| When their child is eagerly learning and pursuing | | | | learning path decided for them by professional |
| knowledge, parents simply shine in delight. | | | | educators. While there are some students who |
| "Unschooling" is an educational method that is | | | | are able to thrive in such settings, many more |
| intended to harness a child's nature, that of | | | | children become discouraged and unmotivated. |
| excitement for learning and curiosity about the | | | | Unschooling can help children to regain that spark, |
| world around them. | | | | curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. |
| Tapping into this nature allow the child to continue | | | | One of the primary ways that unschooling is being |
| learning with a sense of wonder and adventure, | | | | implemented is through homeschooling children |
| rather than being forced to learn what is on the | | | | rather than sending them to primary educational |
| school agenda for the day. | | | | institutions. Homeschooling is a growing trend that |
| After their first few years, most children are | | | | promises to continue, not only in the United |
| shuffled off to public classrooms where a child's | | | | States, but around the world, wherever |
| natural curiosity and spark for learning all they can | | | | institutional education is impinging on children's |
| takes a secondary role to the curriculum and | | | | natural inclinations to learn. |
| lesson plans for the day. | | | | In a school setting, teachers must use and stick |
| While it is true that schools also want to have | | | | to a standard curriculum that is set out, not by |
| students in the pursuit of knowledge, it is also | | | | the teachers who have direct interaction with |
| simply part of the institutional structure that by | | | | students, by committees that are generally |
| nature focuses and forces children to learn what | | | | staffed by people who have not set foot in a |
| the school has outlined and in the way that has | | | | classroom or interacted with students in years. |
| been approved. | | | | However, a homeschool curriculum that is |
| Unfortunately, this is counterproductive for most | | | | following the principles of the unschool, will be |
| students and does not serve them well or bring | | | | considerably different from what is found in the |
| out their best energies for learning. Unschooling is | | | | public schools. |
| an attempt to turn around that educational model | | | | There are some homeschooling resources that |
| and free student to learn in more natural and | | | | advocate following very similar curricula as what is |
| effortless way. | | | | considered standard to schools. However, this |
| Traditional school curriculums are based on the | | | | means homeschoolers simple experience and |
| idea that children have to be pursued by | | | | change in setting by being taught at home, but |
| knowledge because they are not trusted to ever | | | | not a change in the approach to learning. |
| pursue knowledge for themselves. And, because | | | | The major emphasis of unschooling is to re-ignite |
| in a school setting, learning is defined by | | | | a child's curiosity of the world around them, which |
| schoolwork, it is easy for teachers to conclude | | | | is a natural state that is too often squelched by |
| that children are not eager to learn since most | | | | the formal school system. Using a child's nature to |
| tend to avoid the schoolwork. | | | | help drive his learning helps him be motivated and |
| As a result, sending a child to school became a | | | | feel empowered in their educational pursuits. |
| way to control children and force them into the | | | | |