When an Unschooler Feels Like Taking a Course

Do you ever feel like taking a course, reading a textbook, or following someone else’s instructions to learn something? Do you want someone to say, “Follow my plan, and when you get to the end, you’ll know how to bake bread, fix a car, understand classical music, draw a face or write a story”?

I usually learn bit by bit, dipping into a subject, absorbing what seems relevant and interesting until I feel satisfied,  and maybe returning another day when I want to know more. I gradually add to my knowledge of a topic according to my needs.

But sometimes, I want to believe the promises associated with a book or course. I hope I’ll learn something valuable in a set amount of time without all the trouble of doing the research myself. As I wrote that last sentence, these words came to mind: without all the trouble but also without the adventure.

Yes, when we learn naturally, spurred on by our curiosity, we never know where we might end up, do we? Learning can turn into an unexpected adventure. We might think we want to learn how to bake bread, so we head over to YouTube, but halfway through the first baking video, we start thinking about how the baker made the video, not the bread. We wonder: could I make a video, too?

Perhaps we could continue buying bread and learn how to vlog instead. But if we’ve just invested in a Masterclass baking course, we might feel guilty if we don’t use it. Will we plough on and learn how to bake bread despite losing interest, telling ourselves we must finish what we start? Or do we accept we’ve changed our mind, make our very first vlog – maybe about bread – upload it to our new YouTube channel and feel equal parts excited and nervous? What if someone watches our very first effort and doesn’t like it? What if no one watches?

I’ve been thinking about ways to document my life. I want to write my daily stories, recording all the details so I never forget them, and then try to work out what they mean. I want to discover stories worth sharing on my blogs. I’ve already shared many unschooling, parenting and grief stories. I’ve written a few marriage ones, too. What else can I write about?

I’ve been doing a lot of Googling, looking for writing ideas.

This morning, I found a book by Laura Stroud: Everyday Storytellers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing About Your Travels, Adventures and Life.

A step-by-step guide? Everything I need to learn is in the book. Laura Stroud has given me a plan. I just have to follow it. When I get to the end of the book, I’ll notice all the stories that are happening around me. I’ll always have something to write about. Well, that’s the promise.

I bought a Kindle copy of the book.  I’ve read the introduction and the first chapter. I’ve done the first activity. I had to write:

• Ten positive things about myself
• Ten things I’m good at
• Ten things I’m grateful for
• Ten reasons why my life is already worth writing about

I was tempted to write my responses in my mind instead of on paper, but I ended up scribbling them in a notebook. When I reread what I’d written, what did I learn? As the author predicted, I concluded that my life is unique and full of stories. I should have lots to share. But what? Do I go back in time and tell a few old unschooling stories? Share my own learning? Or will my writing life head in a new and unexpected direction? I guess I should keep reading the writing book and complete each chapter’s activities to find out.

Laura Stroud has included many personal life stories in her Storytellers book. The first one is about searching for a speakeasy in Hong Kong. Before beginning the written activity, I couldn’t help myself. I was curious. Surely it’s legal to sell alcohol in Hong Kong? I Googled Hong Kong’s speakeasies. Do you know what I discovered? These are speakeasy-style bars. They’re hidden away without any signage and might be hard to find. That’s the attraction. They’re mysterious. They specialise in cocktails, and visiting one is like going back in time.

I think researching speakeasies was more interesting than doing the writing exercise.

I’ve never visited a hidden bar, but I have a recurring dream about a home hidden in a shopping mall. While people laden with bags walk by, I push my key into a hidden lock between shops, and after a glance to see if anyone is looking, I step quickly through the door that slides open. Anyone watching might think I’m entering a lift. I’m not. I’m stepping through the front door of my home into the entrance hall. Imagine living amongst the shops. If you run out of bread, you can slip through your front door into the mall and buy some.

Several years ago, a friend moved into a new apartment in Canberra. She occasionally mentioned buying her groceries without leaving her building. Was she living in my dream? Was her home in a shopping mall?

Last year, I visited my friend and discovered there’s a supermarket on the ground floor of her apartment building. If she runs out of bread, she steps into her lift, which takes her to the shop where she can buy a loaf. It’s not exactly a home hidden amongst the shops, but it’s close.

My home isn’t connected to a supermarket. Each week, I need to drive to town to buy my groceries. I meet up with my daughter Imogen in the Aldi carpark. We each grab a trolley, fill it to the brim, pay for our items, and then stow our shopping in the boots of our cars. I don’t mind driving to town to buy my bread because Imogen and I have brunch in a cafe after we’ve shopped. We chat while we eat. Grocery shopping is a highlight of my week.

But back to the Storyteller book.

I hope I don’t get distracted and do my usual unschooling thing by heading off on other learning adventures before I’ve learnt everything Laura Stroud has to teach me. I want to do all the writing exercises, get to the end of the book, and feel satisfied: I did it! I finished the Storyteller book course.

Or do I?

Finishing the book isn’t important. The goal is to discover new thoughts, ideas, and stories in my life to write about. The book might help, or it might not, but I will give it a go and see where it leads.

 Images

by Mae Mu, Unsplash

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So, I’m wondering:

• Do you ever feel like doing a course online, face to face or from a book?
• Do you always finish what you start? Do your kids?
• Do you bake your own bread? Or vlog? Or know how to fix a car?
• And where did you end up the last time you set off on an unschooling learning adventure? Somewhere unexpected?
• Why not stop by, say hello and share your thoughts?