an interview with jan hunt

Jan Hunt is one of the well-known experts on unschooling. She has a Master's degree in psychology, she has written a number of books, she is an advocate for attachment parenting and unschooling, and she runs the website The Natural Child Project. And that doesn't even scratch the surface!

Today I came across this interview with Jan Hunt. She talks all about unschooling and how she defines it, going to college after unschooling, the criticisms of unschooling, socialization, and much more.

It is 50 minutes long, but you could listen while you check your facebook. ;)

learning to read

I don't think I can adequately express in words how much joy it brings me when I see my kids learning. I am amazed by the number of times each day that I get to experience those "ah-ha" moments with them. From seemingly small things to great big accomplishments, I love that I get to be there for each of these moments.

Gavin just recently started taking his first steps, and each time he stands up and walks, he looks at me with the biggest smile I have ever seen, as he claps his pudgy little hands. I can tell that he is so proud of himself for finally figuring out this walking thing that he has been working at for months. And not only is he proud of himself, but he yearns to share that feeling with the people he loves most. As he stands there, he frantically looks around until he sees that someone has noticed his accomplishment and is waiting to cheer him on. And of course, we cheer. We cheer because he has walked, but we also cheer because we are so excited to share in his joy.

I think that, given the chance to learn naturally and at one's own pace, this excitement for learning never really goes away. When I see my older kids learning, they have just as much excitement in their eyes when they accomplish something they have been working really hard at. They have just as much of a need to share their joy with us. They are just as proud of themselves as Gavin is.

Ella has recently taught herself to read. I didn't push her, give her lessons, make her do workbooks, or require a certain amount of reading each day. She just decided she wanted to read, so we gave her access to as many books as she wanted. The kids already have many books at home, but we also went to the library often so she could pick out what she calls "reader books." She started out with the very easy books and would spend hours sounding out words. She would read street signs, flyers, store names, magazines, anything with words. If she got stuck on a word, she asked for help. She didn't like it when we would make her sound it out instead of just telling her the word she wanted to know; she was very stubborn about it. If it was a word that happened to be an exception to the basic phonetic "rules" we would explain it to her (such as the "ph" sound, or the different sounds for "c"). But we never gave her formal lessons or tested her knowledge. Sometimes she would read to herself, sometimes she wanted us to listen, and sometimes she wanted us to read to her. There were days when she would literally spend the whole day reading. It was an amazing journey. She is now at the point where she doesn't need to sound out every word; in fact, she knows most of the common words by sight. She can easily sound out the words she doesn't recognize, including ridiculously long words like dinosaur names. She has progressed beyond "reader" books and now reads storybooks, non-fiction books, newspapers (we screen the content, however), websites, grocery lists, text messages, and whatever she is interested in. She has even started asking me if she can read my novels, so I think it might be time to take a wander through the kids novels next time we go to the library.

It warms my heart every single time I walk into a room and see Ella reading a book to one of her brothers. I am so proud of her when we go to the library and she picks a book off the shelf and just starts reading it. I am so excited when Liam shows interest in learning things, because he wants to be like his big sister. I can't imagine missing out on these huge milestones! Learning to read is one of the fundamental skills, and if she can accomplish that on her own, I have complete confidence that she will be able to do anything she sets her mind to. And I firmly believe that she will chose to set her mind to more and more complicated and advanced tasks as she grows, simply because she loves to learn and she loves the feeling of accomplishing something difficult. I can't wait to see what's next!

what i learned in nyc

I'm so sorry that I've been MIA lately, but I have a very good reason. I had the chance to visit New York City, which I've wanted to do for years, and it was even more amazing than I thought it would be. If it is possible for a person to be in love with a city, I am head over heels for New York. I love all of it: the view from the Empire State Building, shopping on 5th Avenue, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, West Village, the subway, Times Square, Bryant Park, the Chelsea Market, Broadway, Grand Central Station, the crowds, the lights, the history. And I'm sure I will love the many things I didn't have time to do, which is why I need to go back. Soon.

As I explored the city, I thought about how great it would be to just pack everyone up and move there. Joel could work in Finance, we could live on 5th Avenue, across from the Park, and I could spend my days discovering the city with the kids. Perfect! OK, maybe not 5th Avenue, but the West Village was just as nice.

But as we were landing back home in Vancouver, I saw the mountains and the trees, the ocean and the lakes, and I realized that we have it pretty darn good right here. We live literally minutes from the mountains, and at least 5 different lakes. We have a lovely home that backs onto a wooded park. We have space. None of that could happen in an apartment in the West Village. Not to mention the awesome homeschooling laws here in BC, which would definitely be an issue in New York state.

But then I came to a realization: we don't do school, so we have the freedom to travel. Of course, I already knew that, but up until this point "travel" for me has mostly consisted of sitting on a beach in Mexico for a week, and one of the perks of home educating is being able to do that anytime we want, without being a slave to the school calendar. But it didn't really occur to me until now that there would be nothing stopping us from packing up some stuff and living in New York for a month or two. We would be able to really experience the city, instead of being tourists. We would be able to experience city living, versus suburbia. We would have time to soak it all in, rather than cramming as much as we could into five days.

And then why stop at New York? There are so many places I'd love to experience, rather than just "visit." Just think about the learning that would happen if you are immersed in a culture that is different than your own. Why read about Egyptians and pyramids in a textbook when you could be there and experience them? Why try to learn French in a classroom when you could move to Montreal for three months?

Now all we need is a business that we can run from anywhere in the world. Or maybe someone out there wants to fund a trip around the world...? Well, I can dream, anyway. But I love that home educating gives us this freedom, even if it will be a while before we can actually take advantage of it.

BC Homeschool Convention & Expo

For all of you who are new to home education (like me), or are even just considering home educating, I wanted to let you know about an event coming up soon. (Of course, those of you who are seasoned home educators are also welcome, but I figured you would already know about the convention.)

The BC Homeschool Association puts on a Homeschool Convention & Expo every year. This year it will be held at the Tradex in Abbostford, BC on Friday June 1st and Saturday June 2nd. The cost to attend is $15 per adult per day, and kids are FREE.

I have never attended this event before, but according to their website, there will be different speakers giving seminars on a variety of topics (check out the schedule for details), exhibitors with many different home-learning products and services, and a free kid zone. It looks like a great event, and SO affordable! You can register online.

As I said, I have never been before, so I think I am most looking forward to meeting other parents who share my educational philosophy. From what I've read, networking with other home educators is so important, especially when first starting out on this journey. It will be great to hear from people who have been doing this for a while; maybe I can pick up some pointers!

If you are planning on going, leave me a comment. It would be great to meet up with you!

unschooling explained - part 2

If you haven't read it yet, my post yesterday was all about the nuts and bolts of unschooling. I suggest you read that one before you start this one...

As I stated at the end of yesterday's post, there are so many benefits to unschooling that I hadn't even begun to discuss. Besides what the research says about the educational benefits of homeschooling, besides the social benefits of keeping your kids out of a flawed school system, there are "heart" benefits (for lack of a better word). What I'm talking about are those amazing moments you get to have with your kids every day, the lack of scheduling that results in a more relaxed lifestyle, the bond you get to form with your kids, the friendships they get to develop with each other, and so much more.

Let me start by sharing a few quotes from a study done by Dr. Peter Gray, which looked at unschooling families and their personal experiences. One of the open-ended questions he asked was, "What, for your family, have been the biggest benefits of unschooling?" The most common answers were: learning advantages for the child (57% of the respondents gave this answer), family closeness (57%), emotional and social advantages for the child (50%), and family freedom from the schooling schedule (36%). I find it so interesting that "family closeness" ranks just as high as educational benefits. Here are some of the quotes from real families about the benefits they have experienced from unschooling:

Enjoying a family-centered life rather than an institution-centered life has been the biggest benefit of unschooling.

I feel like I'm trying to answer a question about the benefits of breathing. We don't have to schedule, assume, judge, direct, or anxiously evaluate. We just get to enjoy each other.

Hands down, the relationship with our kids has flourished. We have never gone through the typical teen angst or rebellion so often touted as normal. I don't think it is. If you build up your family life where members work together and help one another, where the focus is on happy learning, it's hard NOT to get along and enjoy each other's company! Schools have an insidious way of pitting parents against kids and eroding the relationship that could flourish outside of that environment. When kids, and all people really, can relax and enjoy life and learn and pursue interests, they are happy. When people are happy, they get along better, they work together and inspire one another, learn from one another and grow stronger and healthier. All of that has spilled over into marriage life and all family relationships, including siblings. I knew without a doubt that the learning would happen and that it would be amazing! I didn't expect the stark difference in our relationship with our kids, as compared to what I thought it should be like by what I saw in other families with kids in school. 

The happiness and joy we experience every day is the biggest benefit. Our lives are essentially stress free since we are living our lives the way we want by making the choices that feel good for us. We have a very close relationship built on love, mutual trust, and mutual respect.

The peace, the joy, the trust between us far exceeds anything I imagined possible in parent/child relationships.

Our freedom as a family, the cooperative nature of our relationships and the trust between us that remains intact.

When we began our search for the "perfect school," one of my main anxieties was that when Ella started school, our family dynamics would change, she would start to view her peers as more important than her family, her personality would change as she tried to fit in with the other kids, and I would lose my sweet little girl. Since we made the decision to home educate, none of that concerns me anymore.

I know that as we continue to live and grow together, our relationships will deepen. I will be able to really know my kids. My kids will see each other not only as siblings, but as friends, which I'm confident will last a lifetime. My kids will not be as heavily influenced by their peers, so the values that are important to our family will be able to flourish in their lives. There will be a mutual respect in all our family relationships, as I give them the control to make decisions for themselves. There will be a trust that develops, as I trust them to learn and they trust me to help when necessary. We will be able to have fun together, without worrying about deadlines and workbooks and a certain number hours of teaching per week. We will be able to travel whenever we want, knowing how valuable the learning will be as we explore new places and new cultures. We will be able to relax and enjoy the little things in life, without worrying about morning bells, homework, or project deadlines. We will each have the time to pursue our own passions, as well as the time to help each other in those pursuits.

As I sit here and type, it is so difficult to put into words what having my kids at home really means to me, to our family. As I picture the life we have chosen, I get choked up just thinking about it. If you are a home educating family, you know what I'm talking about. My heart is filled with an immense peace. We are happy.

unschooling explained

There are probably many of you wondering about this whole "unschooling" thing. You probably have the same question that I did at first: is unschooling a legitimate educational option, or is it just a fancy way to skip school? Personally, I had to read a number of books, websites and research studies to come up with an answer that satisfied me, but I will try my best to condense what I learned, and explain the concept of unschooling in one blog post.

The fundamental belief of unschoolers is that humans have an innate desire to learn, and that left to their own devices, will do so willingly and with fervor. If we apply this philosophy to children, unschoolers believe that when you take away the tests, assignments, and requirements to learn, kids will learn because they want to, and they will be excited to do it.

So, if we take it to the simplest level, unschooling means that instead of following a set curriculum, children are free to pursue their interests, follow their passions, figure out who they are, explore their world, play, grow, live. Unschooling doesn't mean that a child will never take a class, or never read a textbook, or that parents will never teach anything. All it means is that the child is directing the learning. When a child is interested in reading, the parent can provide books, read to the child, help sound out words, and listen as the child reads book after book after book. The difference between unschooling and schooling is that the parent will wait until the child is ready to read. In school, if a child can't read by age 7 or 8, they fall behind their peers and can be labeled with a learning disability. However, an unschooled child, allowed to learn at their own pace, will have a much more relaxed experience learning to read, and will often enjoy reading much more than a schooled child. Many unschooled children take classes at community colleges, often while still in their teenage years, because they are interested in the subject. Unschoolers also have more time to take "extra-curricular" classes like ballet, karate, art, or piano.

Because an unschooler's learning does not have to come from textbooks and teachers (unless they chose that route), they have the freedom to learn from many different sources, both inside and outside the home: books, documentaries, the grocery store, the backyard, a farm, professionals working in a field that interests the child, the park, relatives, friends, games, museums, festivals, volunteering, working, and so much more. An unschooler learns all the time, wherever they are, by participating in real life.

The philosophy sounded great to me, but the major question I had was, "Without tests and assignments, how will I know my child is learning?" The only answer I have is, you just will. Because here's the thing: when you're with your kids all the time, you are having conversations all day, you are seeing what they are doing, and you can tell when they "get" something. They will suddenly bring up a concept they learned weeks before, and you know it has stuck. You see the joy when they finally accomplish something they have worked so hard at. You hear the questions they ask and you know they are thinking at a deeper level.

The other major concern I had with homeschooling in general was, "Does homeschooling work? Is it good for kids?" I read a number of studies, both from the US and Canada, about homeschooling. One study by Lawrence M. Rudner gave a good overview of the demographics and test scores of homeschool families (it is from the US but Canadian studies show very similar results). What it showed was that parents of homeschoolers are more highly educated than the general population, homeschooling families tend to have a higher income, homeschooled kids watch far less TV, homeschoolers score better in every subject area at every age than kids in both public and private schools, it makes no difference to test scores if a homeschooled kid has a parent who is a certified teacher, students homeschooled their entire life have higher test scores than those who also spent some time in school, and (most importantly to me) these benefits of homeschooling were true for kids enrolled in a set curriculum as well as those who did not use a curriculum. I think these results speak for themselves.

One last concern I needed to research before we made the decision to home educate was that of post-secondary education. What would happen if my kids wanted to go to university but didn't have a high school diploma or transcript? As it turns out, there is more than one way to get into university: GED, challenging the Provincial Exams, taking the high school classes that are required, or taking community college classes and then transferring. Not only that, but many universities are specifically admitting home educated kids based on portfolios (and I'm even talking about places like Harvard and Yale), because they know that a student who is self-motivated with some life experience will be a good addition to their school. But this is far off for us, so I will do more research if and when the time comes.

As I stated above, I have read so much and it is hard to put into so few words everything that I have learned. And this post hasn't even begun to discuss the many benefits of unschooling (more to come on that later). But if I have piqued your interest even a little, I encourage you to read more about home education. A good place to start is my "unschooling resources" page.

a week at our house

When I first heard about "unschooling," one of the things I was most curious about is what an unschooling family would actually do all day. I mean, if the kids are not going to school, and they are not doing a "school-at-home" type of curriculum, how do they spend their time?

What I found out was that unschooling looks different for every family. And unschooling looks different at different stages of a child's development. There's no one right way to do it. What I think most unschoolers would have in common is the desire to allow their kids the freedom to direct their own learning. Instead of being told by a school system when and how to learn "science," for example, an unschooler would learn "science" by exploring their interests. For my kids right now (at age 5 and 3), that means any of the following: observing animals in our backyard and documenting them with photos, looking at things through a microscope, googling anything and everything, watching a video of a paramecium, playing with a human body iPad app, visiting the dinosaur exhibit at Science World, watching dinosaur documentaries, reading book after book about dinosaurs, learning the names of dozens of dinosaurs, guessing whether an object will sink or float and then trying it out, going outside at night to look at stars, etc, etc. The list is endless. And the kids wouldn't tell you that they are "learning science." They are just playing, and doing things that interest them.

I don't tell them what to do every day. I don't have any "learning outcomes." I don't require them to read a certain number of books per week, or write a certain number of journal entries. I don't expect them to read by a certain age, know fractions by a certain age, handwrite by a certain age. I am not a teacher. I would consider myself a facilitator. I provide them with materials, I let them explore, I help them when they want me to. If there's something I think they might be interested in, I make suggestions. But if they aren't interested in what I suggest, I am willing to drop it. And even though I don't test them or grade them, I know they are learning, because I get to see it every day. Ella can read. Liam can use critical thinking to figure out how a rat might have died in the backyard. Ella can do addition and subtraction problems in her "math journal." Liam can write most of the alphabet. Ella can write about exciting things she did in her journal. (Even right now, as I type, I can hear Ella telling Liam, "My heart pumps my blood. And my lungs are right here, and they breathe.") The best part is that it is SO rewarding to see them actually choosing to do all of these things.

Mostly, though (since they are only 3 and 5), we play. Because at the end of each and every day, no matter where we've been or how much cool stuff we've done, when you ask my kids, "What was your favourite part of the day?" they always answer, "PLAYING!" And playing = learning, but more on that later.

But if you want to know what an actual unschooling week looks like, here is a typical week for us. Remember, though, that every family is different, every week is different, and our learning right now is appropriate for young kids so it will change as the kids grow. But this list can give you a general idea. It is taken from the informal journal that I keep for myself, so I can track what we're doing and what the kids are learning. Not because I am required to, but because I am curious to see how much my kids actually learn (because, after all, we are very new to this whole unschooling thing, and I want to make sure it works...so far so good). I don't write down everything they do, but I do make note of the activities that have the potential for some sort of learning to happen (of course, learning can happen anytime, and probably most of their learning happens through play when I'm not even around to see it). So here is what we did last week:

SUNDAY

• Ella & Liam helped to dig up weeds and rake the yard.
• Ella & Liam discovered earthworms in the backyard, and spent lots of time observing and holding them.
• Ella read a few books to Liam and me.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

MONDAY

• We went to the grocery store, and took Gavin for his first haircut.
• Ella & Liam played in the backyard.
• We went to the playground.
• We went for a walk around the neighbourhood.
• Ella & Liam had bedtime stories.

TUESDAY

• Ella read some books to me.
• Ella tried for quite some time to blow up a balloon.
• Ella went to ballet class.
• Liam looked at lots of books and told me stories to go with the pictures.
• Ella & Liam helped Joel fix his bike, and explored the garage.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

WEDNESDAY

• Ella finished the sudoku puzzle she had started a few days ago.
• We looked through all the photos of the backyard wildlife, used the internet to identify all the animals and learn a bit about them, and had the photos printed.
• Ella read a book in English and French.
• Ella & Liam made up a game in which jumping to different spots gives you different numbers of points, which equal different prizes.
• We built a fort in the playroom.
• We played Lego.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

THURSDAY

• We picked up the animal photos, and went to the grocery store.
• Ella & Liam helped me make an ice cream cake.
• Ella & Liam put the animal photos onto posterboard and wrote the names of the animals beside each of them.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

FRIDAY

• Ella did a whole sudoku puzzle.
• Ella & Liam presented their animal posters to the family that came over for dinner; they named and talked about the different animals.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

SATURDAY

• Ella went to the garden centre with her grandma, and then helped her plant the flowers.
• Liam played with the learning computer.
• Liam and I went to the playground.
• Ella & Liam had a bedtime story.

sir ken robinson

I love Sir Ken Robinson! He is an author, an amazing speaker, a world-changer. He is also very funny, and well worth listening to.

In this TED talk from 2006, he talks about the creativity in our kids. Watch!

And this is the follow-up TED talk from 2010 where he talks about his proposal to shift from standardized schools to a more personalized learning.

but what about socialization?

As soon as I mention home education to anyone (besides other home educators), the first question is always, without fail, every single time, "But what about socialization?" Personally, I find the question absurd, but if you are wondering (and I know you are), please read on.

We first must define what you mean by "socialization."

Perhaps you are really asking, how will your kids learn how to be with 29 other kids their exact same age, all sitting quietly and listening to a teacher? How will they learn to get beaten up, bullied, excluded, and made fun of? How will they learn what it takes to be popular? How will they learn what it feels like to be unpopular? If this is what you are asking, I have a very short answer for you: they won't. And I don't care.

But perhaps you are asking, how will they make friends? Well, let me ask you this: where did you meet most of your friends? Work? Church? University? In your neighbourhood? At a book club? In an art class? Yoga? A support group? Hmmm...it seems there are quite a few places one can meet new friends. In fact, I would argue that there are quite a few places to meet new friends which are better than school. One thing that is crucial to a great friendship is having something in common with the other person. If you meet someone in an art class, you would both share a love of art. If you meet someone at church, you would share a belief system. However, if you meet someone at school, you would share the same birth year.

But I think of all the definitions of socialization, what you probably mean is something along the lines of this: if your kids don't go to school, how will they learn how to be a social being, to interact with people, to not be "socially awkward," to be comfortable in a group, etc, etc? I will answer your question with a question: how will your kids learn how to get along socially in the real world after being stuck in a classroom for 13+ years? If you really think about it, there is no other environment in the "real world" that is anything like school, where there are 30 kids and one authority figure. Well, possibly the army or a factory. But my point is that my kids are going to become social beings naturally. They will be interacting with real people in the real world. They will learn how to have a conversation with an adult. They will learn how to be friends with kids of all ages. They will be able to spend time doing real work with real people to mentor them. They will have time to take classes that interest them. They will go to church. So to answer your question, I am honestly more worried about schooled kids finding their way in the real world than I am about my kids.

I don't think this post would be complete without a mention of the stereotype that persists of the "awkward homeschool kid." Take a minute and think about some of the socially awkward people that you know. Probably most of them (if not all) went to school. I think that some people, regardless of their schooling, are just going to be awkward. It's part of their personality. And perhaps schooling actually causes social awkwardness in others. Think about the kids that are always being picked on, the unpopular kids, the kids with no friends. But of course, this is just my opinion, based on my own research and personal experience. So if my opinion doesn't convince you, there are studies which back up what I believe to be true. Dr. Thomas Smedley did a study which suggests that home educated kids actually have better socialization skills than publicly schooled kids. He administered the Vineyard Adaptive Behaviour Scales to all the kids, and the home learners ranked in the 84th percentile while the public schoolers ranked in the 27th. There are plenty of other studies, if you want to take some time to find them.

In conclusion, I am the first to admit that, YES, my kids will be different from most kids, but I don't think it's a question of "socialization." My kids won't be peer-dependent and adult-phobic. They won't be taught to unquestioningly submit to authority. They won't be dependent on others to tell them what to do. They won't be indoctrinated with society's consumerism. They won't be raised by their peers. They will learn to question the status quo. They will learn to find their own way. They will learn that they have the power to make their own choices. And for this, I am thankful.