Episode #9: Deschooling Through the Lens of The Unschool Challenge – Part Two
Our conversation continued … (listen to Part One here)
When people first hear the word “deschooling,” they might assume it is all about the children, but they soon realize it can have a whole lot to do with parents as well!
We were so happy to have Sue Elvis join us as we discussed deschooling alongside an overview of her newest book, The Unschool Challenge. Sue has a blog and podcast at Stories of an Unschooling Family. She is also the author of unschooling books: Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love.
We Discuss:
The idea of ‘cocooning’ or taking breaks from certain things and how kids often come out of those times with either deeper or new understanding of things
The importance of rest as part of learning and growth processes
How children sometimes do things repeatedly – same picture book, movie, game, etc and what they might be processing
Repetitive activity as a way of feeling agency and control over something
The expectation of being continuously productive
How deeper deschooling can be quite uncomfortable and require some really hard work
The ease of trusting when things are going smoothly and our kids are doing things that seem exciting, versus times that we’re less comfortable with
Dropping our preconceived notions of our children are and seeing them for who they really are
How mistrusting children has almost become a virtue in many mainstream circles – it’s a sign of being responsible, being a good parent
Trusting what we know works for our family in relation to various things such as tech/screen use
Building a family language – being intentional at first and overtime it comes naturally
How trust is not just stepping back – it involves building up connections
How there are experts in particular fields, but a parent is right there in the midst of the real situations – the importance of context
That deschooling can be triggering in thinking about our own school experiences
That deschooling can lead to an opportunity to renew our excitement or experience a deep joy of learning
Being gentle with ourselves and respecting our failures and continued learning