why there aren't more lifelong unschoolers
why there aren't more lifelong unschoolers
Where are the lifelong unschoolers? Why don't we see more teen unschoolers?
What happens to all the unschooling communities, where the groups of little kids far outnumber the lifelong unschoolers in the group?
If unschooling works so well, why aren't more people doing it for longer?
Every fall, it seems that in the whirlwind that is public schooling, a few more brave souls are swept up into it...either because of pressures from concerned (possibly meddling) family and friends, financial stresses, lack of adequate childcare, or just overwhelm.
Our tribes are so diffuse, our individual resources are concentrated in ways that do not support us in doing what we believe is best for our individual children.
I hate to see my kids' friends get swallowed up by the schedules and rigidity of the public school system.
I know what it looks like when a child who was innately curious and full of zeal gets homogenized by the system.
The lights dim in their eyes and their exuberance fades as they learn that life is about conformity.
They learn about the importance of getting right answers on the test (even if they don’t make sense); about this arbitrarily measured thing called "knowledge", which is keeping them much too tired and jaded to be pursuing their real interests or following up on their passions.
I wish I could create a space where my kids as well as their friends are supported in learning and thriving together.
We could learn together, all ages, about all the sorts of things that actually matter--like our health, our food, our planet, and each other.
We can do so much more together, than when we’re held apart by money, logistics, systems, and structures. Those things were all ostensibly created to make our lives better, but they're on the decline now, and make things arguably worse in many cases.
When we live in a world where the systems harm rather than heal, where conformity wins you a generic space in the wheel-cog of someone else's machine instead of an equal place at the table, it's time to rethink education--to reevaluate what we stand for and why.
I'm tired of seeing families squeezed ever more tightly, running out of options to survive, let alone thrive.. Divided we are not a threat to anyone, only together can we progress and overcome.
The first generation who will inherit a world much worse than their parents did needs a new fucking yardstick to measure success by.
The only future we have is a sustainable, interconnected one, where we say fuck the old standards and bravely create our own out of what's left that truly matters.
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