I know several home schoolers, some stick to rigid plans while others go with the flow. I have heard of the concept of unschooling before without truly understanding how it works so I organised a meet up with an unschooling friend; I wanted the opportunity to understand better.
We had a wonderful time chatting while our kids dug down into the abyss…
Homeschooling isn’t an option for me, we just can’t afford it, but I think that there has to be a better way than our education system! Having worked in childcare (including working with kids up to top primary level) I can see the difference. As the childcarer - one who included large quantities of fun, educational experiences - I was respected, liked and the activities we did were treated with enthusiasm. As a teaching assistant I’m treated with distrust (until they get to know me) and a serious lack of enthusiasm is shown within the classroom.
Our children are institutionalised, just as we were before them and their children will be after them. Children aren’t supposed to sit still, their imagination is suppressed as their teachers, with ofsted as their conductors, try to cram so much ‘learning’ time in that they - the teachers - do all the research before spoonfeeding it to the kids.
Schools, as their current structure (both physical and educationally) stand do not allow for impromptu discovery.
My friend told me about her life as an unschooling mum. An unschooling mum who used to be a maths teacher. She has never taught her children to read but they can read, they have never sat down to learn maths but have done (eg) cooking and written down their working-out for amounts of ingredients. She said that, speaking as an ex teacher, she can see where all their learning goals are and that they’re just happening before her eyes, without anyone realising. And her kids don’t have that fear of failure because they’re just living life.
I really think that this is the way forward. I loved our chat, we’re so much on the same wavelength, and I truly think that this should be the future of education. More creativity, personal discovery and freedom, less conformity, spoonfeeding and allowing failure.
Now - how to get the Minister for Education job… 😜
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