At last, as we begin this new week, I am delighted our family is mostly easing back into the familiar rhythms and routines. At last, the girls appear to be pretty much healthy once again, and I am more than happy to dive back into our daily flow and patterns, specifically around our unschooling efforts. Unfortunately, in the background of our schooling, my husband now seems to be succumbing to the cold germs, but I am not wholly responsible for his path back to health and wellbeing (though he would tell you if he could that I instruct him in many of the same ways as I did our girls with regard to rest, vitamins, and supplements).
But as our teenagers and I ease back into the familiar territory of learning and weekly expectations and anticipations, like nonfiction picture books to read and appointments on the calendar, I am enjoying our return to normalcy. Their return to normalcy. I have missed them sharing tidbits of learning with one another and with me. I have missed their wonder and their laughter over the surprising information they glean from the books they dive into. They have been easing back into their comfortable rapport over the past few days, but this morning I was thrilled with the sounds of learning filling our learning space as I prepared our usual breakfast options.
Even though it has only been two-ish weeks, it seems longer since there has been the usual banter, and, so, this morning I enjoyed watching my older teenager learn through laughter about a topic with which she is already familiar. I enjoyed her telling me how she liked the perspective the book used to tell the story of the Wright brothers. Equally, I enjoyed the spark of joy in my younger teenager’s eyes as she pulled a fact book about moths and butterflies from the shelf, a book I chose specifically because I knew how much she would enjoy it.
As an unschooling homeschool mom, I have heard many parents say they don’t think they could ever teach their children. I remember during 2020, when Covid caused many schools to transition from in-person learning to remote learning. The world was a different place that year with restaurants and schools and businesses trying to navigate unknowns and create new normals. That experience caused many to lament the difficulties of homeschooling, except that remote learning truly is nothing like homeschooling. And even homeschooling has a mystique surrounding it that makes many believe it is this impossible task.
Except that it isn’t. At least not in our home. Of course, I approach homeschooling my girls that matches the way I have parented them through the years. When they were younger, much of the expected “milestones” I quickly learned were arbitrary ideas and expectations. Shaking those off, my husband and I opted to embrace the idea of child-led options when it came to things like weaning, using the potty, and losing the pacifier, among other things. When kids are ready, it is easier to help them learn these sorts of things and that approach translates quite well with homeschooling, though, to be honest, that took me a little bit longer to learn and put into practice.
When first starting the homeschool journey, I bought curriculum and worked diligently to implement it and follow it, almost to a fault. And it made my oldest and I a bit, well, miserable. Then I discovered a few blogs and learned that learning worked better when play and playfulness were involved. I suppose that’s why I have more fully embraced the idea of unschooling homeschooling as my girls became tweens and then teenagers. They learn a lot of the same things other kids learn, but it happens more organically and according to my girls’ timelines. Like the child-led path of their toddler days, only now I guess you can call it teen-led.
After Covid started to even out and schools went back to in-person learning, one of my girls was already back home for her learning journey. Not long after, my younger teen joined her. Our approach has pretty much revolved around curiosity adventures. And the things they’ve learned and experienced have served them both well. Because more than what they learn, what I truly love and take joy in is their love of learning; they have their innate curiosity back and they enjoy exploring ideas and topics that interest them. I truly believe we are all richer for this journey and I am thrilled to be back on it with them this week. Watching where their paths are taking these two remarkable young women is definitely something I look forward to each day.