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I Won't Unschool My Son, I Will Raise A Regular School Boy Like This

( words)
*For representational purpose only.

Before I discuss why I want to unschool myself and open my story for debate/discussion, I wish to take you all to the time when I was in school.

I was a very mediocre student with very less aspirations, I wanted to take up a field that involved lesser study. Without being attentive in class I scored pretty well. Way higher than my counter parts, who were actually very intelligent. I used to look down upon them. I used to think, "What low level of intelligence these people have, they answer in class so well, they can carry an intelligent conversation but still can't score more than I do. What is the use of all that intelligent conversations and knowing more than what was needed."

My friends were the rebels, not me. I did what the system wanted me to do, mug right before the exam, puke it out on the paper and feel fresh again for a new session with no uneasy feeling of the past, just like a clean slate.

Honestly, I never loved any subject, forget love, I didn't even like any. I abhor Physics, yes I am a science graduate with lesser knowledge of science than a seventh grade student. How can you abhor something that is around you all the time and still you are ignorant about the facts? When I walk it's physics, when I sit in the bus and save myself from the bumpy rides and breaks that's physics. So how can you hate something that is so basic? I think we all know the answer but just not ready to accept it yet.

The answer is as simple as Physics, which I never managed to understand. I was taught Physics as a subject, I never saw the apple falling because of gravity, I always read it as 'Newton's law'.The answer is, we are not allowed to discover, we are just following.

The answer is that the educational system is just portraying people like me with so little knowledge as intelligent and smart students and real and deserving as below average.

So am I going to unschool my son and homeschool him? No, I won't. I would love to and really look up to parents who are home schooling their kids. It takes a lot of courage to walk against the wind. May be I am not that courageous one, may be I am just a mean mother who wants a career of her own along with the best for her baby.

I want my boy to have friends, girlfriends too. I want him to make choices and choose his friends rather than just be friends because he doesn't have options being home schooled.

I want him to enjoy each and every phase of school life — from sleeping, eating in the class to bunking and getting caught. We all have done and cherished those memories. I want him to learn what it is being taught at school.

But I do want to unschool myself. I don't want to be a schooling parent, I want to be an unschooling parent of my regular school boy.

At home, I want him to learn not study, I want him to discover not just follow the discoveries. I want him to evolve and educate himself. When he asks why he should have the courage to find answers of his why and not just accept the things being told, he should be able to find answers to his own questions.

When he is back from school I am not going to ask him to bring his bag and finish his home work. I am not going to ask him to study and get good grades. Yes it will give me happiness to see him excel in his class, but not at the cost of limiting his imagination.

There is no age to learn things. I missed out on schooling but I am going to learn it while my baby goes to school and I'll unschool myself. I know it will take a lot of effort, time and lots of frustration on not being able to find the answers but we are going to do it together.

We are going to find answers together to many questions I couldn't ask and to many questions he is going to ask.

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