The following quote is from one of my favourite unschool writers, Joyce Fetteroll. Along with Rue Kream’s book, Joyce’s web site has been a key resources for my own unschooling journey.

Joyce wrote this in a discussion on the Unschooling Basics egroup and Ive reproduced it here with her permission:

Teachers face this huge pile of bricks stacked up for them that they’re required to hand to the child in a specific order. They’re always facing that pile and handing off bricks and judging to see how well they’re transferring the pile.

Unschoolers don’t have a pile. They have the world around them. But instead of facing the world, they face the child. If the child asks for a brick, you hand it to them. But you’re confident the child is running around picking up her own bricks because you’ve got her out in the world (instead of locked up in the classroom with the bricks controlled by the teacher). If you know of an interesting brick that would go with the one she’s asked for or picked up, point it out. If she’s interested, find more. If she’s not, let it go.

As well as stirring up Pink Floyd song lyrics in my head, I felt that this quote captured an element of unschooling that I am appreciating more and more. For me it has been the opportunity to let go of external measures, bench marks, grades, classifications, labels… basically letting go of external agendas and judgements as the guide to my parenting.

I have found stepping outside of the school and “education” system, although creating anxious moments on occasions, has ultimately given me the opportunity to totally focus on getting to know, to support, to learn with and trust our children.

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