A blog post from Mamasmu got me thinking again about something I can't seem to come to a firm conclusion on; deschooling.
For anyone who doesn't know, the term deschooling (in this sense, it is also used by some as an alternative word for "unschooling") means a period of time after the child has left formal schooling during which they don't do anything like formal school work. It is a time for the child to move away from school until they learn to learn for the joy of it. To decompress after having been at school and just relax into learning naturally. To forget any ideas of statistics and tests and "keeping up" and find their own pace.
I can see the importance in this to get us all to separate our expectations of what "school" should be and move forward in a more autonomous way. My original plan was to let them deschool over the long Summer holiday and then officially start their home education in September. I liked this plan as it fulfilled the need for deschooling and gave me a timetable to work to. I began planning my curriculum basing it on a September start.
Then I started reading a particular statistic being thrown about; that children who are to be home educated actually need a month of deschooling for every year they were at school. At the point the children leave their school Papaya will have had 4 years of schooling and Povey 2 years, so those two months of de-schooling I had planned (July and August) would be fine for Povey but not Papaya.
I started fretting.... "but I only have those two months set aside for this! I wanted our home-schooling to begin in September!" I started pondering whether we even needed to do it at all. I panicked that if I allowed Povey to only deschool for 2 months and then Papaya for 4 we would end up out of sync. Plus what would friends and family say when September comes and I'm not doing any sort of school work with them? I need to prove that I'm capable of home education........
Then I stopped.
I suddenly realised that the problem was me. In fact in my fretting I was proving how it was just as important for me to deschool as the children. Why was I putting a timescale on this? Working to timetables and terms is what schools do.... we won't need to do that any more! I need to change my way of thinking.
The children finish school on the 4th July. My calender already has July filled with festivals and camping so that's really our holiday time. After that....... I just need to leave it be. I need to leave school-work aside until the children naturally return to it themselves. I need to relax and let them take their own time, it may take months, it may only take weeks, but I need to allow it to happen naturally.
Of course this doesn't mean I have to stop planning ways of studying, and ideas to help the children learn different subjects. I just need to prepare it all knowing it may well not be touched for months.... and that by the time we are ready for it I may have changed my mind on how I want to use it. It's actually very freeing. I think I've just taken my own first step in becoming deschooled :)
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For anyone who doesn't know, the term deschooling (in this sense, it is also used by some as an alternative word for "unschooling") means a period of time after the child has left formal schooling during which they don't do anything like formal school work. It is a time for the child to move away from school until they learn to learn for the joy of it. To decompress after having been at school and just relax into learning naturally. To forget any ideas of statistics and tests and "keeping up" and find their own pace.
I can see the importance in this to get us all to separate our expectations of what "school" should be and move forward in a more autonomous way. My original plan was to let them deschool over the long Summer holiday and then officially start their home education in September. I liked this plan as it fulfilled the need for deschooling and gave me a timetable to work to. I began planning my curriculum basing it on a September start.
Then I started reading a particular statistic being thrown about; that children who are to be home educated actually need a month of deschooling for every year they were at school. At the point the children leave their school Papaya will have had 4 years of schooling and Povey 2 years, so those two months of de-schooling I had planned (July and August) would be fine for Povey but not Papaya.
I started fretting.... "but I only have those two months set aside for this! I wanted our home-schooling to begin in September!" I started pondering whether we even needed to do it at all. I panicked that if I allowed Povey to only deschool for 2 months and then Papaya for 4 we would end up out of sync. Plus what would friends and family say when September comes and I'm not doing any sort of school work with them? I need to prove that I'm capable of home education........
Then I stopped.
I suddenly realised that the problem was me. In fact in my fretting I was proving how it was just as important for me to deschool as the children. Why was I putting a timescale on this? Working to timetables and terms is what schools do.... we won't need to do that any more! I need to change my way of thinking.
The children finish school on the 4th July. My calender already has July filled with festivals and camping so that's really our holiday time. After that....... I just need to leave it be. I need to leave school-work aside until the children naturally return to it themselves. I need to relax and let them take their own time, it may take months, it may only take weeks, but I need to allow it to happen naturally.
Of course this doesn't mean I have to stop planning ways of studying, and ideas to help the children learn different subjects. I just need to prepare it all knowing it may well not be touched for months.... and that by the time we are ready for it I may have changed my mind on how I want to use it. It's actually very freeing. I think I've just taken my own first step in becoming deschooled :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Indeed you have! Deschooling definitely takes more time for parents than for children I think. It's so lovely to be able to feel your enthusiasm. It's really exciting. I think one of the fabulous things about HE is that while, like everything, the enthusiasm can dwindle at times, you just change what you're doing and suddenly it's back. I love that!
ReplyDeleteMmhmm... deschooling is even more necessary for a parent than children, I think!
ReplyDeleteAs an unschooling family, I can say that I think you'll find some incredible things happening during that deschooling process. They'll be learning lots of things in that period, perhaps most importantly what makes them happy and how to utilize their imagination. Mine have never been to school (of any sort, including sit-at-the-kitchen-table school), but their imaginative play, their curiosity, their questions and seeking and inventions... it's all so incredible to see and to feel!
I think if you let yourself let go of 'school thought' - that which says 'school is the best way to do things' - then you'll be utterly impressed and in love with what your children are exploring and discovering. :)
How lovely! ♥ ♥