 8 and 3 year old home next year. My 17 year old will be a senior and is in a day, prep school. I am a Montessori trained primary (3-6) guide and am spending a lot of time thinking about our next year and what it might look like… I would love to follow along and be part of this discussion and wonder if you would mind writing about your term “unschooling” and I am unfamiliar with it?
gratefully, judith
Lapazfarm says: Hi Judith! You can learn more about unschooling here:unschooling
I look forward to your input!–Theresa
Hi,
I’m not an unschooler and I don’t have children as old as Superboy; I have used Montessori — and I wish my efforts had beens as successful as yours! All that to say, I don’t know that I have much to offer except this: I’ve always thought of Montessori’s approach to the elementary level as sort of unschooling with a spine. In other words, the Great Lessons provide *an overall structure and direction* as well as a jumping off point for independent studies and projects. So maybe it isn’t all that distant from what you’re already doing.
Rebecca, that is very much the way I see it as well. I think our Montessori experiences will be a great preparation for unschooling.
I think you most certainly can do it. Most importantly, remember that since the success/failure rate is about the same, don’t feel guilty about shifting in and out of methods as you are inspired.
I find that what works best for Reagan is to come up with a general educational plan that we start the year with for the first half of the year. We may list a dozen definite learning goals, with any number of ideas branching from them. Along the way, we follow lots of rabbit trails, and take advantage of any number of methods. As long as we hit the definite goals, we go with the flow. We rework things and do the same thing over holiday break.
I can’t wait to see where it all takes you! BTW…Reagan told me to mention both dryer lint and pine cones as firestarter helps to Superboy. The girl has been experimenting with making homemade and earth friendly alternatives to fireplace logs. Can you imagine the bonfire if those two ever met up?LOL!
I love the idea of unschooling but must admit I have never done it for more than a week. You guys do so much awesome stuff and have so many resources that it would probably be great. I also think there are seasons in homeschooling just as in life. So it might be just perfect for you with a move coming up and all. I would never call you a slacker mom.
Blessings,
Dawn
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/my4sweetums
Oh wow, Theresa! Love this post! I find it so interesting that you and I seem to be finding ourselves in the same “place” right now. I too have been mulling and musing about the workability for unschooling for my children. And thinking (yet again) about what’s worked and hasn’t worked in the past). I’ve been giving much thought to active unschooling (where the kids are interested and engaged and mom is actively a part of facilitating their learning/doing when needed) versus unschooling by default (which is how we usually end up doing it around here and which does not have good results for any of us). I’ve had two posts in mind which I hope to get to write soon. One about the topic in my last sentence and one where I delve into the pros and cons of unschooling as I see them for our family (or even for each child in my family). Thanks for some great food for thought.
A couple of questions… First, from your posts it really does seem that your way of schooling with Superboy (the project-based, notebooking, etc.) really does work with him. Could you explain the ways it doesn’t and how you know when it’s not working? Do you think that he would still incorporate some of this stuff naturally by choice if you were to unschool?
And, I have a newly one-year old who is quickly becoming a very active toddler. I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts depicting your little guys doing Montessori activities and wonder how young they can start doing some of these and how I would begin learning about some of the activities for the littlest ones (good beginner websites?). Just wanting to start doing some research now for the upcoming couple of years. Thanks!!
Excellent, Christine! I loved your post about strewing (did you see the link?). It REALLY got my wheels turning about how I could do things differently this time around.
I will try and put together a post about some of your questions, most especially how I determine if something is working or not with Superboy.
As for the Montessori, MWEI is a good place to start. I’ll try to get some Montessori links up on my sidebar, as I get asked about them quite often.
This is so much what has been happening here too Theresa, great post!!
I think it might work for you guys. It wouldnt work here because my daughter is not self motivated but from the pics and all of things your kids are doing I do think it could work there.
I’ve not been reading here for a while and have just come back. Need to subscribe to the feed.
I’ve been following a lot of this wider discussion at Lissa’s and elsewhere. And I think that when we say that unschooling doesn’t work, we are often saying “they are meeting the educational goals I have for them on their own”. But what we need to do is look at their own goals. And then the picture looks a lot different.
Which links a bit to what Angela said above. Her Reagan is older than your Superboy and Angela has helped her learn how to set goals and such, which enables her to have discussions with REagan about goals and then unschool around that. I’ve tried to incorporate into whatever I’m doing some of that teaching Tigger how to set and reach goals. And maybe that is one of the things you need to think about in terms of the direction you give.
But I think it definitely can work and the key is in looking at what is going on in a different frame. Not checking whether they have learned the things you thought they should, but figuring out what they have learned. Does that make sense?
Yes, Jove, it makes a lot of sense.
Goal setting is definitely something I need to discuss further with Superboy as he enters his teen years. I definitely don’t want to have to be setting his goals for him when he reaches high school (hoping for more independence by then) so I think it is wise to start planting those seeds now. The way Angela has done that with Reagan is a great inspiration to me.
I do have a tough time letting go of “the things I think he should learn,” or my own goals for him. That is hard, hard, hard. Perhaps because I have not yet thoroughly convinced myself that I should?
Still pondering…
Still pondering as well Theresa… actually I have been a bit of a ’scatterbrained’ leader these days. Need to read up on some of the discussion I missed while our computer was in the shop.
For my .02 I would say that you would be an awesome unschooler and Superboy sure fits the bill (as does my Hannah- projects everywhere!!). But ponder and see what fits for your family especially what fits at this time.
Great thoughts about goal setting as well. I want to begin to think about that more with my 13yos who is on the undermotivated side quite frequently!
Kristie