Unschooling: The Summer Attitude of Learning

When I was a kid, I looked forward to summer.  Summer meant colorful flowers, warm weather and swimming.  But most of all, summer meant no school.  I was more relaxed.  I felt less pressure.  I felt free.

When I first began homeschooling, I looked forward to summer.  Summer meant colorful flowers, warm weather and swimming.  But most of all, summer meant no school.  I was more relaxed.  I felt less pressure.  I felt free.

Then gradually, as our family moved towards unschooling, I realized I didn’t feel the same way about summer.  I wasn’t more relaxed.  I didn’t feel less pressure.  I didn’t feel a change in my sense of freedom.

Our homeschool had become relaxed the entire year.

As I watched my kids, my attitude changed.  I saw that during the summer months, my kids did not stop learning and exploring.  As a matter of fact, they seemed to learn better when I relaxed and got out of the way.

I stopped thinking about whether it was “school” time or summertime.  I held on to the attitude of summer the whole year.  I let my kids have more freedom to explore their interests, just like they did during the summer.  We simply lived the pattern of our life, learning naturally.

Some schools are making the change to school year-round.  Our family decided to make the change to no-school year-round.  You can too.  It’s all about keeping that summer ‘tude.

Debbie Harbeson will be speaking at Libertopia Festival 2011 in San Diego
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