Unschooling Books (2024)

FAQs

Is unschooling legal in the US? ›

Is Unschooling Legal? Unschooling is a form of homeschooling, and homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. And while there are no official “unschooling laws,” the laws that regulate how you homeschool in each state can affect the way you approach—or at least report—your homeschooling progress.

Reading Without School

Unschooled children, not subjected to curriculum or timelines, are free to learn to read when they are truly ready. They have engaged parents who are able to help them navigate the world without reading, until they are ready to master it themselves.

Unschoolers are a diverse group of teens who may be attracted to various college options. It is possible to unschool for high school and still be a competitive candidate for a top college.

Can Unschoolers be “College and Career Ready”? Overall, 83 percent of the respondents had gone on to pursue some form of higher education.

There are a variety of approaches to designing and practicing unschooling. Some of the most popular include: Worldschooling, in which families travel around the world and learn through experiencing other places, people, cultures, and activities typical for these locations.

Because, with unschooling, instead of following curriculum, our kids are following their interests. And if we don't first take curriculum off the table, there's a pretty good chance we'll just naturally jump to that style of learning whenever our kid expresses an interest in something.

Unschooling promotes individualized learning by allowing the learner to make their own choices regarding what and how they learn. The role of the parent is to provide the learner with an environment that fosters their natural curiosity.

Remember that formula unschoolers toss around: "For every year that you (or your child) went to school or used the school approach - that's how many months it will take for you to deschool." YMMV. If you didn't like school much, you may embrace this more quickly.

How effective is unschooling? ›

The most frequent benefits of unschooling reported by the whole sample included the children's improved learning, better attitudes about learning, and improved psychological and social wellbeing; and increased closeness, harmony, and freedom for the whole family, which followed from being free from the school schedule.

Both unschooling and Montessori are based around developing a passion for learning by encouraging students to pursue learning about their passions. The difference is in how those two educational philosophies implement student-centered learning. Unschooling prides itself on being led by the student.

The fundamental difference between homeschooling and unschooling is that in homeschooling, the school is transferred to the home, with all its elements. In contrast, unschooling is based on natural learning, and there are no subjects or evaluations but life.

Unschooling may not be a good fit for all children or all families, says Gray. Children on the autism spectrum, for example, “are not going to reach their full potential through self-directed (learning)," he says. “They really need help from somebody who knows how to work with somebody who's on that spectrum.”

What if I am homeschooled? Each applicant to Harvard College is considered with great care and homeschooled applicants are treated the same as all other applicants. There is no special process, but all relevant information about your educational and personal background is welcome.