Unschooling: Everything You Need to Know

Unschooling offers our children the space to follow their curiousities as naturally self-directed learners.

Children are natural learners. They follow their curiosity and interest. Traditional school doesn’t offer that much space for children to naturally learn independently. If you’re looking for a better way to educate your children, unschooling might be for you.

What is unschooling?

Unschooling is a life without school. It naturally allows children to learn at their own pace, lead with their curiosity and current interest with the parents as facilitators and guides. Children learn but not with a curriculum. No particular schedule and set of activities. There is no one place to learn, it’s everywhere.

More than a process, unschooling is more of a mindset.

It’s about letting go of control over how children learn and what they should learn based on what we expect of them at a particular age. It’s letting go of our preconceived notion of what kids need to learn to thrive in life. It’s letting kids be kids. To unschool requires us, parents, to let go of the standards that traditional school has programmed into us.

Homeschooling vs Unschooling

More people are familiar with homeschooling and a little confused how unschooling differs from it. Homeschoolers still enrol their children to an educational institution. That institution provides them a curriculum, schedule and group kids based on their age, and some maybe by other factors like learning pace, style, and maybe more.

There’s also an evaluation of the kids’ performance through a test and they have quarterly measurable goals. Families also need to submit requirements so kids can level up by next year and so on. Basically, homeschooling is still schooling but it takes place at home.

Unschooling is more of a mindset than
another way of learning for our children.

How do you unschool?

There was a learning curve and transition phase for us when we moved from attending school, to homeschooling, to unschooling. Having attended school myself where there’s a schedule for everything, it can be a little overwhelming to have so much flexibility. But my child proved to be so intuitive and after a while, I learned to trust my own intuition as well.

Just to give you a picture, our daughter needs regular physical and occupational therapy to improve her mobility. That takes time and energy from her. Attending school full time can be exhausting and stressful for her. Just imagine all the people that she has to interact with. Not to mention the demand to be fully participative in these therapy sessions, it can be overwhelming.

There are plenty of opportunities to learn at home. We focus on basic skills, reading, writing, and counting. These skills are then incorporated when we teach her self-help skills, and equip her with skills so she can take care of herself independently.

What are the benefits of unschooling?

As a young mother back then, I reflected so much about my time as a child in school. There were many good memories but there were also some troubling experiences that were traumatizing.

I would cringe imagining my daughter going through that. And also I was frustrated that even after so many years, there was not much advancement or improvement in the school system where we live. I learned that from going to different schools, SPED and mainstream institutions, and talking to the faculty/staff. There was a lack of understanding, and dare I say effort on making it accessible and adaptable to children with disabilities.

School should not only provide with the
right curriculum. It must match your family values.

I know that there are some benefits to getting an education in the school setting. To some families, school signifies hope of a brighter future, a stepping stone to shaping one’s destiny. We tried school, too, but we never found an institution that aligns with what we believe can help my daughter reach her greatest potential. Also, with her condition, and the lack of programs including government support to educate children with disabilities (which then results in limited opportunities in the society), I must step in and do what I can to support my daughter.

Unschooling opened up those opportunities for us. It gave us a blank slate to a bespoke learning journey that is adaptable to my daughter’s learning pace, style and needs.

While having a bit of a program or a curriculum can help ease the pressure from learning facilitators, it helps the child follow their interest. No more forcing kids to stay focused on a subject matter, instead they are engaged in learning because they’re interested.

As an unschooling parent, I also love that I get to witness my daughter grow, think and learn in her own way. I also get to grow with her and unlearn my limiting beliefs about learning. In a way, I became a better person because of this journey.

It is also accessible since you don’t need fancy tools and materials to learn. You can use everyday items at home.

While unschooling pose a lot of benefits to families,
it’s not a hype that you simply should hop on to.

Should I unschool my child?

While we attest to how unschooling fits with our values, my child’s capabilities and learning styles, it’s adaptability and a lot of freedom, I know that it’s not for everyone.

There are also challenges in unschooling. To some, the freedom from no curriculum or learning plan can also be a challenge. It’s like you’re lost and doesn’t know what to do. This is true to many new families taking the path of unschooling. Another challenge could be that both parents needed to work and no one can guide the children in learning. Or the child can thrive better in a school set up and prefers to go to school.

The important thing to keep in mind is that whatever pathway you may choose, there will always be pros and cons. So, instead of trying to look for the “perfect” one, maybe it’s best to remember your values and ask if the learning pathway supports them.

Perhaps adopting an unschooling, free-thinking mindset is enough, too.

I hope this article gives you some information about unschooling, how we do it as a family, and its benefits, and may this information give you the insights you need.

Do you have more questions about unschooling? Reach out and I’ll respond.

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