What is Radical Unschooling?
Radical unschooling? “What?” you say. “Unschooling itself isn’t radical enough?” Let’s back up here with a simple definition of unschooling. Unschooling is a type of homeschooling in which parent and child are partners in learning, with the child’s own inclinations and desires guiding the focus of the moment. Unschoolers believe that we learn everything we need to know in our own way and time, so a parent’s role is to provide resources and support-a rich environment for learning that doesn’t dictate when and how it should be done. This is a heady, even scary concept for many. You mean we don’t need to tell our children exactly what to do and how to do it? They don’t need us to map out a curriculum? No, indeed. The best learning takes place when it comes from intrinsic motivation, and unschooling is a wonderful way to help your child build a very strong connection to this guidance from within. Placing a child in a classroom (either in school or at home) and making decisions for her is t
