I've been reading The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith. I really enjoy her style of writing! I remember skimming part of it when I was a new homeschooler, but the idea of having my daughter's education fall into the "interest-led/child-led" category scared me quite frankly, and I promptly sent it back to the library. (I was also joined by quite a few that year who did not have a favorable opinion of unschooling, so my initial opinions were influenced rather than original. I hate to admit that, but that's just another way to show me that God has a sense of humor to have me turn into an unschooler at heart!) I'm really having a great time reading this book.
One thing that I'm finding myself gravitate towards is the thought that I can not mess up God's plans for my daughter. I don't think that it is "Daughter Knows Best" in most, or even many, cases. I do, however, think that she has an innate interest in many things that could very well be needed for her future. If my job is to prepare her for life, how can I not let her chase her own rabbit trails? I see her have an interest in math and writing. I see her have an interest in history and science. But, why should I not let her see where her interests take her? I've been thinking a lot lately about when I went to college for the first time. I'm not sure if this is because I have a cousin who recently started college herself as a freshman, or if it is because I have another cousin who will be graduating before you know it... and changing her mind about her future which would require her to get a different degree. Could one reason that so many have that frustration over what to study in college really be that they were never allowed to discover their interests at an earlier time? Could this help my daughter in the future?
I feel like a new homeschooler because this is so contrary to what we thought we knew about our educational philosophy. (And when I say "we," I really mean me because my dh has always lent great importance to self-directed education.) I started out as a fairly rigid follower of the Well Trained Mind. It's a great program for those who would like to follow a classical method of education. The older my daughter gets the more we realize that this is not her method of education. She just isn't programed to be that rigid. Her life does not have nice little boxes of knowledge that feed one from another. However, it gave her a great peg on which to hang her knowledge. It exposed her to something that has become a huge passion for her at a young age... mythology. Though, I have to wonder if she would have loved this anyway.
So far I've read about various families who have led the life of an unschooling family. Ms. Griffith does a great job of highlighting different examples of people from various backgrounds and beliefs (let them go, direct them, give them tv, sell your dvd players, and beyond.) I'm looking forward to getting farther into the book so that I can hear specifically how people handle various situations and specific subjects. It's making me think, and that - to me - is a sign of a good book.
I also have a copy of Christian Unschooling traveling somewhere along the USPS delivery lines. It will be interesting to read another source. I'm also looking forward to reading some of the Growing without Schooling back issues at www.unschooling.com.
I leave with a quote from Pat Farenga from Teaching Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling (which is also on my reading list!)
"When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world, as their parents can comfortably bear."
I'm working on becoming as comfortable as I can.
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