Unschooling handbook on learning without school

September 8, 9:50 PMUnschooling ExaminerSara McGrath

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Unschooling Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Originally Jumping Into Unschooling/McGrath

Seattle Homeschooling for Beginners Examiner (Examiner.com) and unschooling mother of three, Sara McGrath, has published the unschooling (a.k.a. life learning) handbook, Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning (Lulu, 2009), available in print and download versions through Lulu Marketplace, Amazon, and booksellers worldwide.

Description

The term unschooling is somewhat of a misnomer inasmuch as people tend to associate schooling with learning or education. However, let’s be clear. We’re talking about unschooling (with unlimited possibilities). We're not talking about unlearning or uneducating, and certainly not unparenting. We’re talking about living and learning without school. Let’s imagine a life without school.

In the absence of school, what do children do? They play. That is, they do what brings them joy. They do what calls to them. They do what they need to do to get from point A to point B, learning useful skills along the way.

[See What is unschooling?]

The unschooling approach to life, in general, describes the way we learn naturally when left to pursue our own personal interests. As unschoolers, we own our interests–our passions, dreams, and goals–and also the responsibility for pursuing and attaining them. We respond to our desires. We go after our dreams with enthusiasm.

Unschooling is for everyone;
We learn all the time;
All learning has value; and
We learn best by our own motivation, in our own ways.

Unschooling parents and their children live and learn together, helping each other, making discoveries, solving mysteries, and sharing adventures. Are you ready to have some fun?

Topics Include

• learning styles,
• learning experiences in and out of the home,
• legal learning requirements and homeschooling laws,
• recordkeeping,
• college and career prospects for unschoolers, and
• anecdotes from the author's unschooling family experiences.