The Unschooling Dilemma Homeschool Families.com

At the core of the unschooling philosophy is a fundamental belief that children will learn everything they need to know by being left unto themselves. Unschoolers would focus on the process more than the outcome, and would say that it is more important to fill a child’s environment with rich learning tools, rather than to purchase a good curriculum. True unschoolers would say that it’s about trusting their child’s innate ability to know what they need to learn and to learn it in the best way for them.

For us, unschooling presents a variety of dilemmas the least of which is how to comply with a heavily regulated New York State. In New York State, homeschoolers are required to submit, a letter of intent, an IHIP (lessons for the year), 4 quarterly reports, and an annual assessment. The trick is how to submit an entire’s years worth of lesson plans based on what my child wants to do. How will I know what my 5year old son, whose interests change with the wind, will want to do next June? I have yet to speak with anyone in New York State who has been able to truly use the unschooling approach for this reason.

My second dilemma is that I just can’t get into the idea that my children really know what’s good for them and will tell me what they want to learn. My kids, I’m thoroughly convinced, do not know what’s good for them. If they did, they would not ask for ice cream for breakfast. If they really knew what was best for them, they would want to wear winter jackets when it’s freezing instead of shorts. I am even convinced, that if they knew what was good for them, they may even think that baths were cool more than once a week. But they don’t. The Bible says folly is bound up in the heart of a child. Children say, think, and do “foolish” things. It is our jobs as parents to lovingly, correct and guide them into thinking right things. This includes, in my opinion, homeschooling.

However, I think that there is a lot to be learned from unschooling families about education. These are the things that we take away from the unschooling philosophy and apply to our children:

Every child learns differently
This means that we do listen and watch for clues from our children as to how they learn best. When we latch onto an idea that works, we try to present as much information as possible in this way. A good clue as to how your child learns, is to look at what “clicks” for them when you’re teaching reading and math. Do they really get into the manipulatives? Is it pictures that do the trick? Is handwriting the thing?

Also recognizing and respecting your child’s learning style means that one curriculum does not fit all. For the three kids that we’ve taught (or are teaching) how to read, we’ve used three different approaches.

Art as Free Expression and as a Response to Learning
This is a big deal at our house. We have our share of coloring books but it drives me bananas when I see people insisting that their three year old color in the lines or color things a certain color. Allowing your children to explore with different art tools, colors and media is a great way to encourage motor coordination not to mention thinking skills. Kids who are not told what to make, or how to make it have a sense of accomplishment from what they’ve done.
In addition, we use art work regularly as a response to what we’ve learned. My kids have lots of journals that have recorded outings, trips, as well as things they’ve seen in nature. Because it’s their art work, they are intrensically interested in what they’ve produced which has frequently launched what I like to call an information quest. This is where my kids insist on going to the library to find out more.

Interest Based Learning
I know I said that I didn’t think kids could really tell me what they want to learn and be educated successfully that way. That is true. Generally, I like to have a scheduled time where the kids are expected to sit (or lay down or explore) and learn. However, I am a firm believer that the more my kids are interested in what they’re learning, the easier it will be on me. I don’t wait for them to tell me that they’re ready, I encourage them towards a particular interest. If the reject it, then we’ll try again later. But I find that I’ve been able to get my kids interested in all sorts of things I don’t think they would’ve been interested in if I hadn’t suggested and encouraged it. If on the other hand they reject something, saying that it is too hard, I am inclined to wait and reintroduce it later.

Providing a Rich Learning Environment
We take tons of field trips. We live in New York City and my kids have gone to most of the museums in Manhattan. . .even the ones you’d think little kids wouldn’t like. We have recently taken stock of our massive collection of books to learn that we own almost 500 books, most of which are children’s books. Our kids go to the library on a weekly basis, and they take a few classes outside of the home according to their interests.
My point in telling you all this is that their learning environment is rich. We really strive to make sure we have lots of great reading material on hand, as well as art and craft supplies. They have lots of toys that encourage thinking and imaginative play and their spaces are set up with them in mind.
Let me say here too, that part of providing a rich learning environment is turning off the television. T.V. stifles creativity and it is a hindrance to great thinking.

So there you have it, my unschooling dilemma. At the core, I reject the idea that my children will tell me what they want to learn, all the way through their education and that they will come out knowing what they need to know. Even if I did really believe this to be true, I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea on how to incorporate it into our strict regulations. However, observing my children’s learning styles and interests, I try to make school fun. In fact, if you ask my daughter if we school, she’ll tell you not very often! The truth is that I do it every day but she just doesn’t always realize she’s home schooling!
I would love to hear from anyone out there who may be an unschooling homeschooler.