The American version of school: unschooling

We know that school can be a source of stress for your little geniuses. Succeeding in understanding quickly, following the program, getting good grades, keeping up the pace... And this, from 3 years old to 18 years old (not counting higher education...)

Today, we invite you to fly to the United States and discover a slightly different learning method: unschooling!

What is this ?

If in France as in the United States, school is “mandatory” from 6 to 16 years old, it is the instruction rather than the school which is compulsory.
“Unschoolers” , as they are called, are those children who are not in school. No alarm clock in the morning, no school curriculum, we learn what we want, how we want!
The only obligation for parents is to show the authorities each year that their children are making progress, but there are no standardized tests.

Resi Connell, an American mother who has never sent her children to school, explains: “ I don’t teach them any academic subjects, neither English nor math, but they learn all that through other activities .”

Why is unschooling good for children?

Resi's daughter Erin, for example, has decided to take up goat farming. She doesn't know the Pythagorean theorem, but she explains that she's learning about genetics and reproduction.

“At school they tell us to sit down, they tell us what we have to learn. Whereas I am interested in this or that thing and it is my choice.”

In the United States, these unschooled children are estimated at 200,000! An impressive figure that highlights learning based on freedom and the desire to learn... For “unschoolers”, each person goes at their own pace.

Peter Gray, a professor at Boston College, believes that unschooling is a good thing. He explains that if a child learns to walk and talk on their own, then school is a hindrance to their learning.

What about school? Is it no longer useful?

But of course, unschooling has its limits… Erin’s brother Tom is 10 years old, and he still can’t write. He’s learning little by little thanks to his cell phone…

Ann Dolin, an education expert, believes that there is a definite risk in unschooling. She says: “Children who do not go to school do not have the chance to work with other students, and what employers want today are people who are able to work in a group.”