Ok, I am going to work from where we are at right now and I may back up from time to time. We started “unschooling” about 3 weeks ago. I define unschooling as our deepen process around learning -trusting our instincts and experiences. We have been through it all public, private, Afrikan centered, homeschool networks and now Unschooling- the final frontier.
I kept trying approaches that seem to be fundamentally the same (except homeschooling) – every approach seem to lead back to producing a child that will perform better for this capitalist society…I am not jaded it is just what I have experienced. I had to challenge myself as a mama to really ask myself “who is the education for?” Often it is used for status, identity and robbery. This golden ticket is really just fool’s gold -nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
No matter what paths I have personally taken, I always end up back where I need and want to be…with my purpose. So why should I lead my child on false quest for an education that is ultimately out to serve the ideals of a system I think desperately needs changing?
Since I have pulled my son out of public school we have inched towards educational freedom. Now, I release (or practice doing so) my concepts of a “good education” and I trust, yes TRUST my child to follow his heart and interests in determining what his contribution will be to society. I will be there to answer questions, provide guidance and offer up learning opportunities but now this is about him shaping his own world – isn’t this what he would do anyway???
I am not an expert at unschooling – really I am not sure if I AM unschooling, however I do know that we are pushing the limits of this four walled concept of school. We are also saying educating your own child is a revolutionary act. We all have the knowledge, know how and smarts to be our children’s teachers/guides and our children have all that they need to determine their educational/learning path. Our children just need us to be present, to be there with our heart.
I wish to hear from you and hear about other unschooler’s experiences. The following post are just a small account of our journey.
The Unschooled Afrikan... 