Category: deschooling

Nothing radical here

In the early days, when I would quietly admit that our children weren't at school, people would tell me that was radical. And I would agree. Radical indeed! Not many other people are doing it, so we must be out there on the fringes. But radical is a big label. I hadn't set out to … Continue reading Nothing radical here

Things I’ve let go of

Unschooling is sometimes also called child-directed learning or life-learning. Labels can be misleading as they tend to miss out more than they actually say. So, the accent in these particular labels seems to be the 'school/learning' bit. Yet, as anyone who identifies with any of them knows, that really isn't the defining part of the … Continue reading Things I’ve let go of

Passions for life

According to a Gallup poll published in 2017, 85% of adults worldwide hate their jobs. What a depressing statistic! All those years of school, exams and hard work, only to end up hating what you do. There's something up with our system, and stats like these make me happy that we're trying a different path … Continue reading Passions for life

Deschooling the parents

When a child leaves a traditional school environment to begin unschooling, the adjustment period is generally referred to as 'deschooling'. It's a time when, free from external expectations and pressure, they can rediscover their natural rhythms and who they are when no one expects them to be anything in particular. I keep coming across a … Continue reading Deschooling the parents

Thoughts from a 13-year-old gamer

One of the most challenging aspects of unschooling for me was letting go of conventional paradigms about gaming, and screen time in general. Paying attention to my children has allowed me to see how enriching much of this activity actually is. Each of the children engages differently with games and screens. E does some gaming, … Continue reading Thoughts from a 13-year-old gamer

New Year’s resolutions

I'm writing this post on the morning of New Year's Eve, at my mother's house in the Yorkshire town where I grew up. We come here at least twice a year and it has become a home from home for my children. As British/Argentinians born in Spain, their sense of belonging in the world is … Continue reading New Year’s resolutions

When everything means something

Society seems to have created an odd hierarchy of children's activities which, at first glance, is there to help us parent better and ensure our children go on to great things. Sitting at the top are the worthwhile activities (reading, playing an instrument, doing a craft etc) and, lurking at the bottom, are the time-wasters … Continue reading When everything means something