I love the part about instead of trying to impose our ideas on our children, we can just do the thing ourselves. My child is not unschooling this year, but I can unschool myself! As well as covering my adult responsibilities I am planning to follow flights of fancy, learn, create etc. It’s also a way of nurturing my inner child.
Thank you for writing this so clearly! My children are still only 3.5 yrs and 11 months but the oldest is very clear that she doesn’t want to go to school and is perfectly happy at home. We decided to move country (live in Europe) to be able to legally homeschool should she wish to continue to be home. But with increasing regulations I can’t help but keep reflecting on if there will be yet another move (Thailand was actually on our map) in the future.
It’s so liberating to read about other mothers reflecting on these things as if it was the same as breathing air. I, like you, vome from a very “in the box” background and I’ve unfortunately had quite bad clashes with my family for choosing a different life (and still... my kids aren’t even school age yet?!?!) it’s scary how the majority seems to live with their eyes shut...
Thanks for reading and yes, it can be super hard to choose a different path! Especially if you don't have supportive family or friends. Thailand is a favorite for world schoolers! We live in Bangkok where it's not that easy, but I hear that the islands and Pai are really good places to homeschool.
Thanks for letting me know! We were mostly looking at Bangkok as we heard there’s big French communities there (so the girls can potentially have French speaking friends too along with other languages)
We moved to Belgium for the moment, but the door isn’t closed. Can always move again, but want to come and visit some more first. Is there some site you’d recommend me checking out for more good info on world schooling in Thailand?
Also, I remember even saying out loud that one of the reason I loved nursing school was that so much of it was actually DOING IT. Learning to dress a wound in an antiseptic manner, for example. Looking inside various specimens of anatomy to see how they work, etc. Touching, feeling, palpating, listening. As you know I love to read, don't get me wrong, but doing is such a wonderful way to learn.
I think about this so much as a ‘accidental unschooler’, especially given my children are not neurotypical. Over time I have come around more and more to the ‘let them be’ way of thinking rather than consciously thinking of what comes next. To be organic about it rather than pre-planned feels so much more human.
You’ve made so many excellent points here! The best way to learn something is by doing it, ideally with a model to check yourself against. With unschooling children are learning life by doing it, and the parent is there to model and guide. I agree that we can’t know what the future holds, but I think this is an excellent way to “prepare” for whatever comes. Instead of only developing specific, limited skills (as we do in school), the emphasis is on critical thinking, discernment, morals, and problem solving. These broader skills will serve you in any career or life stage.
I found this really thought provoking and hopeful. My son and daughter both have CP - navigating schooling was a challenge (they are 27 and 20 now), but by constantly finding different ways of approaching learning at home they got through it. Maybe if I had known more ‘unschoolers’ that would have been the route we would have taken
Thanks for another great article.
I love the part about instead of trying to impose our ideas on our children, we can just do the thing ourselves. My child is not unschooling this year, but I can unschool myself! As well as covering my adult responsibilities I am planning to follow flights of fancy, learn, create etc. It’s also a way of nurturing my inner child.
100%!! I feel like I'll be unschooling my whole life regardless of what my children choose to do.
Thank you for writing this so clearly! My children are still only 3.5 yrs and 11 months but the oldest is very clear that she doesn’t want to go to school and is perfectly happy at home. We decided to move country (live in Europe) to be able to legally homeschool should she wish to continue to be home. But with increasing regulations I can’t help but keep reflecting on if there will be yet another move (Thailand was actually on our map) in the future.
It’s so liberating to read about other mothers reflecting on these things as if it was the same as breathing air. I, like you, vome from a very “in the box” background and I’ve unfortunately had quite bad clashes with my family for choosing a different life (and still... my kids aren’t even school age yet?!?!) it’s scary how the majority seems to live with their eyes shut...
Thanks for reading and yes, it can be super hard to choose a different path! Especially if you don't have supportive family or friends. Thailand is a favorite for world schoolers! We live in Bangkok where it's not that easy, but I hear that the islands and Pai are really good places to homeschool.
Thanks for letting me know! We were mostly looking at Bangkok as we heard there’s big French communities there (so the girls can potentially have French speaking friends too along with other languages)
We moved to Belgium for the moment, but the door isn’t closed. Can always move again, but want to come and visit some more first. Is there some site you’d recommend me checking out for more good info on world schooling in Thailand?
Also, I remember even saying out loud that one of the reason I loved nursing school was that so much of it was actually DOING IT. Learning to dress a wound in an antiseptic manner, for example. Looking inside various specimens of anatomy to see how they work, etc. Touching, feeling, palpating, listening. As you know I love to read, don't get me wrong, but doing is such a wonderful way to learn.
Yes! I can totally see how this would feel like really important work. Thanks for reading :)
I read every single word, Fran, and found it fascinating. It did make me wonder what
I would have been like as an adult, had I been raised with this philosophy.
It's so interesting to look on this from the standpoint of a granny, and in re-
flecting on old age.
I think about this so much as a ‘accidental unschooler’, especially given my children are not neurotypical. Over time I have come around more and more to the ‘let them be’ way of thinking rather than consciously thinking of what comes next. To be organic about it rather than pre-planned feels so much more human.
Agree!!
You’ve made so many excellent points here! The best way to learn something is by doing it, ideally with a model to check yourself against. With unschooling children are learning life by doing it, and the parent is there to model and guide. I agree that we can’t know what the future holds, but I think this is an excellent way to “prepare” for whatever comes. Instead of only developing specific, limited skills (as we do in school), the emphasis is on critical thinking, discernment, morals, and problem solving. These broader skills will serve you in any career or life stage.
I found this really thought provoking and hopeful. My son and daughter both have CP - navigating schooling was a challenge (they are 27 and 20 now), but by constantly finding different ways of approaching learning at home they got through it. Maybe if I had known more ‘unschoolers’ that would have been the route we would have taken
Wow that’s so cool. It must have feel lonely without a sense of a community for what you were doing.