Unschoolers: Could we learn from these non-traditional learners?

In high school there was a family that lived down the road from me that were homeschooled. I was always intrigued by this idea, but I always thought this family was a little strange. After all, I went to a public high school, regarded the whole idea of school as just one big social event, and couldn’t imagine having to hang out with my parents all day while they taught me all the things I was learning in school.

Those kids down the street from me were strange, their parents wouldn’t let them play with us (probably because we didn’t go to church- the horror!), and this idea of learning from home was something that I would never even think of as a valid form of education. Cut to my first year of teaching when I came across a ‘new’ form of homeschooling- the Unschooling Movement. This was the version of learning from home, that made (some) sense to me. Why? Because if you are going to follow a specific curriculum (like traditional homeschoolers do)- shouldn't you do it in a school setting, with teachers who are trained on these subjects, and kids you can socialize with? But with unschoolers, they learn from life- so it makes sense that unschoolers do just that.

During my first year of teaching, in my Child Development class, I was looking for some supplemental videos to show during our Parenting Styles unit. I came across this Discovery Health episode called ‘Radical Parenting,’ and this show opened my mind to this whole new world of Unschooling.

The episode follows three different families, an attachment parenting family, and family practicing gender neutral parenting, and a family practicing Unschooling. I watched the episode and I couldn’t believe that this was an actual thing that people did to teach their children. Part of me thought this was the coolest thing in the entire world, and I couldn’t wait to pop out a few kids and raise them in an unschooled environment; and the other part of me thought this was almost a form of abuse, and this concept was so alien to me. Especially since I grew up as a product of public education; a huge advocate for public education; and now a teacher in the public education system.

But this whole idea of Unschooling really intrigued me. Unschooling is similar to homeschooling; however there is one huge difference. There is no curriculum. There is no set of lessons to get through, standards to reach, milestones to meet. It is literally learning everything and anything from just going about your everyday life. I used to always joke with my parents that my new year’s resolution every year was to “Do whatever I want, all the time.” And this is exactly what Unschooling was.

Watching this episode was sort of like watching trashy reality television (Where are my ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ fans?!). You don’t want to like it, because it is so ridiculous; but you can’t stop. And the more you watch, the more you think, “I kind of like this, its weird, but I get it, I want to be a part of it. It’s crazy. But I like it!”

But let’s take a look at the nitty gritty of Unschooling, because otherwise I will just keep talking about my love for trashy reality television. Unschooling is really the quintessential, learning from life. Kids who grow up in this unschooled environment are going to be street smart. They are going to know how the world works, and how to socialize with people from all walks of life. Many unschooled kids grow up in families that do massive amounts of travel. Parents take their children to Washington DC to show them how government works, take them to Egypt to learn about the pyramids, and take their children to Costa Rica to learn about ecosystems. This kind of experiential learning has massive benefits. The problem with this type of learning experiences however, is that they are extremely expensive. And if you are going to provide your unschooled children with these types of experiences, you have to 1. Have a job that will allow you to work remotely, or take off a lot of time; and 2. You need to have some money.

Now not all unschooled families grow up being able to travel and/or in a wealthy environment. Many Unschooled children may grow up in rural environments or isolated from cities. However, they may grow up in the middle of an urban environment. Truly, unschooling can happen in any environment, as long as one thing is kept constant: Parents are letting their children dictate their own learning and growing experiences.

Like I said before, I am a huge fan of public education however, I do believe there are some issues with it. I am not a fan of students having a regimented learning experience that doesn’t allow for choice and creativity. Unschooling puts choice at the forefront of learning, because the unschooled child literally gets to choose what they do, all the time. The problem with this, however, is many children can’t and shouldn’t be making every decision about what to do. Children do need structure; and living in this limitless world, can definitely have its consequences.

So at the end of the day, should we exclusively Unschool our children? No. Is there a place for incorporating aspects of unschooling into children’s lives? Absolutely. Kids need to be more educated about how the world works, how they can contribute to society, and how to respect and be a part of the world around them. We need to make sure that outside of school we are offering a chance for our kids to make choices in what they want to do, and learn about. We need to have them interact with people from all walks of life. However, we need to help guide our young children to make good decisions, and expose them to all types of things.

I am still on the fence about Unschooling. It kind of goes against everything I am as a public school educator. But I also am envious of this type of lifestyle. Allowing our children to discover the world through their own eyes and make sense of it. Allowing our children to exercise the most fundamental human experience of choice. I am envious of the traveling possibilities and experiential opportunities that Unschooling offers, that many traditional schools don’t have the ability to offer.

As a public school educator, I can, however, incorporate some of the big ideas of Unschooling into my classroom. I can incorporate Passion Projects or Genius Hours where students are able to focus and learn about anything that is of interest to them. I can help guides students to discover the empowering nature of learning on their own; through the structure and stability of a school environment. If I ever become a parent, I know I will look for this type of experiential and hands-on learning in a school environment; and offer as many opportunities for my kids to explore on their own. I will still send them to school. I still believe that school is a huge part of social learning; and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for all of my kids’ social interactions. I see the pros and cons of homeschooling and Unschooling. With the educational climate being a very confusing and sometimes concerning thing, I do see a place for homeschooling and Unschooling. I also believe in the power of public education, too.

What do you think of Unschooling?

Do you incorporate any of the ideas of Unschooling into your traditional classrooms?