Hello world!

February 15, 2008 · Filed under Unschooling

Yesterday was the first official day of our unschooling journey. It’s been a long time coming. The seed was probably planted when I read Lucianne Carmichael’s book, Becoming a School way back at the very beginning of my teaching career. McDonogh 15 had changed greatly from that original vision by the time I arrived, but remnants were left and their marks were definitely made upon my developing ideas about learning.

My oldest son’s experiences in middle school also had much to do with where we are today. He was extremely self-motivated and constantly learning, but about the things that interested him, not what they said he had to learn. I remember bringing him to comic book stores and waiting for him in the car while he talked to the owners or employees inside, discussing anything and everything having to do with his interest. He wrote, published, and sold zines online and in his favorite record store on Magazine Street. He created a website and marketed caps for grafitti. He organized all-ages shows at local venues, renting the spaces, getting bands together, working the door, and making money to cover all expenses and then some. He was 10, by the way! And his sixth grade teacher complained that he was unmotivated, not completing her homework assignments! When I asked him if he’d shared some of his writing with her, he said he’d tried but that she was not interested. Aghhh! So I got my hands on The Teenage Liberation Handbook and began dreaming of a better, natural way of learning. I couldn’t home school him because at the time I was a single mom and our only source of income. We did go to Santiago, Chile, though. I taught there, and he attended the school with me. Much smaller, more personal attention, not home schooling but at least far better than the classroom experiences he was having at Audubon. We returned to the States eventually, and he has been back to Chile two or three times on his own since then. He is an amazing musician and an amazing young man. Self-taught, intelligent, sensitive, humorous, a human being whom I admire greatly.

So here we are today. I’m married now to an amazingly supportive, loving husband , and we have three more children. After our youngest son was born, I decided to quit teaching to stay home with him. As I settled into the stay at home role, my dreams of unschooling resurfaced. Not as a reaction to any problems experienced at school. On the contrary, I initially thought I must be crazy for even considering withdrawing our kids from a school where I knew, respected, and loved the teachers (my colleagues and friends) and which was so highly respected as a truly successful school integrating the arts and academics. But, now that I was available, the desire became something that was this time within reach. All those past influences, Becoming a School, Summerhill, Freedom and Beyond, Dumbing Us Down, etc, etc, refused to be quieted. I guess the decision was actually about a year in the making. I took my then four year old out of his nursery school last year when the baby was born and began looking for other moms with kids at home. The reawakening of unschooling ideas and almost a year to the day, I withdrew the kids from school. Telling their teachers was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But I underestimated them and was so pleasantly surprised by their and others’ support, positive perspectives, and congratulations. I’ve had three calls already this morning expressing admiration, reassurance, and longings to do the same! Thanks friends!

So now that I find myself (once again!) in a place that was once a dream but is now a reality (I LOVE being able to do that!), I want to begin this journal of our day-to-day experiences. A way to document natural learning taking place in it’s natural environment. I feel so lucky to be embarking on this journey. I am so appreciative! Here we go!