Recently on a list I joined, I engaged in a discussion about my radical views on the educational system, and as I was politely asked to justify my beliefs regarding public schooling, and consequently my reasons for homeschooling, I realized that I really am an unschooler, lol. Like to the core unschooler. Perhaps I require some things of my kids that radical unschoolers would be appalled at, and perhaps I use some curriculums in their education, but when I listened to myself explain why I feel the public school system needs to be burned to the ground, what needs to go up in its place, and what I hope to get out of homeschooling my children, I realized that my homeschooling beliefs truly are that of an unschooler…and I realized that while I may use curriculums, I have always used them to guide ME, not the kids. And if the kids don’t feel like doing something I suggest, we don’t, and I don’t grade or lesson plan, or push or coerce, and the curriculums I have chosen are play-based curriculums or literature-based curriculums, or experiential-based curriculums, and even using them, as I said, I don’t require anything. Allison loves our math curriculum, so we sit down to do math…not every day. I do do what I call history, but it is me sitting down and reading her story books - I abhor textbooks, and will only use a workbook if a child requests it, and then it is hers to do when and if she wants (Meredith has some workbooks, Allison is like me, and doesn’t understand the purpose)….Allison wants to start learning about science and doing “experiments” so I do have a science curriculum (which I haven’t started), but it is only to guide ME in helping her learn about science… because I am science-deficient (thanks Oak Crest Elementary School! Where I spent K through 3rd grade!)

I have had people in the past tell me that I was an unschooler. A local friend got me to attend an unschooling meeting, telling me that I was more unschool than I thought. And I remember another friend writing about her homeschool a while back and saying that I was more on the unschooling side of things than she was (and I thought she was pretty much an unschooler, and I have never attempted to define myself in that way!). Maybe they all saw something that I refused to see.

So now to embrace my unschool side, and make it work with my love of quality curriculum and my husband’s need to see identifiable progress…..hmm