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Remarkably, the best homeschooling advice I received came when my first child was a baby. My friend Barb, an experienced homeschooling mom who loaned me stacks of Home Education Magazine and Growing Without Schooling, told me that to homeschool I only had to "provide a rich environment, involve children in everyday living, and help find answers to their questions." That sounded very simple, and it is; the challenge is in trusting that such a plan is enough.

Having started homeschooling as a relaxed eclectic sort, it isn't surprising that I was attracted to unschooling and slowly moved in that direction. I have never been the kind who needs a lot of pre-planned structure, preferring to cruise with the current and enjoy the blossoms along the way. Still, my journey toward unschooling has been fraught with eddies of doubt:

• Am I doing the right thing?
• How can I tell if my children are learning?
• And where are those interests unschooled children are supposed to follow with excitement?

Although my heart and instincts told me Barb's advice is true, it has been difficult to un-learn what I was taught about education. Through school and culture I had learned that education is something done to us, the reason and timing determined by experts. Also, education must be pursued in a neat, linear fashion, is necessarily cut up into numerous subject areas, and most of all, learning is drudgery!

"Proof of Progress"

Ironically, providing my state's annually required "proof of progress" also increased my ability to trust. We used a portfolio assessment for a few years, and avoided the standardized tests that are also an option in my state. During that time I paid attention to the state's Standards of Learning (SOL), checking off the items my daughters completed, insuring that my children would not "lag behind." I worried that unschooling might not give them "all they need to know." Slowly I realized the absurdity of my fear that each of my daughters' education wouldn't measure up to someone else's idea of what every child her age - no matter their interest or abilities -"should" be learning.

Testing

Avoiding comparisons

The latest hurdle has been learning to avoid comparisons, which always cause needless concern. I know some homeschooled children who expressed very obvious interests and talents quite early in life, and found myself unable to resist comparing my daughters. The girls have dabbled in theater, Spanish, drama, music, crafts and more but neither has found inspiration to focus on any one area of study.

• Caitlin, at 10 Ohm, mostly reads historical fiction of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Colonial periods - plus other eras to a lesser degree, and has lately expressed a rising interest in writing.
• At 7 Ohm, Laurel has no clear interests yet - except for fairies. She draws a lot, reads to herself, makes up songs about everything, sees fairies, and wanders through the fertile garden of her imagination.

I've finally stopped expecting my children's interests to take hold according to my objectives. I realize their fascinations will pique according to a calendar we cannot know, and the best my husband and I can do is to keep offering our children a full smorgasbord from which to choose, and see which morsels whet their appetites.

Unschooling - Learning Through Everyday Life
by Suzannah Harris, editor of "The Unschooler" e-zine
Children are better off learning at home, away from the traditional teaching techniques offered by public and private schools. Unschoolers contend that none of us excels at everything, and to expect children to excel in all subjects is unrealistic and harmful to a child's self esteem, drawing children away from feeling useful, productive and involved in the mainstream of the community and society in general. Unschooling parents discover that there are many ways that different children learn the same things, that each child's view of the world is unique, and that choice of methods, tools, etc., can be in constant change. Find out more.

The Lessons of Volunteerism:
Giving is Receiving
by Shay Seaborne
In my family, there is no clear distinction between volunteering and living; we work to help others, and for good causes, simply because we are able. As Caitlín and Laurel grew, we began volunteering to monitor a bluebird trail. Over the past six years we have seen dozens of bluebird pairs successfully raise and fledge over 200 nestlings. Our trail's role in the increase of the local bluebird population led to the addition of bluebird interpretation at the site. Find out how Caitlín and Laurel consider assisting others as a normal, natural part of living and perhaps how this can become a part of your life.

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