I am cutting and pasting the words that spoke to me the most. This from someone who has taught me a lot about what unschooling looks like. Thanks, K. If you'd like to read the full post, click HERE.
"Do you remember waiting to get out of school? Day by day. Year by
relentless year. If we are being honest, hour by hour, we waited to get
out. And all over the country, right now, millions of kids are doing
nothing but waiting to get out."
"...Imagine waiting to get out of your life. Unschooled kids skip that, completely. How would that feel? Not waiting? Not knowing a bell. Can you imagine going 18 years without a bell? Take that one in. There is no bell here. We school as often as we learn. And we learn all the time. And that is our life. No bells, no where to leave, no stop time, unaware of demerits."
"...In a flip to a wilder life than I could ever have imagined, for its focus on what is true, real, and loving, I never wait until my kids go away again. Imagine not waiting till your kids go back to school. You are in here."
"...Imagine waiting to get out of your life. Unschooled kids skip that, completely. How would that feel? Not waiting? Not knowing a bell. Can you imagine going 18 years without a bell? Take that one in. There is no bell here. We school as often as we learn. And we learn all the time. And that is our life. No bells, no where to leave, no stop time, unaware of demerits."
"...In a flip to a wilder life than I could ever have imagined, for its focus on what is true, real, and loving, I never wait until my kids go away again. Imagine not waiting till your kids go back to school. You are in here."
And here is something else by the same author. Via a wee little homeschool forum. David and I have talked about it over and over again.
"I tell people often. I say, "I've done a lot of things. I've pierced my
nose and dyed my hair. I refused to wear shoes to highschool. I've
taken drugs and studied homebirth. But nothing, and I do mean Nothing,
changed my point of view so radically, tore me so completely away from
entrenched habits of thought, the way homeschooling has."
I'm not saying that children are and will be ruined by public school. I'm not saying that parents who send their kids to school are awful. So don't start on me. BUT homeschooling has changed my outlook on LIFE in more ways that one. It's changed what normal looks like. And by doing so, makes me question what normal looks like on everything. Change is good, right?
Yes, change is good. Different is good too.
If someone had told me ten yrs. ago that I would be a homeschooler I would have laughed at them, maybe been even a bit offended at the suggestion.
We fell into it for specific reasons but having Owen learn at home has changed our lifestyle completely... for the better.
Posted by: tara | May 16, 2009 at 07:09 AM
Absolutely, sister, absolutely! Thank you for the timely reminder about just why it is that we live this crazywonderful life - a life I wouldn't trade for the world.
Homeschooling really is about so much more than what our kids do all day - it is how we, parents and kids alike - live.
Rock on.
Posted by: Maggie | May 16, 2009 at 07:20 AM
I LOVE this post. Big Son is going to be homeschooled this year. We did it 2 years ago but I had to go back to work full time..now I am working from home so that helps!!! Thanks for the info links!!
Posted by: Heidi | May 16, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Absolutely.
Posted by: Heather | May 17, 2009 at 07:08 PM
muah! : )
Posted by: katherine | May 17, 2009 at 08:36 PM
I think that's one of the greatest things about it.... is through home- and (particularly) un-schooling you can get to a place where you question everything.
Being liberated from the "Because that's the way it is" is so empowering.... you get to live more authentically, fully, and joyfully, if you wish.
Thanks for this post!
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie | May 26, 2009 at 08:54 AM