For quite some time I've tossed around the idea of starting a blog focusing on our life as an unschooling family. I've intended it to be a way for us to keep track of all of the activities, projects, and interests we pursue since following an unschooling lifestyle can so often feel like we're doing so much and simultaneously doing nothing at all. I also thought it could serve as a way for our friends and family to gain a better understanding of the way our family approaches learning, how we foster a love for learning, and how we value the opportunities for personal growth in all of our daily activities.
Our family of five spends the majority of our time together. Mike works from home, and we have made the choice to keep our children home rather than sending them to outside childcare or school. Our educational philosophies blend with our family values in a way that makes the "learning" part of our day indistinguishable from the rest of our lives. We work towards interacting authentically with each other in a respectful way which includes parenting without rules, rewards, or punishments. Our parenting style values the ability of each family member to determine how to follow his or her own interests and to make his or her own lifestyle choices, regardless of age or position in the family. We believe that each person is the best at determining what is right for themself as an individual, and we strive for each family member to make individual choices as a way of helping each person discover their own sense of self. As parents, we strive to give our children the space to discuss issues as they arise, and discourage blind adherence to authority. We inevitably make mistakes, and when we do, we try to model appropriate interpersonal skills by treating our children with respect and apologizing when we act in ways that hurt others. While we value the freedom of each individual to make their own choices, we also spend a lot of time making choices as a family and fostering an understanding of community and cooperation without coercion. While there are difficult days, we find that more often than not our days run smoothly and happily.
Our family has been lucky to be surrounded by many people who are supportive of our lifestyle. We have many friends and family who approach things similarly and many that approach things very different than we do. We value the lifestyles of all, and I would love for this blog to be a place for interaction with everyone who is part of our lives. I am very open to comments, support, and questions from every one and am looking forward to open communication about our family's pursuits.
I am excited to be using a new method of keeping track of our unschooling life and it's awesome to have loved ones embark on this journey with us.
