I met two young ladies today while out and around with the wee ones.
Both were nannies now and had been homeschooled at times. They were full of questions of me, and fond memories of their own homeschooling days.
One of them asked if I used any formal curricula, and didn’t scoff when I said ‘no.’ That was nice.
I don’t often talk about homeschooling styles with strangers. Most strangers I meet only ‘know of’ homeschooling. They always have opinions, of course, but I’m ready for that. I just don’t enter into the potential minefield of explaining unschooling.
And I didn’t actually use the word unschooling today, either. I just said, “nope, I think that young children learn best when they are allowed to learn through play and through following their own interests.”
Both ladies remarked what wonderful children Nic and Theo seemed to be. They got plenty of chance to see them in action, as there were quite a few other children playing around them. They got to see how careful and gentle Nic was with all the wee ones; and how charismatic and friendly and articulate Theo was to everyone around him.
And they both agreed that they thought children were pushed too far too fast in schools.
And they were lovely ladies. Articulate, seemingly intelligent, and looking forward to homeschooling their own potential children someday.
What a nice encounter.
blessings,
Mary