Can Unschooling Clearly Exist?

[Sandra Dodd]

The writing below was for something on the AlwaysLearning list, but I think it's better suited for this. On that list I called it "Christianity and other cults" but neither title is perfect. It's about the integrity of unschooling itself, and a reminder that people should try to see it as separate from any one set of spiritual preferences.

It's not an easy topic. It won't hurt my feelings if everyone ignores it. It helped me to write it out and try to list the angles from which unschooling has been questioned and criticized, or from which people have said "But you're unschooling--don't you also believe X about (morality/TV/plastic/chickens/ecology)?"

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Christianity has for years had the most effect on homeschoolers who aren't even Christian, in the U.S. anyway. Ten years ago, they were being told they created, owned and operated homeschooling. It wasn't true, but it was reported with feeling, and with statistics, and one tendency of Christianity is they trust that men of God (however self-proclaimed) are telling the truth.

Lately there are another couple of movements (in the US, and maybe it's more widespread) people have jumped into. They too sometimes (too often) assume that all other unschoolers are coming from that perspective too. One group adopts Marshall Rosenberg's stuff in a religious way and come to consider those don't want to side up with the giraffes or the kangaroos to be heathens (or out of the corner of their minds, categorize them as "violent communicators"). The other group wants desperately to believe in Ester Hicks and her imaginary friend, because if they believe those things they can be rich and happy.

A little older than that and less harsh in the assumptions is formalized paganism.

Waldorf is another set of beliefs that can turn cult-like with some people. The best way to get over that one is to read more and more about Rudolf Steiner. (Or don't get over it, but don't try to cram unschooling into that limited area.)

From the point of view of people who like the idea of being surrounded by powerful spirits and "laws" and who like to feel helplessly placed where they are (or worse, powerfully placed where they are by pre-birth contracts), humanistic ideas of genetics and native intelligence and potential for goodness and plain-old cause and effect without cosmic factors probably can seem irritating.

If unschoolers have other religious or philosophies, that's probably not going to be a problem if their own families can figure out how to prioritize the requirements of the situation. If they believe more in one than the other, that will help them in their decision making. If the two coexist smoothly and easily or they can find a source of assistance to tweak their understanding so that they can do both at once, great!

I know there are people on this list with fondness for or deep involvement in one or more of those "come and belong to us!" groups. I don't think of humanism as a group, but some people do and have managed to make a minor counter-religion of it, just as some atheists have, with meetings and literature and I guess they have picnics and social stuff.

I'm not trying to talk anybody out of their spiritual preferences. I just want to say to everyone, as I've said to Christians since I first started having to defend my own unschooling on the *Prodigy user group, that people can homeschool without being Christian. People can unschool without having the overlay of another set of rules and justifications. Not all homeschoolers are "pro life" or vegetarian or believers in a pre-birth waiting room, and it should be remembered that not all other unschoolers believe any particular thing about politics or diet or spirituality.

Just as unschooling works the same way for all kinds of kids, it works the same way within all kinds of side-beliefs (or primary beliefs, if that other belief is larger than unschooling in that family), if it will work at all.

Unschooling works when the parents are open and energetic and creative and love their kids without a set of reasons to suspect them and limit them and hold them back. That works not because I said it, and not because there are laws at work in the universe that draw it out to work. It works because of human nature. If people go with human nature instead of against it when they're in the parents-of-young-children phases, the results are way bigger than had ever been suggested in anything I had read when Kirby was little. I've seen it in many other families whose kids are young adults now. We really, truly are onto something wonderful and it works by itself, once you get it working, in normal houses without magic requirements and without special equipment.

[Sandra Dodd]

If there wasn't compulsory school, how would there be option-not-to-send-kids-to-school?

Natural learning is old, sure.
Unschooling is from the 1970's.

Fundamentalist Homeschooling is from the 1980's, generally.

Homeschooling with Calvert Curriculum is older than the 60's, but was used for bedridden kids and missionaries' kids in foreign countries, as far as I know.

[JennyStar]

I may have failed to explain why the above relates to the initial theme, but let's just leave it at intuition. Let's just say the thread struck a chord with me, and perhaps it's about success. Some of us want unschooling to be successful, to be seen by others as real, but the reality is that? Like I said, intuition, my idea is half-baked, I need to put it back in the old oven.

The thing I like very most about unschooling discussions is figuring it out, finding that connection! I like to take seemingly way out there ideas and put them together in my thinking and finding connections. Sometimes it will take a while for me to respond to a thread simply because I'm still figuring it out. Sometimes it will take me a whole day or several thinking about something before I figure out that connection!

Once the connection is made it adds to all the other connections and more and more and more connections.

[Sandra Dodd]

-=the more i ponder at least the LOA branch of radical unschooling-=-

There is unschooling, and it exists without "LOA" or anything else, and has for many years, and will for many years.

-= it has merged with RUing & there u have it. yes, it IS what RUing is all about.-=-

No, it has not "merged" with radical unschooling, and not it is most definitely NOT "what radical unschooling is all about."

[Sandra Dodd]

-=
I'm thinking about the Renassance and I want to read and search. Another question is 'how is unschooling history similar to the Renassance?'-=-

I know a fair amount of both of those, I can't figure out why you're asking. It seems you're spun up into a tornado of words and ideas. Where are your kids? Maybe breathe, sing, go and be with them.
http://sandradodd.com/breathing

[Katherine]

I think people compare unschooling with religion and cults because it's possible for them to treat it as such and think of it that way. Or maybe it's hard for some people to separate one part of their lives from other parts of their lives ... it's just all one seamless thing. You can see all these things as one merged piece.

But I like unschooling for the opposite idea: for the very reason that you can easily see it as irreligious and live it sort of like a "hermit" rather than getting in with whatever specific things other unschoolers are doing. I don't have to belong to unschooling groups to do unschooling. I don't have to join the unschooling religionist groups (such as LoA folks) to live unschooling. It's possible and (for me) desirable to see unschooling as separate from anything going on in my social life which changes all the time anyway.

Also. I could refrain from thinking about it one way or the other. I could just consider all things as different little things on a smörgåsbord to choose from. It's fun sometimes to go off on my own just as it's fun to hang out with other unschoolers and likeminded folk. To mix it up. There's a whole world of people who've never heard of unschooling who are very receptive to the way we live and I don't ever have to even mention what we're doing. Just do it. To me, that's very fun. To not say I'm anything and just be myself.

[Katherine]

The word Renaissance is "rebirth" and I can see how one could associate unschooling with a personal rebirth.

[greenlee]

This is an interesting subject for me because when I am out & about during the day I often have women approach me and assume that I must be some kind of fundamentalist christian homeschooling person. I have six children, am pregnant with my seventh, and drive a really big van. Hey, that's proof right there.

But I feel so resistant to this stereotype and it isn't because I am not a christian, not a homeschooling person - it is because I do feel that the fact that we live in an unschooling way is so separate from these other topics. My life is full and complex and overflowing in joys and hobbies and philosophies, but unschooling is a separate entity of it's own.


I often feel confused as to what to say to the people who approach me & ask me what church we go to or what curriculum we're using. Even after 22 years, I still find myself a bit mystified.

[Katherine]

Greenlee, I have one child and I get the same questions. In an area with lotsa homeschoolers (and few unschoolers, believe me). And so many people are all about churchgoing.

My answer for church: We don't go anywhere at the moment. (often leads to an invitation to the person's church)

My answer for curriculum: Oh it's amazing what Karl learns from! Everything, I'd say. (often takes the person off the idea of conversing about curriculum)

My sister knows I unschool and just gave me a bunch of books from her Story of the World curriculum set. I was sorta surprised to learn that she has gone back to Sonlight (not my cup o' tea at all). So I have a buncha books for free. Ok. I know we'll use the science ones because Karl likes experiments.

[Ren]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these posts. I have huge philosophical problems with LOA to begin with, though I see how much it can benefit some people who are coming from a more negative place and are learning how to view things from a positive place. I loved what Bliss and Katherine have said about it. I understand that people might want to connect and talk with others who unschooling and _____(fill in the blank) but I honestly don't like connecting unschooling to other lines of thought. LOA and unschooling aren't any more complimentary than any other idea and unschooling. I especially dislike the promotion of it as "pioneering" or "a revolution". PUHlEEz...Don't give it so much credit. Some of us like to think for ourselves thank you.

I love self-sufficient living. I love farming and gardening and learning how to be more independent with our lifestyle. I love beekeeping and rain barrels and storing food. Should I start promoting voluntary simplicity unschoolers? Nah....I love to learn from and talk to folks that share the interest. Don't care of they unschool or not. Certainly don't need to promote a group or "lead a revolution" of some kind. Imaginary one at best.

People have been gardening and homesteading for a long time. People have been practicing metaphysics and positive thinking and all sorts of things for a long time. There need be no "revolution" attached to unschooling, simply living one's life and pursuing passions without turning into a philosophy it isn't.

I want to live my life as though school doesn't exist, not as though unschooling is the cure-all panacea for everything and a set of "rules" I can replace school with. One can be a homesteader or a Christian or anything else they choose to put on themselves and unschool brilliantly. Better to not attach unschooling to it though....just LIVE. Live and learn.;)

[Ren]

Oh, and unschooling is really just living and learning anyway. So however you choose to live and learn freely, in your own way is how unschooling looks in your house. No matter the belief or lack thereof...it's just living LIFE. So live. And quit trying to link your own beliefs into the idea of simply learning naturally.

[Monica Manzano]

I was on a creative whirl the other day, and perhaps this wasn't the time or place to mention certain ideas ie a 'revolution' and attaching it to unschooling. Perhaps my ideas were linked to something else, an unreconciled idea. An abstract thought that is still not complete.

[Katherine]

Hmm ... well Monica. It's interesting. There's no place I've been in my life that I feel I shouldn't have been. Sometimes I made decisions that I now wouldn't make but at the time, I would and did. It was part of my personal growth. It's still part of who I am as it went into making what I am today. I am constantly changing and I like that. :) It's all good. You know?