Books.... Excerpts from The Unschooling Handbook

This little gem is full of anecdotes and short essays written by unschooling families about their experiences. I found this book at the thrift store almost 2 years, and having never heard of 'unschooling', found it very intriguing. I found alot of inspiration from these pages, however it would still be a long time before I really started to apply the concepts to my own life. I lent the book out soon after reading it once and then lost track of it. Well, this summer my mom by chance found this book (knowing nothing about unschooling herself), not knowing it's signficance.


I would like to share some of the excerpts from the book;


when asked 'How can you tell they're learning'?

"For those of us who've been at it for years, the answer seems obvious-- hardly worth thinking about. We see our kids every day, talk to them, answer their questions, help them with their projects, watch them help us with our own projects. We see how much more they understand and do than they could the month before or the year before.
How do I know he's learning? I can never help but be stunned by the question. It's so obvious, day in and day out, that he's learning about a lot of things, and that already knows more than an awful lot of well-educated adults about many subjects. It would be ridiculous to question it. I see how much he reads, how much he discusses ideas and knowledge he's pick up in one way or another. I'd be a darn fool to question whether he's learning." -Lillian, California



on unschooling in general and it's effect on their family;

"I hope with all my soul that my children will be different from conventionally educated people. I hope that they will know freedom rather than bondage; creativity rather than conformity; courage rather than blind obedience; intelligence rather than rote learning. I believe that conventional school damage--perhaps irrevocable-- the ability to explre, discover, and imagine. I believe that schools force us to set aside the ability to think for ourselves, to be motivated by joy and interest, to be open and honest. We hope to reap values of intelligence, honesty, caring, and self-confidence." -Amy, Idaho

Wishing You Books that Challenge You,
Mama Randa the Inspired