It's an exciting time for unschooling. More and more people are getting to know about this strategy of learning/educating, as mainstream media begins to catch up with a movement that has for the most part, been underground.
But it is apparent that unschooling is a shock to the institutionalized mind. It really is. It's viewed by many as a fantasy, la-la land that only a kook would be fool enough to try. I mean, 'Saturday' every day?
You have only to read the comments in the Globe and Mail article to see how outraged people get over it. And I suspect that it might have something to do with the fear that if this works, then "why did I have to go through a system that might have turned me out the poorer for it? "
School and schooling have had such a fundamental hold on the unquestioning mind that to question that 'truth,' that 'given of the natural order of things' is akin to challenging the belief that the earth was the center of the whole universe back in the medieval age. You didn't.
But the wonderful thing about people is that we do question. We do challenge. We do try different ways to attain our goals. We do exercise our creativity and innovation. This unique quality is what makes us learning animals-human beings.
So you who are knew to unschooling, take heart. It might be difficult at first, but the more you read about unschooling, the more you talk to unschoolers, the easier it will get. I guarantee you, you will feel refreshed; surprised for certain.
Unschoolers are people who have the good fortune to explore what makes them tick. Perhaps this might make a 'school-dependent' mind cringe-and maybe feel a tad resentful.
But it is an approach to life that can easily be injected in any situation-so those of you who are 'unschooled challenged' fear not!
Unschooling is grand, and generous. It 'contains multitudes.' It accepts differences. Lighten up; allow the wisdom of unschooling to come into your life.
3 comments:
Compassion-I love this post. We have to think about how people on a journey and we are not all at the same spot on that journey. So, yes, lets be gentle on those who are new to unschooling ideas. even those who are hostile. Remember, there are still people today who think women should not be allowed to vote.
TED has a talk about how incentives bring about worse outcomes than just letting people figure something out out on their own.
The "Carrots and Sticks" approach utilized by schools is like this approach in business - it's broken and has an effect that is the opposite of the intention.
CHeck it out: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html
"...you who are knew to unschooling..."
Oh, I get it all right - promoting subliteracy is just what we need more of in this world. You can call me hostile - I don't give a damn. There is your magic fairytale-castle land, and there is the real world, and you have the choice of preparing your child to enter it and function in it, or denying them that. Choose away; as a friend once said, we are all free to fuck up our children in whatever way we see fit.
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