A new chapter in education: unschooling
Shana Ronayne Hickman of Cedar Park, Texas, says unschooling has worked well for her son, Kenzie, 8.
She first learned of unschooling when her son was 3. “It made more sense than anything I had ever read in my life,” says Hickman, who now publishes an unschooling support magazine called Live Free Learn Free. “Of course, people learn best when they’re interested in something. Of course, we retain information much better when we actively seek it out. Of course, learning through life is ideal.”
Kenzie, who was surrounded by books and stories from birth, began reading at 4 without any prompting or effort from his parents, says Hickman. Through his own recent exploration and the help of his parents he knows about a range of subjects, including mythology and the Great Depression.
Isobel Dowdee was never taught to read per se either. Yet when she was about 8 she caught on simply through years of wanting and having books read to her. Once she started putting sentences together she almost immediately picked up advanced chapter books and read voraciously for six months straight. Her 5-year-old sister Fiona has just recently started to read on her own.
But not all unschoolers stick to the plan so religiously.
Farenga, perhaps the best-known advocate for unschooling alive today, says his three daughters — the eldest who is now a senior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and plans to attend medical school — have mostly been unschooled, but they have all also attended more traditional private and/or public schools at various times.
“When it comes to unschooling, of course it’s very important to talk about the parents,” says Farenga.
Related coverage |
Unschooling parents must have revolutionary amounts of patience, he says. They have to want to be around their children day in and day out. It helps, too, if they are extremely intellectually curious. But more mundane matters such as finances also come into play.
“If you homeschool or unschool, you’re cutting out some of your income. Even in our family, sometimes financial pressures became a reason the kids went to a school because my wife and I both needed to be working. Other times, my children just wanted to try school,” says Farenga.
Unschooling isn't for everyone, he acknowledges.
"It’s just an alternative and there needs to be more of them in education," he says. "The key is to use school on your terms. Nobody should be forced into a classroom.”
Victoria Clayton is a freelance writer based in California and co-author of "Fearless Pregnancy: Wisdom and Reassurance from a Doctor, a Midwife and a Mom," published by Fair Winds Press.
| Rate this story | Low | High |
MORE FROM GROWING UP HEALTHY |
 Growing Up Healthy Section Front |
| Add Growing Up Healthy headlines to your news reader: |