Confident Unschooling Amidst the Doubts

Isn't it true that when we're in control, we have confidence? We trust that things will work out.

Confidence and trust seem to be inter-related - we trust more as our confidence grows, and our confidence grows as we learn to trust.

Perhaps, as human beings, we naturally trust ourselves - more than we trust other people. Maybe, more than we trust God, even.

Unschooling knocks all that upside down and on its head. Instead of having a proven formula or the authoritative words of a reliable expert to guide us, we rely on trust alone.

Trust in God and trust in our children.

No wonder unschooling can be so daunting! Especially, in the beginning, when we don't have the benefit of hindsight.

So, how do we build confidence, when the world seems aghast at what we do and other home schoolers may have more to show for their achievements?

The following ideas are some methods which have worked for us:

Confidence Boosters for Unschooling 

 

• Talk to the children about their progress 

Talk to them about what they have been reading or thinking about.
Discuss an interesting topic together and consciously reflect on their skills of analysis and self-expression.
Write notes on their progress and development. 

• Read unschooling articles and books

Be inspired by the successes and creativity of other unschoolers.
Reaffirm your principles and what you know.
Discover new ideas.

• Avoid dwelling on what others are doing

This sounds negative but, for an unschooler, reading about the achievements of those with different goals and objectives can be discouraging.
So, don't compare.
Remember that the Internet fouses on a small portion of people's lives and that your little piece of blogging life might seem impressive, at times, too.

• Think long-term

Write down your long-term goals and what you expect to achieve.
Be patient.
Then, relax and let the day-to-day learning unfold.

• Stimulate the love of learning

Read a book together and talk about it.
Put on an interesting DVD for everyone to enjoy and watch the rabbit trails flourish.
Go outside or on a nature walk and take the time to really see God's world around you.
Learn about your own interests and spark the children's interests with your passions.

• Slow down

Take the time to enjoy the mundane tasks of life and to appreciate their value in teaching skills.
Look for opportunities to talk about interesting discoveries, when cooking or driving.
Cook for fun and see the learning happen, instead of turning everything into a lesson.
Look for opportunities to learn through new domestic activities and crafts.

• Have a talking curriculum

Talk about books or current affairs, etc, when hanging out washing or ironing.
Talk, all the time! So much of our children's learning comes from our discussions together.
Follow up the talking with some research or a read aloud.

• Develop records

Experiment with record-keeping, until you find a method that is simple and useful for you.
Journaling day-to-day learning experiences or periodic summaries is one useful method.
Writing down ideas and loose plans is another.

• Develop a strategy for strewing

Instead of strewing informally, have a plan for what you strew.
Write it down, add to it, change it and develop it.
Without imposing a rigid schedule, form an idea of what you might learn to boost confidence and allow you to relax and trust more.

• Gather strewing supplies

Create baskets or shelves of interesting books, craft materials, DVDs, etc.
Write a list of excursion ideas.
Create a list of interesting links on the computer and, maybe, email them to the children or post them on their blogs.
Get into the habit of weekly library visits.
Visit a charity store and allow the children to choose something to take home.  

• Pray and pray and pray!

More prayer means more trust - I know it's obvious but, sometimes, I need to remind myself!


These ideas are thoughts on what has helped us when unschooling starts to look a bit crazy - they're not meant to be a must-do approach for unschooling. In fact, I think part of the appeal of unschooling is that there is no must-do way of doing things.

Rather, it is the freedom for self-discovery and exploration that results in real learning in the real world of God's Creation - when we have the confidence to trust.

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How do you keep trusting in your homeschool? Do you have ways of boosting your confidence?