5) I get to live life with the people who mean the most to me.
This isn’t meant to offend anyone, but I do feel sad for people who have to leave their kids all day, nearly every day to work, and miss out on so much cool stuff that their kids are doing, or just simply not being a significant role in the learning portion of their life.
I feel bad for everyone who has to worry about school shootings and bullying. That is no way to live and I refuse to have it be a part of my reality. And yes, I have made a lot of changes and shifted my lifestyle dramatically to have it be this way.
I love watching my son learn new things and how his face lights up when he does something new. I love to discover who he is becoming and I want to be there for that. I want to be the one influencing him, not someone(s) I don’t know.
I want to be with him (most of the time) and so I do things that allow for that. I would way rather spend time with my family and friends than co-workers (except some of my friends and I even work together now, so that’s fun). I love that family day is just about every day (or whenever I want), not one day on the weekend or one week during the holiday. I love that I can go over to a friends house at 11am on a Tuesday. We only live this life once (as far as I know) so spend it with those who mean the most.
“When I’m asked why we unschool, it’s hard to explain without generalisations. It’s hard to capture the reasons because there’s no short answer. It’s the little things, it’s the big things, it’s the things we inadvertently take for granted.
It’s the sleep ins, the days unfolding naturally and slowly.
It’s freedom. Freedom to play, explore, make mistakes, take risks.”
Of course, life isn’t always perfect and it never promised to be. Obviously, I find myself as an adult sometimes waiting forever in line at the post office, or in a bureaucratic mix up. With a child there has been sleepless nights. I am not claiming it’s all bliss and happiness, but rather, I have given myself the freedom where I have the power to, and try to use the rest as opportunites for growth. As much control as I have taken over my life, life isn’t about always being in control, and sometimes the best thing to learn is how to surrender. It’s a dance…
Do you unschool? Have you ever thought of yourself as an adult unschooler? Do you now after reading this? Share your thoughts down below!
Chantel Quick is a wellness educator and an expert in plant-based nutrition. In 2013 she completed a coaching program and is now a mentor for women in helping them experience more pleasure in pregnancy and into motherhood. As a trained birth doula, she is passionate about empowering women with evidence-based birth information so that we can collectively change the way we view birth. She is a work-at- home mom to a 2.5 year old son whom she gave birth to in the comfort of her own home. Chantel lives in Austin, Texas. You can find her blog at Earth Based Mom
I was researching adult unschooling. Grateful for the opportunity to read about your experience. Unfortunately, public school was a big part of my developmental years. But fortunately, I did not let it stifle my zest for learning. After doing the minimum required to skate through the public programming each day, I would spend my evenings and weekends unschooling. Not knowing that it was unschooling, I pursued learning on my own with a passion. Skating by with the minimal input required to keep the system off my back, I did acquire the aspired BS degree. But I have found that by learning to learn on my own. I have been able to acquire valuable skills and knowledge that are not readily available in traditional school programming. For instance, over the past 15 years, my main source of income is from being a self-taught piano tuner. Because several tuners in my area had either died or retired, there was a huge demand not being met. I emailed a couple of piano tuners in other markets. They recommended a couple of how-to books and some good sources for tools and parts. This is one of many examples in my life, where being self-taught and teaching myself how to learn to learn. Rather than the what-to-learn programming we call education. Where I have been able to train myself to have special skill sets that are in high demand, limited supply, pay well, and allow me to pick who I want to work with, what I want to charge them, and when I want to do the work.
Although most of my life, I did not know what unschooling was or that it even existed. I was able to learn how to learn how to unschool myself. The freedom this approach to life offers is unbelievable. I am not a morning person and have not set an appointment before 11:00 a.m. since August 2004.
Side comment: Remember the instructions we are told to follow, are just another person’s opinion on how to do something. Don’t be afraid to figure it out on your own. Because the ability to figure it out is a valuable skill to acquire.