Thoughts

MUD, walking, pinewood derby, "snow girls", beautiful drawings, and FRIENDS! That's what we've been up to lately... See? :)

I find myself going back often to a great homeschooling book written by an Unschooling parent from Massachusetts (!) named Rue Kream. It's called Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooling Life. Each time I read it, something new jumps out at me. In a recent conversatioon with Fran and Will, both individually said that what they liked best about homeschooling is spending so much time with their family. I know in my heart that it's what's best for them and for us, and it's so good to have them feel that way, too. And it's even more validating to have Rue, someone who is so good with words, put it down on paper. So, since she's already written it, I'll quote her here:

"When I learned that unschooling was a possibility, I was thrilled tha we could continue to live as we had been since my oldest daughter was born. I found the answers to my questions, which in reality I had known all along. Children belong with their families. Nothing is more important than living in connection with the ones you love and sharing life's experiences. We can't help but learn as we live full and interesting lives together.

When we rejected the kind of life that comes with a roadmap, we were able to question what it was we wanted from our lives and to determine what we do not want. We want joy. We want to know that we lived consciously and in the moment. We do not want to mold our children. We want them to have the freedom to choose their lives. We do not want to ever feel that we wasted time that we could have spent together.

Our major reasons for unschooling have nothing to do with academics, but of course there are reasons that we choose not to teach our children. We believe that children (humans) seek out knowledge in the same way they seek out fun or food, and we believe that adults can do a lot to interfere with that desire to learn. We don't believe that repetition is necessary or that there is a list of things that every person needs to know. We believe that turning the relationship of parent and child into a relationship between teacher and student is detrimental. We want our children to own their learning and to learn for their own reasons, not to please a teacher.

My husband and I have determined what it is we live by, what matters, and what does not. It has evloved and will continue to evolve as we face new challenges and joys in our lives. We want to choose the lives we lead, and we want our children to have the opportunity to do the same.

Ultimately, I'd say that the reason that we choose to unschool is because we want our childre to be truly free."

Wow....I know that we, too, are still evolving and making choices every day that lead us to a more joyful life. Thanks to Rue and others that spend so much time writing about it so that people like us can benefit.