Just read this blog post – “notes from an unschooled world wanderer”. I love her concluding paragraph.
“Through unschooling I’ve learned that, in a sense, I create my surroundings. But “unschooling” to me is only the absence of school. I am not (nor was I before) looking for something to replace the daily tribulations I encountered in school. I am simply living life. Anything I want to learn is at my fingertips because I know how to go out in the world and seek knowledge. I know how to ask questions. I know that if I want to be independent I need to support myself; and if I support myself in a way that’s fulfilling I will be infinitely happier. I know how to have meaningful relationships and I know how to communicate effectively. I know that sometimes I have to experience hard things, and that’s part of learning. I also know that I will continue learning because to stop learning is to stop living. And all of this, I learned in the last few years while I was not ‘forced’ to be in a classroom.
Life is a learning experience. The most important thing is to keep learning; in whatever way fits best.”
And at this blog, I love how this 12 year old owns his lifestyle, no worries about fitting in with society (something I can’t seem to shake completely).
“So, what do I live without, really?
After travelling for almost 2 and a half years I’ve come to realize I am unique. I am unique in the sense that I don’t have a schedule. I am unique in the sense that the rules of society don’t apply to me. I am unique in the sense that I can be spontaneous. I’ve also realized that most children (or people in general) don’t ever get a chance to break free from the system.”