Side Effects

Side Effects are listed for everything we take or do.  Medications, excercise, vitamins, foods, drinks...

Are there side effects to learning without limits?  

Are there side effects to freedom in learning?

You bet there are.  

This past Easter, my daughter decided to get baptized in a church we had been attending.  I wasn't completely surprised by her desire since we had discussed baptism as questions came up.  So on Easter Sunday, after a group of individuals were baptized, the preacher opened up the baptism to anyone with a yearning to express their faith through this act.  GM stood up, expressed her faith, and was baptized.  When we shared with family what took place, they were concerned.  Not because they are not Christians, because they are in fact Christians and believe in baptism.  Concerned she didn't take a class, sign-up, and make a thought provoking declaration alerting others to her decision.  I wasn't.  She had self-taught.  Bible reading, church attendance, and questioning a friend who took the baptism class left her feeling prepared.  This was the right step for her.  She didn't need to check boxes others require of themselves because she lives in freedom.  

So side effect of learning freedom, individuals follow the path that works for them.

Living Eyes Wide Open

A simple walk around the block with my son turned in to a long "nature watch."  Yes, nature watch.  He noticed ants gathered around a piece of food.  So we sat on the curb to watch.  Noticing and discussing the ants movements.  We compared them to documentaries we had seen on ants and other insects.  When he became bored, bubba tested theories of moving the food and watching the ants reactions.  After a while, we lost interest and continued our walk back to our house.  This is a simple moment in natural learning.  Stopping to watch and observe, learn and test, instead of being driven by an agenda.  Living a life of learning freedom means living with eyes wide open.  Open to learning by stopping and sitting on a curb to watch ants.

Working to Achieve

Many times people will say "if you don't make your children work hard they won't do it themselves."  

Finding that to be false time and again, has been my experience.  Most recently, this occurred in my daughter's desire to place at an archery shoot.   

As a family, we participated in a local archery shoot on Saturday.  GM age group shot 15 targets at 10 yards each.  She scored 83 an thought it was good enough to be awarded a medal.  Yet when the award time arrived she took 4th.  This was humbling.  Especially when her brother took 1st in his age division.  

Immediately, she made plans to return home and recruited her dad to help her improve her accuracy.  Together they spent time working on her sight, bow, and stance. The next day, she returned to shoot Sunday's course and scored 128.  A 45 point improvement! 

Did we force her to do to this?  Did we make her practice?  Did we even suggest that she return and try again on Sunday?  

No, no, and no.  She took it upon herself to work hard, improve, and try again.  She wanted it.  This is key.  She wanted it more that we did, therefore she achieved it.  

The Most Difficult Aspect Unschooling

Battling FEAR:  While God has not given us a spirit of fear, there are times it creeps into my mind.  
-are they learning enough?
-are they behind?
-do they have enough to do?
-what happens if?

The JUDGEMENT:  Public school parents they you are crazy for homeschooling.  Other homeschooling moms think you are crazy for not using a curriculum.  

To overcome these set-backs, I must center myself with prayer, affirm that God is leading each of us, and read inspiring words from other unschooling families.  Another practice is to journal our days.  I record what is being discovered and studied.

Most Rewarding Aspects to Unschooling

There are 3 major aspects to unschooling that I find most rewarding.

Relationships:  The close bond between each of us and together as a family has grown stronger through our following God's guiding us in unschooling.

Freedom:  The ability to decided what and how we learn, the flow of our day, and commitments we make as priorities is paramount in unschooling.

Time:  The ability to spend our 24 hour hours each day to pursue God given passions and develop our talents.  

Journey to Unschooling

Our path to homeschooling was set in motion by a major, cross-country move.  I envisioned our son, followed by our daughter, attending elementary school in a small community where I work as a first grade teacher.  

In the fall of 2010, this idea began to fall apart as high stakes testing became a larger and larger driving force in schools and my husband started to entertain the idea of moving west for a job. Being a supportive wife, I joined him on a business trip to Idaho and fell in love with the slower, laid-back lifestyle.  We even visited local schools only to discover large class sizes.  

Once we returned wheels were turning to make make the move and for me to find an alternative to public school.  In my search, I discovered Idaho had extremely relaxed homeschooling laws, so I read everything I could get my hands on in the area of homeschooling.  

After  we moved, we officially began "homeschooling" kindergarten.    Well, requiring work only lasted 3 months.  In December, I released the control I was desperately trying to hold.  Instead we baked, played games, hiked, enjoyed books, watch movies, and pretended.  In doing so, I found they were both learning and thriving.  

Since that turn in December of 2011, we have dappled in unit studies and math curriculum at the request of one or both kids.  Yet, we continue to return to the freedom of unschooling to fill our needs.

Christian Unschooling

I LOVE this book, Christian Unschooling, so much that I re-read it each year.  It motivates me to continue on this journey God has called me to walk with my family.  

 Within each read I discover new insights.  During the recent read, I fell in love with this quote.  

"In order for unschooling to work to its full potential, an educational environment must be created.  Mom and Dad must have books readily available and must be seen reading.  Math must be shown as a valuable subject that is used in daily life.  Parents must have interest, passions, and an eagerness to learn."

Just this weekend, I demonstrated this "eagerness to learn" by teaching myself to create a bow for by daughter.  I know everyone learns through modeling and seeing behaviors around them.  I want both children to grow up with a sense that they can teach themselves or find resources to teach them desired information.