Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions

What is homeschooling?

"When parents ask me about homeschooling, I am generally asked about curriculum, achievement testing, knowing what to teach when, socialization, and how one goes about getting homeschooled children into college. It is common for such questions to come on the heels of comments such as, "I could never do that," "I wouldn't know what or how to teach," or even, "Your children must be self-motivated learners." These questions and comments are not "wrong"; they simply reflect the "facts" traditional schooling has taught: that curriculum is important because "it" knows what children need to know and when; that achievement testing is the only way to assess whether or not a child is successful; that schools are the only places children learn socialization skills; that college is the ultimate goal for anyone wishing to be successful in this world; that children will not learn anything unless they are made to study; that teaching is a highly-skilled profession that takes years of training to master; and that only "gifted" children enjoy and pursue learning with any sort of vigor. For those of us who grew up attending traditional schools, these are bedrock beliefs. Yet living a life unencumbered by such assumptions has been the motivating factor for a small minority of families who choose the homeschooling path. It is an alternative that allows us the opportunity to give our children a life rich in experience and free of confining "professional" attitudes about what children must learn in order to succeed." From Homeschooling Our Children, Unschooling Ourselves by Alison McKee

So what then is it unschooling?

Unschooling, is a the belief that children are born with an inner sense of what it is they need to learn and how they need to learn it. Unschooling requires that we learn to have faith in ourselves and trust our children. It is not structured or directed by the demands of any curriculum. It springs from the child's desire to want to know about the world. Unschooling is not about the tools that a learner uses nor the teachers who might teach. Rather it is about the child and the child's need to know. Some unschooled children might like studying music with an instructor others might choose to self-teach themselves. Some unschooled children might like to learn gardening techniques alongside other children or adults, some might like to learn gardening techniques by watching videos and still others might like to learn gardening techniques through an extension class at a local university. The point is that the children have the desire to learn and they pursue that interest in the way that best suits their own needs.

Do parents play any part in the unschooling process?

By all means, yes! As parents of unschooled children we become the listeners, the facilitators. When our children first begin to explore the world we facilitate that exploration. When children are very young that might mean taking them to the store or library, giving them a ride here or there, or purchasing a special game or craft kit. As children get older, we learn more about taking the back seat and listening. When our children talk to us about their interests we may find ourselves being asked to help facilitate things we never imagined we'd be asked to facilitate. Take, for instance, what came to pass in our home. During their respective teen years our son wanted to learn about fly fishing while our daughter wanted to learn about drama. We had no experience with either. For our son, a trip to the library got him under way. He read, found material on fly tying, read some more and asked if we could take him to a local sporting goods store to buy some fly tying tools. He had the cash, we privided the ride. That was how simple the beginnings of a five year, in depth study of fly fishing began. As years passed we found ourselves being asked to facilitate more of this project - rides, going to local conclaves and fly fishing clubs etc. In the end our son was educating his dad about fly fishing and bringing into it with him. For our daughter the process was a bit different. Both my husband and I knew we had a budding actress on our hands. We simply suggested that she might like to try out for a play with a local group which was specifically designed for children. After that first audition she was hooked. She was with that theater for three productions before she decided to expand her horizons. Friends from the local high school suggested she try out for the school plays. I made some inquiries, she did the same. Permission was granted for her to audition. Over the course of the next two years, she auditioned for and got parts in two musicals and three other plays. These connections put her in touch with other opportunities. Community theater was her next venue. When she was seventeen I found out about opportunities for teens to study Shakespearian drama in Ashland, Oregon. This intrigued her. She applied, was selected, saved her money, went and fell in with the theater and the area. Today, she is in college in Ashland studying Shakespeare and drama.

If I want to know more where do I turn?

For more details about homeschooling check out the "advisor" column at homeschool.com. Other good websites include Home Education Magazine and Unschooling.com.