My children have been unschooling for five years now. In many ways, our experience has been quite different from those who take a more traditional homeschooling approach. But there’s one thing that homeschoolers of every sort have in common… being misunderstood by the mainstream From the age-old socialization question to worries about how our kids […]
Unschooling And Traditional Education
On Unschooling and Math
My oldest, Thomas, has just entered sixth grade – at least, according to the public school that oversees our unschooling adventure. The last time he had anything remotely resembling a formal math lesson was when he was five years old, and I was still in my “we’re doing things exactly like school, but in a […]
School Days: the Sequel
This fall, Thomas decided to take on fifth grade academics. He was eager to know “everything a fifth grader knows”. It was the first time we’d be using formal curriculum in four years, but he and I were both up for it. Bright and early one September morning we officially launched fifth grade (okay, it […]
My Favorite Video Clips
Have you had a chance to check out the clips on my videos page? I love hearing what others have to say about unschooling, child development, and the current education system, and I’ve been collecting my favorites to share with you. If you have a few minutes, take a look! What would you add to […]
School Days
According to my town calendar, school officially starts tomorrow, and Thomas becomes a fifth grader. Having taught fifth grade, I’ve been feeling somewhat nostalgic all summer. How did my baby get this old so quickly? Is it possible that five academic years have passed since we started this homeschooling journey? It’s been a bittersweet feeling, […]
Don’t Help Me!
Lately, my daughter Katy has developed a passion for earning money. She’s enthralled by the notion that one can perform a service and be compensated accordingly. And each day, her list of “services” expands. “Mommy, if I brush my teeth right now, can I earn a buck?” “Mommy, if you’ll give me two dollars, I’ll […]
In Praise of Teachers
I know, it’s a weird title for an unschooling website. It’s a weird subject for an unschooling mom to be writing about. But, having taught in public schools for ten years, it’s a piece I feel compelled to write. Like members of every other profession, teachers span the spectrum from outstanding to completely incompetent. As […]
Unschooling: Can You Be Successful without College?
Ordinarily, I like to think of myself as more pro-unschooling than anti-school. I prefer to spend my energy focused on the positives of the unschooling approach rather than on the negatives associated with traditional schooling. However, a recent episode of Harry’s Law, which touched on whether a college degree is still essential in this day […]
Unschooling: What’s the Value of a Diploma?
I can’t shake the sneaking suspicion that a closet unschooler is a writer on Harry’s Law. An episode I watched a while back seemed just loaded with unschooling philosophy. I found its premise to be so unschool-y, in fact, that I’ve written about it not once, but twice already. And here I go again… If […]
Are Kids Supposed to Hate School?
So as it turns out, I’m writing a small series on a single episode of a show called Harry’s Law. What does that have to do with unschooling, you ask? You’d be surprised. The episode centers around 16-year old Scott, who’s battling his parents in court in order to win the right to quit high […]