I was just doing a bit of reading and came upon this inspiring description of what it means to unschool your whole life. Of course, many folks understand that we “homeschool,” but no one in our immediate circle seems to get the fuller sense of how we live–and strive to live–our lives. It seems to be such a foreign concept to so many people. (Part of the problem might be that a lot of folks just don’t seem very curious, so they don’t ask us about it. If they do ask us about such things, seldom to they want to hear an answer that takes more than 15 seconds.) Anyway, this comes from the blog of Tara Wagner (aka “the organic sister”). She lives full-time on the road with her family of three and blogs about many fascinating things including mindful parenting and living simply. Please visit her blog at
theorganicsister.com.
In the meantime, check out this excerpt from Tara’s post “Whole Life Unschooling: It’s for More Than Just Kids:”
To us unschooling is not only about our children, it’s about all of us. It’s about our life.
Unschooling your whole life means…
- Seeing no division between child and adult, regardless of ability or experience. All should be treated with the same equal respect and consideration.
- Trusting all people of all ages are natural learners, born with an innate curiosity and an earnest desire to learn, even if it requires a bit of excavating for some of us to rediscover.
- Knowing that all people are inherently good. A learning curve on societal rules or boundaries, or a personal struggle due to past history does not make them “bad”. We all do the best we can with the tools we have.
- Thinking all people, regardless of age, have a purpose and that that purpose may seldom, or often, or never, change. And the best determiner of that purpose is the person in question.
- Believing in the wildly passionate pursuit of interests, supporting those interests wholeheartedly, and trusting when an interest fades.
- Disbelieving that interests are only valid if they come with monetary or status gain. We do things for the love of what we do and trust how our needs are always met.
- Not condoning the subjugation, squashing or criticism of individuality or diversity. We allow for difference of opinion, we see the underlying needs of others and we validate their particular experience.
- Not creating division between various subjects or activities. All of life flows in and out of all of life. The subject of “math” doesn’t exist but we find numbers and patterns in everything.
- Adamantly disagreeing that life should consist of unenjoyable work, that we should always follow all the rules or do things the same way everyone else does them. Feverishly questioning anything that tells us otherwise.
- Trusting in ourselves first, each other next and all others last.
- Respecting the boundaries of others and ourselves.
- Taking responsibility for our choices and our life. It’s all about empowerment.
- Seeking our own life and not settling for someone else’s. Supporting others who do the same.
- Building off our individual interests, creating a rich, diverse and engaging environment in which we can all thrive equally.
- Respecting one another’s personal Truths or choices. But drawing definitive lines where the boundaries of another are being crossed.
- Standing up for the little guy, especially the one without their own voice.
- Knowing that life is good. Messy. Imperfect. Wonderful. Sometimes heart-wrenching. And loving it anyway.
How can you possibly explain all that in one short answer? It’s impossible to describe what this looks like when someone asks. Because unschooling is just life and although you can define life and you can explain it, it’s still something that must be seen and experienced to fully understand.
Again, if you are interested in learning more about this. Read, be open, ask questions (and listen to the answers), take your time, don’t judge, and live your life authentically. (Oh, and among other things, visit theorganicsister.com for one cool point of view. Thanks, Tara.)
Tags: living simply · parenting · reading · road-schooling · unschooling
Aidan with mom outside the librarythan he wants. But fortunately he still enjoys me reading to him! This is a time that I really cherish each day–snuggling together, him with his blue blanket me with a cup of coffee, and we read sometimes for hours a day.
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