am I an unschooler?

[Katie8471]

I don't rightly know. I think I would like to lean more in that direction but it is hard to just give up direction and also hard to unlearn all the things I have been taught. I am very much a book learner so its hard for me to think about tossing out the books and letting the kids go. Play is very unstructured for us, but we do have outings often to the zoo, or museums, or the capital, or some other historic place. We work a little in workbooks with the two youngest ones. Last year the older ones did Oak meadow and mostly hated it. Husband is a doctor so highly educated and we just have a hard time with the idea of letting them just do as they please. we are slowly coming around to a more unstructured day, unstructured schooling, and unstructured curriculum. Homeschooling has been an evolving process for us. we started out doing school at home. then we moved to less school and more independent projects, learning, etc. One daughter really likes workbooks. she would do way more than I asked. unfortunately at her current age I cant really find workbooks anymore. Son would do nothing, happily. we struggle with that. I am hoping this year to have a little more learning directed by their interests. Husband worries will they be ready for college. I worry will they be happy. if they want to go to college, they will. If they want to do something else, they will. He is very much a believer in standardised testing, I am not. so we battle that often. I envy those who can give up all structure and bookwork, I just dont think I am there yet.

[Amanda]

I had the same reservations when I first started unschooling. I did not throw out any textbooks/workbooks/learning materials. My daughter has happily pursed and read any of them she wanted unforced. A few times she has come up (with the biggest grin on her face) and shown me that she finished full workbooks at one sitting! This doesn't happen all the time but I know I feel so much better that she choose to do it on her own and will probably retain more of the knowledge in them then if I had forced her to! HTH and good luck with your journey :)

[Katie8471]

lol ok he would do slightly more than that.probably watch tv or play video games all day. while I suppose there is something to be learned there is it enough to make a life for himself? I sure dont want to be supporting him forever! the goal(for me) in raising kids is to make them independent and one day let them go and watch them make their own lives.

[Robin]

Your son would do nothing? Nothing? He would sit and breath and that is it?

[Katie8471]

I love you too Ivanna

[bLISs]

i love you, katie.

sally, i feel the same way you do.

[Katie8471]

thanks sally. I would be really thrilled to just toss it all to the wind and let themdo what they want but I dont feel that in our case there would be a lot of learning going on, at least in the traditional sense like reading writing and arithmatic. It doesnt help that my husband learns mostly by reading and he just cant seem to get that they can learn it other ways.

[Sally Terranova]

I don't know I consider us unschoolers and we would never throw out the books! We love em:) Unschooling to me means the freedom to learn what, when and how you want...if books or workbooks work for your kid(s) then there's nothing wrong with that.