Unschooling - The Curriculum Question

Unschooling Support Center
The Curriculum Question
by Candace Thayer-Coe
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We are a homeschooling family living in the Philippines. We are Canadian/American and have two children Chris 14 and Amber 12. Charles is employed with the Asian Development Bank, so the children have lived here all their lives. Except they were born in Vancouver, Canada where we will live in a couple of years.

The books that have inspired me and my husband, Charles, are written by John Holt. All of his books tell about children and their learning. There are many other authors on the market now on the homeschooling subject but it was John Holt's books that first really moved us about the reality of children learning. Now we are continually inspired by: The Teenage Liberation Handbook (the second edition), by Grace Llewellyn.

My favorite response to the curriculum question comes from Sandy Keane who when asked what curriculum she used, responded "passion". I have always remembered that, and hold in high esteem the idea that one’s passions are curriculum enough. At the top of our children’s list of passions are ballet, crafts, architecture and music (piano & singing) for Amber-Grae; and acting, music (singing), soccer and many kinds of computer activities for Christopher. They also love to perform on stage, write creatively and read a wide variety of literature.

Meet the author - Grace Llewellyn
"The Teenage Liberation Handbook
"Internships & Apprenticeships"

Whenever a discussion ensues about homeschooling, and especially unschooling, in our many discussion groups, Grace's name always comes up along with her landmark book. Grace Llewellyn is a former middle school English teacher, the director of Not Back to School Camp, the founder of the Genius Tribe resource center and mail order catalog, and the editor of two other books on unschooling.

Recently, there have been articles in the newsletter Home Education News (HEN) regarding the use of curriculums. We have appreciated all the opinions and thoughts shared in HEN about their use. Now, having purchased the curriculum of the Greater Vancouver Distance Educational School (GVDES), we have been deciding how much to use it. The other homeschoolers’ stories have been a source of support for us. Christopher and Amber-Grae found similarities between their views and some of the children’s responses, at other times they felt differently. So now, we have our story to tell too.

First, here’s a little homeschooling history about us.
We are parents who were schooled in the most traditional sense. Nothing "progressive" happened for us. Still, when we embarked on the education of our children we embraced ideas of A.S. Neil and his "Summerhill" and the books and newsletter Growing Without Schooling (GWS) by John Holt. We did not automatically feel drawn to school as most people around us were. We made investigations here and while traveling in North America and Europe, we spoke to primary and secondary school educators, read extensively, and generally tried to educate ourselves about how children really learn. We were sometimes surprised by what we discovered.

Unschooling in the Phillipines
Our discoveries lead us right into an unschooling mentality in a school "habit of mind" world. Here in Manila, Philippines there are very few people who homeschool and those who do definitely "school" at home. We increasingly preferred our children to follow their interests and "passions". Since I was pursuing artistic projects at home, it was easy to incorporate our children into my life. A creative lifestyle emerged that provided an artistically educational environment for our children.

One day our son, Christopher at eight-and-a-half years old, decided he would try school. I am ready he said, and off he went to a nearby private "local" school. (The International School was too far away into terrible pollution, not a suitable situation.) We always believed that if the children chose to go to school we would support them. Christopher enjoyed some of school, especially when it was creative and inspiring, but when it was demanding and dull he became disinterested. He went for a full year including two sessions of summer school. He began to show his autodidactic tendencies by this time, and announced one day, "they are trying to change me into someone I am not, and they can’t do that." He did not continue with another year. Amber-Grae was interviewed for first grade when she was six. She has always been naturally competitive and wanted to do what Christopher could do. She had been in the pre-first grade class at summer school and was bored with its activities. She was looking forward to first grade but could not read the words on the interviewer’s list. She could read other words of course, but not the ones on the list. So, the woman wanted to put her in kindergarten with five-year-olds, like the summer school class she endured. Amber-Grae was most properly insulted and decided she would have no part of their establishment anyway.

At home their talents flourish. The performing arts continue to be a big interest, they study and perform professionally. They interact in the real world, without being confined to an institution. They are allowed to delve into their interests, completely submerging themselves in the area of their curiosities.

Along with this I watch for signals, and listen for requests from them. I was really struck one day by my son’s embarrassment to write farewell messages with friends in their theater programs, after a splendid six week experience in a drama workshop together. He was afraid to do it because he felt his spelling was not very good. With some encouragement he got over it, and joined the fun of writing in each other’s programs. I was glad I was there that day, to support his skills and abilities.

Sometimes Christopher and Amber-Grae need to prove to themselves what they can do. They expressed a desire to spell better, accordingly we began using a spelling workbook they liked, and thought would be helpful. With a united decision to follow several additional texts and workbooks, a schedule was created. We were happy because it helped us all to make use of the books we had acquired over the years. This schedule included all their performing arts classes and performances, computer and math classes outside the house, along with tutors, including and especially dad, in math and science, while I facilitated their interests in English language studies, social studies and history.

I produced our schedule as a computer printout calendar, and submitted it to the office at the Asian Development Bank, my husband’s employer, where the on-going debate was in progress as to whether or not to give us the educational benefits given to other employees whose children go to school. My calendar became the causing factor that enabled us to finally get sought after financing from the ADB. The ADB pays 75% of the educational costs for their employees’ children who are in school.

Now, let me go back to the part about us, the parents, being schooled. How to deal with the dichotomies that this presents. The dilemma is always the struggle with the school mentality, or allowing free expression and self-knowledge to bloom. Still, it is not always easy to accept that no schooling is always okay. We were so accustomed to being institutionalized, having someone else tell us what is to be expected all the time, for that reason, we consciously work on freeing our own intellects. To fortify ourselves, and to continue to facilitate our children’s self-direction we read out-loud the latest edition of The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn. Most of Christopher and Amber-Grae’s friends are children who spend a lot of time in school, and must always do what the school dictates. The time spent and interaction with these friends definitely effect our children. Sometimes, they want to know if they "measure up", and can do what their friends are doing who attend school everyday.

As parents, we get a little nervous wondering, questioning if our children will be ready, and prepared to fulfill their greatest desires and follow their passions, whatever that shall require when we retire in a couple of years to live in Vancouver. Can we effectively help them with their goals in life? Now, I know I must trust in them and in ourselves, but that old "school head" rears up to cause doubt or something felt as justified concern. Here, just about all our friends and associates think that these goals can only be possible if their children are sent to Baccalaureate programs in International High Schools, and make very good competitive grades or sent away all together to status boarding schools abroad. This kind of pressure, and the anxiety that goes with it is not for us.

One day we found the Greater Vancouver Distance Education School on the Internet. We showed it to the children, and they were interested. So, last year while on homeleave we met with a counselor at the GVDES office. We were given grade level descriptions of their material. Christopher and Amber-Grae were impressed with the content. Christopher was just fourteen and Amber-Grae almost twelve. Based on their investigation of the content of the material offered they picked 8^th and 6^th grades. Then we lugged this huge amount of books in our suitcases back to Manila. We paid just over $5,000 although 75% of it was reimbursed by ADB. We all felt some commitment had been made to try the program.

We liked our GVDES counselor, she was very understanding and supportive of our homeschooling. She told us that grades were optional, as was the sending in of finished work. At first, Christopher and Amber-Grae wanted to send in and receive grades. But as their enthusiasm lessened for the restricted curriculum requirements, and it’s control of their daily time, they valued the idea of grades less and less. We discussed our reasons for wanting the curriculum. It was clear that they wanted to know if they could do what their friends around them have to do everyday. They also wanted to be familiar with what children in Vancouver are doing in schools. They found that they were aware of the subject matter beyond the curriculum in some areas, and in other subjects maybe not as quick or interested as some of their friends might be. They decided that it doesn’t matter because all of those differences define who they are.

The GVDES sometimes interferes with other learning and desired activities. When the children buy books, they want to delve into them. Amber-Grae enjoys building houses on the computer in her architectural programs, and using her new sewing machine. Christopher is very enthusiastic these days for an on-line roll playing game where you create your medieval/Shakespearean type character and interact with other people playing it around the world. He has found an English teacher in Settle who helps to critique his writing on-line. Christopher is writing a biography based on his character in the Internet game Ultima On-Line. Computer on-line activities, games, e-mail, ICQ, etc. are sure boosting their writing, spelling and typing skills.

I cannot just walk away from books I was using with our children before the GVDES came in the house. We usually work on a history book of our choice and an English language text from my sister, who teaches 8^th grade English & History in Seattle. We use such a text in our own way, taking from it what we need. I read to them for Literature. Although, they also read their own books, reading out-loud is still a wonderful way to spend time together, which we all want. We really appreciated the writing style of The Anne of Green Gable’s series. Now, we are studying Shakespeare and reading his plays.

It did not take Christopher and Amber-Grae very long to realize that they did not have to, nor did they any longer want to send in their work for someone else’s grades and comments. They decided that their dad is quite good enough at it, having taught university courses himself in the past. We decided the curriculum could be useful even without grades. On that account, we decided to take the "consultant" point of view about it. We hire a "consultant" to help us learn and assist us to accomplish something that we want to achieve. That "consultant" can be a person, class, lecture, a book or a curriculum. We see a curriculum as a group of books designed by some people who worked hard to produce it.

Therefore, they believe that this collection will help educate the recipients. We give the GVDES the respect we would give any hard working "consultant". But if it does not benefit us in a clear and useful way, we reserve the right not to rehire. A "consultant" is always given every opportunity to prove it’s capabilities, but in some cases, we may "fire the consultant", in other words, a book or program could be discontinued.

Why did we want the curriculum? We wanted to know what students are expected to grasp in the Vancouver arena. Therefore, we help the children to understand the theme of what is being discussed especially in social studies and science, we read and discuss the material from the text, and help them to digest the content with conversation. After working on GVDES for awhile we became no longer sure we wanted to do all the "busy work", that took away from our on-going work and activities. They are encouraged to do the, end of chapter assignments, but not all the practice sheets if they feel they already know it. We use the GVDES to suit our needs. In some areas the GVDES is challenging and in others boring. I’ve done a lot with them in language skills and arts so those areas in Amber’s GVDES are boring and repetitious for her. She would rather be creating poetry and stories or writing in her journal than following her English Language and/or Art workbook instructions. Christopher’s English language program is more challenging and creative. As a result, he has produced some fine writing inspired by his GVDES.

We are not quite ready to have our intellects sorted out by the school system, but we are also not so sure we want to give up on the GVDES altogether. In addition to the parts of GVDES, the children find useful, there is the lesson about commitments that are made, and the children feel that too. They requested it, and money was spent. Consequently, we are not going to "fire the consultant" but we will not let it control our time either, so that we do not have time for our passions. We can take what we need from GVDES, and work with it at our own pace, and "reserve the right not to rehire."

How much do we school at home? An exacting curriculum seems like too much for us just now. I have always preferred the term "homelearning", and the mode of thought that goes with it, learning naturally at home and in the community. Homelearning has created autodidactic children, who want to design their own learning adventures. They need to follow their passions, and as parents, we must be reminded to trust in their intelligence and good sense while we facilitate. Then they will be prepared with the confidence, motivation and strong determination they will need to accomplish whatever they expect of themselves.

Waiting for Unschooling to Work
by Shay Seaborne
Unschooling is a process, and I'm still working on setting myself free from the ideas ingrained through my years of public school education. It has been difficult to un-learn what I was taught about education. Remarkably, the best homeschooling advice I received came when my first child was a baby. I've finally stopped expecting my children's interests to take hold according to my objectives. It has taken a great amount of patience, this waiting for unschooling to work.

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