Does unschooling work? I guess the answer to that question depends on what we mean by the word ‘work’. Where do we hope unschooling will lead?
When parents are investigating unschooling, they probably want to know if unschooling works. This is sensible. We can’t set out on along a pathway, especially an alternative one if we haven’t got any idea of what’s ahead.
So what questions will a parent ask? What will reassure them that unschooling is the right thing to do? I’m guessing that many people want to know if their children will get a good education if they’re unschooled. Will they be able to get into university? Will they have a high chance of getting a secure job that will set them up for life? And although unschooling kids are quite capable of getting into university and having successful careers, I think there is more to education than a safe well-paying job.
We also want our kids to become people who care about others, who will be full of love and compassion, who know right from wrong. We want to have good relationships with our children, feel connected to them, have them want to be part of our lives. We’d like them to have the opportunity to develop their talents and then use them to do important work, work that will affect others. Do something that will make a difference to the world.
We want our kids to become the people they are meant to be and fulfil their missions in life. And this is what unschooling is really all about.
Does unschooling work? Yes.
I have a lot more to say about this topic in my latest podcast, episode 124: Does Unschooling Work?
This week, I’m also talking about:
- My fabulous Patreon patrons and the work I hope to do with their help
- Camp NaNoWriMo
- How kids learn new things when they have a need
- How younger siblings think they are just as capable as their older siblings
- How sorting out a problem isn’t always as difficult as it seems
- A new podcast idea which involves collaborating with other unschoolers
Show Notes
Blog posts
Does the World Needs Unschooling?
Are We Incomplete Without Our Passions and Interests?
Youtube channels
Videos
Music
Podington Bear’s Sound of Picture
Writing
Image: Four of my girls – Charlotte, Gemma-Rose, Imogen and Sophie – outside the church where we had Thomas’ funeral. I sometimes wonder if people look at my kids when trying to decide whether unschooling works or not. And if so, what are they looking for? Are they reassured? I hope so!
Hmmm…. I’m not sure if my comment went to moderation or disappeared….
I wasn’t sure if I should write this here or find one of your older posts on the topic. But I decided to go here. LOL!
I was wondering how you were feeling about your decision to leave Facebook after these many months. Still happy with it? Regret it? Thinking of going back? Wishing you had done it sooner?
I keep circling back to that possibility and want to quit, but feel stuck. There is a group of college friends I would be cut off from and there are a few health related groups that are helpful. And for the business my husband and I own. But I so want to be off it.
About a month ago I stopped using it for personal things and I can tell I’m getting more done and am happier not being exposed to everyone’s “stuff” all the time. But it’s hard to walk away with finality.
So I wondered how you were doing with it (if you care to share – no pressure if it’s too personal to ask).
Sallie,
I don’t regret leaving Facebook at all. It was a big relief to finally delete my account.Yes,a lot of our friends are on Facebook and we can feel cut off if we’re not there too. So there are good reasons for staying. Perhaps have an account just for Facebook groups and not collect lots of additional ‘friends’?
I heard that Facebook is not favouring groups and pages at the moment. The reach for these is even less than when I was on Facebook. I wonder if you have noticed this with your business page. Do you have to use FB ads to reach your targeted audience? Perhaps you use other kinds of social media as well.
When I deleted my Facebook account, I deactivated my Instagram one. I was going to deleted it completely, but I didn’t. Instead, I recently started posting on Instagram again. I like this platform better than Facebook because I can only post my own photos and I only see other people’s photos. No links to surveys, political stuff and other things that overwhelm me. And there’s no sharing. It’s been good to see my friends’ photos and catch up with what’s happening in their lives. I’m not sure if I’ll always feel good about Instagram. Overwhelmed feelings tend to appear unexpectedly and then I just can’t cope. But for the moment, I’m enjoying posting my photos.
You are so right about having more free time when we’re not on social media. I’ve been much more productive since I left Facebook. More focused. Instagram is threatening to distract me again. However, I’m spending more time on my photography now I have somewhere to post my photos. That’s good. It’s hard to find a balance, isn’t it?
A lot of people have given up blogging because they find it easier to post on social media. And yes, I’ve been sharing a lot of unschooling thoughts on Instagram, instead of writing posts, because it’s quick and easy. But I heard that we should concentrate on our blogs because they belong to us. Social media is fickle. The rules change all the time. We’re using someone else’s space. I just wish more people were willing to visit our blogs, that our blogging communities were bigger and more active like they used to be, and that we didn’t have to think about using social media to connect with the people we want to know.
One last thought: When I left Facebook, a lot of people said they’d miss me. I swapped email addresses anticipating we’d stay in touch. But we haven’t. Life gets too busy. I guess if friendships are strong and important enough to us, we’ll find other ways to stay in contact. But not many friendships survive outside FB.
I hope you find a solution that gives you peace. As always, I’ve enjoyed chatting with you!
I wrote a post four months ago regarding the fact that I thought old-fashioned blogging was making a comeback. I think people thought I was nuts, but it was based on observing what has been going on online for quite some time.
This past week, several prominent bloggers and people in the blogging business world made similar comments. This is the post I wrote and there are some links in the comments about the more recent discussions. I don’t think that it will ever be as it was in the early days, but I think there will be a degree of resurgence. People want real things and peaceful places. And I do think our blogging communities can grow again. As people see more active discussions, I think some will be drawn back in. Not everyone, for sure, but some will.
https://sallieborrink.com/new-trend-returning-old-fashioned-blogging/
Sallie,
Thank you for the link to your post. It was very interesting reading. I did mean to leave a comment on the post, but I did a bit of hopping over your blog and ended up leaving the comment on a post you’d written about Facebook. It’s good to discuss these things. It seems like there are quite a few of us who’d like to blog successfully without social media. I shall keep reading and thinking about this issue.
I subscribed to your blog so I can keep up with your posts. I was following you on Feedspot but somehow cancelled my subscription without meaning to and since then I’ve been out of touch with my blog reading. Looking forward to following along more regularly!
Oh, and I forgot to say… I’ve been watching your Evernote videos and reading some of your content about it. I signed up, but am trying to justify the monthly cost and decide if we will really use it. I like the way you use it, but we’ve had it two months and it feels overwhelming to get started. So I’m trying to sort that out too. 🙂
Sallie,
Evernote can seem overwhelming at the beginning, but once you work out how to use it, it’s easy. And it’s full of possibilities. We can use it to store a lot of dfferent kinds of information. I like how I can use Evernote on my phone. Take photos and immediately put them into a notebook. Write a quick note while I’m out and about…
Perhaps you could list the reasons you signed up for an account. What you’d hoped to do with it. And then see if you’re having problems doing everything easily and quickly. Or perhaps you just don’t see a use for it. Evernote seems to be one of those things where the possibilities are endless. I keep thinking of new ways to use it even though I used to survive qute nicely without it. I do like it very much!
Anyway, if I can help you set up your notebooks, give you some ideas or help in any way, let me know. I’d be happy to help you.
Hi Sue,
I spent a couple of hours playing around with it tonight and realized a few things. Most importantly, I like the web based version so much better than the app version.
The primary motivation behind using it is the fact that there are three of us involved in Caroline’s schooling – me, Caroline, and my husband. (He works from home and is very involved with everything.) Caroline is very into art and doing things online so it makes sense for her to be able to snap a photo with her ipod and upload it using the app.
I think once we get into a rhythm with it it will make my job much easier. I see it as a great way to strew electronically. I’m always finding things online and she’s very much a computer person so it’s a good fit. I’m very much a paper and pencil person so this is a change for me, but I think it will make my life easier.
So I set up a lot of ideas folders for strewing. I still need to decide how I’m going to keep records of what we do, but that’s for another day. Fortunately we live in one of the easiest states in the USA to homeschool (Michigan) so I’m not required to do anything. But I do want to keep records for our sake and just because I want proof of all we do accomplish.
Sallie
Sallie,
I like how Evernote notebooks can be shared. Yes, you and your husband and Caroline can all add notes to the notebooks which makes things easier and quicker.
I think you’re right about a rhythm. It doesn’t take long to develop an Evernote habit. It becomes second nature to snap and upload photos, clip links, write quick notes…
I hope you enjoy the weekend!
I know that Nathan is a happier, more well adjusted young man because he is an unschooler. Stress is gone and joy remains. I am a little sad as he has actually finished up his high school career. He is applying for the local community college and will hopefully be doing that in the fall whether online or at the campus. He said mommy don’t be sad unschooling never ends I still consider myself an unschooler . It’s kind of like when you know that the last child you have really will be your last. It makes you sad
Nancy,
I imagine you have mixed feelings at the moment. It’s sad to think your last child is no longer unschooling with you at home. But you must be so very proud of Nathan. It sounds like he is ready to move on to the next stage. “mommy don’t be sad unschooling never ends I still consider myself an unschooler” You have given Nathan so much. Sending you a hug because, although I know you are happy for your son, at the same time, it’s hard. xxx
We’re early in our unschooling career, the oldest kid here is 7 years old, but I think it works! I have family who ask how unschooling is working while giving me the ‘surely they’re done with that by now’ look. Sometimes the looks get to me, and give me pause to think about whether what we’re doing really does work or not. Then, I remember where the kids really are academically, almost universally ahead in my opinion, and I relax a bit.
The ‘look’ winds up being a positive force in general. It makes me re-evaluate our goals for unschooling in the first place, (as you mentioned above). My goals were to have the kids learn in a natural easy way, that echoes the way I learned things as a kid, and to get out into the world to experience it, and to build skills necessary to work with it.
Sometimes I realize we could focus more on one or the other of those goals, and try to amplify my efforts accordingly. “No. 1 mentioned she wanted to learn to solder, we need to take time to make that actually happen.” or “No. 2 is starting to bounce off the walls in the afternoon. He’s really good at action oriented activities like hikes and sports. I need to make diners that we can take with us so we can walk out the door in the afternoon and hang out in our forested park or the playground instead of our house.” or “I noticed the kids are saying bye without making eye contact while leaving places we visit. We should start practicing role-play about greeting people when we’re out and about.”
The look reminds me to do little things that make our unschooling life more effective and more fun, so, I’ll take it. Little reminders always help.
By the way Sue, thanks for so many thought provoking posts here! I’m sure you’ve noticed, but your comments section often serves as my rough drafting area for my posts 🙂 Thanks again!
Hamilton,
I love how blog posts appear after we’ve been discussing something in the comments. Or podcast ideas! (How’s your recording going?)
I’ve been chatting to Sallie about how blogging has changed over the years. A lot of bloggers and readers are now using social media instead of blogs. In many ways, social media seems easier. We can post a few words or a photo or a link or even a video rather than write long posts. However, Sallie and I think blogging is going to make a comeback. And I’m glad about that. Social media doesn’t result in the kind of conversations and blog posts you and I are enjoying.
“The ‘look’ winds up being a positive force in general. It makes me re-evaluate our goals for unschooling in the first place…” I wonder if you have supportive family and friends. Sometimes people close to us can’t understand what we’re doing. However, I love those moments when they have to admit that our kids are learning lots and developing into great people. We must be doing something right!
Sue,
I finally got a chance to listen to your podcast! We have been vacationing in Canada and had a really busy week. I think one of the best things about unschooling is that it’s not fear based. In high school between the way that some parents pushed and my lack of life experiences it felt as if not doing well on a test or not taking a certain course were horrific events that you would really struggle to recover from. I think a lot of my choices as a young adult were fear based and I don’t want that for my kids. But I don’t believe that we need to push our children past their limits or frighten them. There are many different paths. Maybe there was a greater chance of missing out in the past though and we are carrying on with that outdated mindset?
Venisa,
Looking at your photos, it seems like you had a wonderful vacation in Canada. I’m glad!
I love your words about fear. Yes, I was given the impression that if I didn’t do very well in my final school exams my life would be ruined. If I didn’t do the right uni course, I’d never have a chance of going in a different direction. If I failed a test, I feared my parents’ reaction. Fear is not a good motivator for learning. It gets in the way of a real education. I’m so glad we aren’t pushing our kids past their limits and frightening them. They’re doing okay without that, aren’t they?
Thanks for listening to my podcast and stopping by to share your thoughts!