What’s Your Unschooling Why?

If I had to choose one word to sum up why we are on this unschooling journey, it would definitely be Freedom.

Freedom not just for my kids, but for our family as a whole.

Our days have not been squandered with busy work or other people’s agendas. We have not locked our family into a system that ignores our individuality by demanding conformity. We have excused ourselves from the chaotic busyness that comes with standardized schooling to step into “pleasurable busyness” that involves activities we love, learning that brings us joy, and living in harmony with our own bodies. We have been free to sleep as long as we need to. We have been free to participate in activities that run into the night. Our life is not dictated by a clock or a schedule we did not have an active role in creating.

We also have the freedom to travel during “off-season” which helps us save money and avoid heavy crowds. We have the option to take day trips, to visit with our friends or family during the week instead of packing everything into a 2-day weekend. And we have the freedom to spend our day at home in our pajamas if that is preferred.

We have the freedom to say, “No.”

“No” to imposing schedules, activities that do not bring us joy, and to being around people who create stress or drama.

We can say no to forced learning, memorizing information just for a test and then promptly forgetting, and wasting time on material that means nothing to us.

We have chosen a path that affords us time to truly embody the spirit of childhood—laughter, nature, play, and adventure.

A spirit I desired long ago to nurture, respect, and absolutely protect.

Freedom does that.