I wish I could wave a magic wand and let every family see what their lives could be like as unschoolers.
Happy.
Free.
Creative.
Unique.
Motivated.
With my wand I would take away all the anxiety and fear parents have over the thought of removing their kids from the machine that is our compulsory school system. I would instead infuse them with excitement at the thought of raising kids who are individuals and not conformists.
Gone would be the idea that education and school are synonymous. Gone the panic over test scores and grades and saving for college and SAT’s.
Those things would be replaced with the kind of calm that comes from seeing your kids develop in their own individual way; a way that is perfect only for them. That calm would go hand in hand with the knowledge that if your child is interested in art or science or game design or mathematics or film-making or business or organic farming, that they will have the support and ability to follow those interests, whether they lead to a class of their choosing or an apprenticeship or an on line course or endless other options.
If I could, I would wave a magic wand and allow parents to see their kids for who they really are as opposed to who the parents wish they would be. To see this and love it.
My wand would take away all those bogus fears about “socialization” and would allow parents to see that children who live & interact in the world are far better “socialized” than those made to sit in a classroom all day with 20-30 other kids whose only common trait is the date of their of birth.
By waving my wand, families would realize how capable and creative kids are and would celebrate that fact, rather than discourage it in favor of forced schooling.
No arguments over homework.
No yelling about getting up or going to bed.
No anxiety around failing.
Does it sound too good to be true? It isn’t. But since I don’t have a magic wand to be able to prove it, if you want to find out for yourself, it’s up to you.
Consider it a small leap of faith. No magic required.