I was unschooled until grade 8 when I chose to start high school. I loved unschooling and was lucky to have a community of homeschooled and unschooled friends to play with, learn and be creative with (and a stay at home mom, which is the only reason my unschooling was possible). By grade 7 I tried a year of more serious homeschooling and I felt ready for the challenge of public school. Five years later I’m now in grade 12 and graduating and am grateful for both types of schooling I have experienced.
@@melihism Being with others makes me aggravated. Constant competition bs i what I hate. Then and now nothing has changed and is lame , vane, boring , stupid . Public education create mindless brain dead cattle
I feel I’ve been heavily programmed through education and school system. Like most of us. Trying to remember now who I am underneath all that...🤔...it’s a long road back...
I had to do that. I’m 45 now, and feel the most free I’ve ever been. It probably took me a decade to fully shake off all the indoctrination (about mid-20s to mid-30s). You’re probably aware of the process. It’s all displacement, and being mindful of every stimulus-reaction. You stop yourself midway through whatever you’ve been conditioned to think or do, then insert the NEW programming you want to adopt. Through repetition, you eventually become your new self and one day, you realize in hindsight that the person you’ve always wanted to become, is now second nature. Enjoy the journey back to yourself. 💝
Mo Poppins exactly🙏🏻🥰. I’m nearly 56. I found some texts I wrote when I was 17/18 years old. To my astonishment I already wrote about this!🤔😅. Apparently I wanted to go through the experience of feeling totally lost. I went through a couple of depressions..The worst one felt like being cut of from my roots and from my HS. It felt like being dead without suppressing the form. Went through some amazing and some difficult experiences. But since 2012 things have started to feel and look different. This is the process of undoing/atonement. It is never to late! We are always where we were meant to be. Not believing all the thoughts that come and watch them come and go is an important step on this process. I have recently discovered the importance of this. This is only the beginning💫. Much love to you from Switzerland🙏🏻
I was pulled out of school at the end of the 6th grade because I was Heavily Heavily bullied by both teachers & student's & was becoming suicidal. I'm trans & have high functioning autism, This made me the weird kid and put a target on my back. When my folks pulled me out of school they got me a library card, acsess to a forest near by and gave me completely uncensored media & a computer ( my Dad built computers ). I had always thought I was dumb, because I would greatly struggle in school. But once I had some liberty to explore on my own, I was able to adapt how I learned to ways that was most effective for my own specific needs. Because of this I was able to explore my passion for biology & ecology. I got good at using calculator's to make up for my lack of math skills, I wanted to be able to have intelligent conversations with adults. So I worked on articulation & read books on Greek reason & argumentation, rather than grammer & english. I learnt more about spelling through spell check then the entire time I had been in school. Simply because I knew which mistakes were made & what correction needed to be made right there on screen. By 15- I started being able to hold my own in conversations with adults online over intellectual discussions on evolutionary biology. I would read Darwin, Dawkins, Gould out in the woods where I could see right in front of me the patterns of life these men would discuss in their books. This has given me a perspective on life that I highly cherish. For some children the academic schoolastic world works out great, And our modern school system does give certain advantages ( for example, I'm terrible at paper work ) For those like me tho, that system failed utterly. Perhaps if I had been lucky enough to have good teachers I would have been ok. But they never came. I needed Freedom. I needed Experience. I needed People to talk too. I did not need standardized testing. I did not need physical as well as emotional abuse from my peers. So for those of you reading- who may think this idea of unschooling is irrational or crazy. . . Please consider the kids who were like me. Who don't conform well to traditional standards. Because it may be a matter of life and death for some & consider the advantages and not just the preceived disadvantages. I own my home in a time where people struggle just to find a place to rent. I'm forming a co-operative in a time where most struggle to find employment. I have zero student debt, no high school diploma yet work and study in a feild people pay thousands to try to get into. Not to shabby for a 6th grade drop out.
Absolutely what I needed to hear, blessing to you. 🙏 I've just had to pull my 11 yo son out (UK) and unschooling seems like the absolute perfect fit for him and his way of learning. He has three older and younger siblings still in traditional schooling so this is a brave new world for us. I never knew unschooling existed a week ago and yet already I know this is where he's supposed to be. Your story is a fantastic example of how I see him blossoming. Thank you. 💛
I unschooled my four kids. They loved to learn whatever they had in their heart to learn and are all successful adults now. Each child is unique and gifted! If you let them help you with what you do, give them freedom to explore out doors, give them musical instruments, animals, gardens, lots of things to make stuff with, etc. they will expand their brain in the way it was perfectly designed to be critical thinkers and truth seekers. Forcing children to sit down and shut up and learn a certain way will do the opposite!!!
@@PuppyTheTiny There is alot of people that became successful without a degree, please make some researchs before commenting, and most of the companies search for creative clever people and not the people who acts like robots
@@PuppyTheTiny and They tend to be more engaged and invested in learning as they are there completely of their own free will and simple desire to learn more. There are many many many careers that do not require a diploma. Unschooled people tend to be free thinkers and can think outside of the box more easily than those of us who have been trained since a young age to think a certain way.
@@notpillow6759 Like I said in my modern country you cant do shit without a degree. You get the worst paid jobs. Even cashiers have degrees. I dont say its bad. But its really bad in a modern country.
woahhh this was crazy. first time I ever heard about this and while I have my reservations, I really appreciated a lot of the points she made. opened up my perspective!
Imagine not spending years of your life that you’ll never get back with people that became teachers because it’s a power trip that allows them to feel superior and belittle their students... I feel so hopeful for the kids getting these “alternative” experiences (which, let’s face it, are more of a “reset to factory setting” than an alternative). It sounds so healthy and wholesome.
That’s good and all, but you could still do all of this while homeschooling them, and this would be even better because they could still pursue a career. You’re child is going to need credentials and an understanding of biology to become a doctor, maths to become a financial adviser/banker, Complex literature/history to be a writer and even more professions. School is toxic in many ways but homeschool is the best in the long run. You can’t change the pointless parts of the schooling system but the diploma is very valuable aswell as social interaction (other than your friends and their kids). Almost no kids are interested in realistic careers at young ages so they obliviously won’t be interested but it’ll pay the bills unlike to dream of being an artist usually does
That being said, and those are valid points, apprenticeships and workplace education/quals enable these children to get a successful career. Not everyone needs higher education or degrees. I personally don't have a degree and I'm successful in my own right (depending how success is perceived). But yes, formal education at teenager years are vital if you want to become xyz with a requirement to have the right credentials.
It's very simple to get a GED and to go on to get a college degree (even higher degrees) as an unschooler. The beautiful thing is that they can gain knowledge in any topic very quickly (so different than school) and can go on to do anything they want. In today's world, it's possible to not need any "credentials" unless they are going into a scientific world, but one should never assume what a child would want to do. If it turns out they are interested in that...they will naturally be open to the path of more structured education.
You can do all of that as an unschooler - it’s about self directed learning so as soon as you realise you wanna be lawyer / doctor / brain surgeon you just take your intrinsic motivation and get the degrees you need to do it. It’s just not forced.
There was a large homeschooling study done several years ago that examined all approaches including unschooling in the USA. It concluded that even unschooled children had a better education than the average public school student. Being unschooled does not mean doing nothing. It is an approach that uses the childs interest as a springboard and be cause they are the driver, they go deeper and actually retain more than kids who are taught usually. Yes, they learn math and reading etc... and if there are blank spots (and don't tell me public school kids don't have them), they know how to learn them when needed and actually have more of a love for learning period.
@CottageMommy. I just spent a hours trying to find the study you mentioned to no avail. By any chance do you remember who commissioned the study? Perhaps I could find it if I had a hint. Right now pages and pages are devoted to the controversy of Harvard Professor who bashed homeschooling and proposed it be banned.
@@piedpiper7051 May not have been a peer-reviewed study in a reputable journal. Antivaxers quote all kinds of studies to support their views, too. It's meaningless.
I have been homeschooled my whole life and always wanted to do unschooling. Now I am 14 and my mom does’t have time to teach me a single thing! I love to learn and i feel like I am smarter then ever doing way way less school and everything I love doing. I am unschooling right now without even noticing. And EVERY SINGLE hobby or skill I have learned, I have learned and discovered by myself. We need to have freedom in order to succeed.
This is what happened to me when I started homeschooling myself in 8th grade (my mom gave me permission under the condition that completely self-taught). While I did learn a good amount from public school and had some very talented teachers, most of my knowledge and interests I ended up cultivating independently, even if the subject was taught in school already. You can learn a lot more yourself and start building essential life skills when you aren’t expected to dedicate most of your waking hours to learning a lot of useless things. If I have children in the future, I am going to ensure that they are homeschooled and allow them to go on a positive trajectory that they choose. Public school is a mess sadly, between a mix of lackluster teachers, overbearing curricula that stomp out the potential that good teachers have, the ridiculous demand it places on students, teaching generally useless things, and being a practical prison in some cases.
Just because academic school has some value, doesnt mean that there isnt room for significant improvement or revision of our current school system. its relatively known and accepted that many medical school students suffer from severe stress and have sad rates of suicide. So though I am also happy doctors went to school, I am more than willing to have the system change drastically..
Cello Cello Many doctors lack emotional intelligence, it's really traumatic dealing with them. Academic intelligence is very important but not the most important in my opinion. In lacking emotional intelligence and compassion, they are missing the very essence of what it means to want to "help people", as you would like to think that is the reason for becoming a doctor. However that is obviously not always the case; family expectations, prestige and financial rewards are frequently the primary driving force.
The vast majority of Americans will not become doctors. So should we keep the education system limited to those careers/skillsets? Do you see the issue here?
I'm with you Cello Cello. Unschooling isn't for everyone. It wouldn't work if everyone did it. The educational system is the only way we can currently know if someone is qualified to be operating on us. I am torn really, regardless of your choice you will take options away from your child. But I also agree that especially in junior (primary) school it should be all about experiencing the world. So maybe school shouldn't start until 13?? And even then should be optional. Decided by the child
Even if your doctor was unschooled he/she would have to go to medical school. Many higher education programs are very interested and open to homeschoolers and unschooled because they are often out of the box thinkers. If your child was interested in being a doctor they would find the resources to access the further education required for the license to practice medicine.
"Unschooling is so great." Yet, most of your arguments start of with "studies show" or "statistics show" which all come from some department of study/schooling.
Phangz 83 Perhaps the alternative term ‘whole life learning’ would help you understand it better. It’s not about not learning or discovering, it’s about not formally structuring learning in a way typically seen as schooling, instead using daily life experiences to facilitate learning.
I was bullied at school and at home. Instead of teaching me how to handle stressful situations I became a bag of nerves with very low self-esteem. I pulled myself out of both, as an adult thankfully but would have loved to have been brought up in Lucy's supportive atmosphere. Just think what I could have achieved?!
I was shamed by my fourth grade math teacher in front of the whole class. It affected me for the majority of my life. I was always afraid of getting into trouble or failing at anything I attempted. My parents never knew nor were they involved in my school work. I am 57-years old now, I feel that I could have been better off in life had I not been made to feel like I was dumb because I didn't know how to work a math problem. I also did not complete my four-year degree (one math class) because I saved math as my last class and was afraid of failing the class.
forgive yourself (and others), gratitude for lessons (some take lifetimes and that's the point). the wisdom from such a long lesson is valuable, timeless, might take time to process and I wish I'd feel it too :) thanks for sharing
@@LucyatLifeWithoutSchool Does new zealand require a GED or equivalent to go to university? I'm wondering if this would be feasible in other countries
Kelsey it’s absolutely feasible in other countries. I unschool my 10 year old in Canada and I have no concerns at all about my son attaining higher learning if he so desires. Many universities and colleges are now quite eager to accept unschooled students. They tend to be more engaged and invested in learning as they are there completely of their own free will and simple desire to learn more. There are many many many careers that do not require a diploma. Unschooled people tend to be free thinkers and can think outside of the box more easily than those of us who have been trained since a young age to think a certain way.
@@Rebecca.Robbins I've actually found the opposite with universities, that they require a pretty strict set of requirements. Hopefully that changes by the time your son is that age.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Been complaining about school ever since I forced into it. Everyone belittles kids K-12 that "that's just how it is" but kids are intelligent, they know what isn't good for them, and normal schooling is one of those things. When tons of kids are stressed out and say they hate school, hey! maybe they hate school! Great video
there are lots of examples of grown up unschoolers who found a job they can live from and are passionate about... some study, some take an apprenticeship, some continue to self learn and are self employed
I have been getting into the world of rewilding and unschooling and homeschooling etc lately as I approach the part of my life where we are thinking about kids. The main thing we are concerned about is that unschooling/homeschooling means that one of the adults in the household (let's be honest it's usually a mom) must pull back from their career or life goals to focus on the unschooling all day. For my relationship, my husband has a very developed career and I have a more free-form type life with the goal of improving the world. Logically this would mean that I would leave my job, but then I am abandoning my work improving my community. I wish there was something in between where an organization would do unschooling or homeschooling type school for a group of neighbouhood kids instead of each set of parents dedicating all of their time to it. Maybe the kids could rotate through households every day? That would be really cool. Find a group of parents with similar interests and form an unschooling group. You would get the whole group of kids once a week. Has anyone heard of this being done?
Most communities have unschooling groups that meet regularly! I also would say that unschooling is the opposite of having to "focus on the unschooling all day". That defeats the whole point...they become very self-regulated and passionate about their interests. Like she says...this is how people have done it for so many years...you JUST LIVE. Parents are not the teachers...the children teach themselves and the parents provide opportunities. Good for you for exploring this even before you have kids!
If you think of it, raising your children is improving your community. I’m homeschooling twin boys and it looks a lot different than most homeschool setups. It is a labor of love but I see success in my free thinking, confident, creative self starters.
I'm an early years teacher at a PYP school in China. This way of doing things could easily by laughed off, but a lot of teachers would be sympathetic. It probably puts a big onus on parents to provide a rich learning environment and to constantly model the skills that children need to learn. In this case it sounds viable, but without that it wouldn't be great. A happy medium might be to do brief but intensive classes teaching basic skills. Many children have left school having learned little, and this model could do much better than that. At our school we follow an inquiry-based learning curriculum. Some of what she says describes what we try to do. One thing to consider is that the shape of education is driven in part by the need for children to be occuppied whilst adults work, which is not easily changed for everyone.
I've been following Lucy and their journey for quite some time now, and I'm very sure I want my kids to be unschooled! No doubt of that... BUT... an issue that comes up every time I come across content about unschooling is how elitist it is, and how it's not for every social background. I'm from Brazil, one of the countries with the biggest social gap in the world, and I'm a teacher in a private language school. I see how not every kid has a nourishing environment and present parents to provide them with this richness unschooling needs. I can see some of the kids I teach actually going down the wrong path if they leave school by any chance. This is the saddest possible thing... I strongly believe unschooling is the best alternative in education, but first we need to support families so they have enough social and financial stability. Kids won't be joyful and curious and interested if they have tired, stressed and overloaded parents. Meanwhile, I'll try to gently convince my partner that unschooling is the best alternative for our future kids.
Yeah, it’s a huge challenge. That’s why we need lots of people who are privileged enough to do it, to do it, so we can start forming and funding the alternatives to education for everyone.
I wouldn’t describe it as elitist. But yes it does require parents who are capable of providing it for them. Unschooling does not mean tossing the children to the wind - this is completely rooted in the parents. But no one is proposing mass social change. We can each only start at home. So my suggestion to you is that you focus on your children, and let Brazil sort itself out while you invest in a few good humans to contribute to the country ☺️🙏🏼🤍 (and before we can give this to children, we need parents who are capable. We each have to start at home, in the mirror and in our dependents. That’s all we can do, and it’s enough. 🙏🏼🤍)
These are such eye opening conversations. I like how you acknowledge the downsides of this given different social backgrounds but agree that it is a much more viable alternative
I unschooled my autistic son for a few years. It was great. If I were to school him, it would have been Montessori. I couldn't keep it up but I would highly recommend it for anyone that could see their way to do it. Children are naturally curious. They WILL learn more than you can imagine.
I'm from india and I don't know much about education system outside india... but one thing is sure, what I've learned after highschool (after 15 years old, in Indian education system ) has nothing to do with my life. I've learned calculus, trigonometric functions,learned about IC chips, semiconductors, Quantum mechanics and so on. Even though I like science and technology very much, I'm pretty much sure that those things haven't helped me in my day to day life. You cannot learn many important things from schools. You may learn to score well in exams but you may not learn how to live a good life from schools.
same here in canada...i dont use pythagora theorem much..or at all but i like knowing it..academics teach you how to learn and mold your brain into being more scientific..having said that, im not pro school tho. wish i had learned all this without the pressure of being at school with all the asshole that made fun of me and made me learn anger and shyness. pro knowledge anti-people
I very much agree with the idea of parents giving room for the kids to blossom into healthy young adults. However, I also believe there is a place to structure the education of children. Education is not always the most fun experience, but it is necessary. Maybe not in a mainstream classroom setting, but being taught lessons of history and literature and chemistry and physics and biology and geography is critical. To not teach our kids---to encourage them to skip through the daisy fields for 15 or so years, playing with the bunnies and being, basically, feral---is a criminal disservice to their...and our...future.
when you weren't interested in something, and you were made to learn it and still weren't interested, and then forgot it later, how well did that do for you? Humans need love, and wisdom, biology , physics, most humans don't need to know a lick about those things to be loving, wise people. Humans are naturally curious, we want to learn and explore and will always do so, kids aren't going to skip through fields for 15 years they're going to explore the world on every level just like everyone else did. Just because you don't force a structure of what you think they need to learn doesn't mean they just stop being healthy humans, its quite the opposite. Experience will always be the golden teacher.
@@dogsheep1137 that is not untrue, nevertheless sir/madam it's also very important to have actual academic knowledge of the world, that's what gets you forward
This is going to be a jumbled mess of a comment, but I would really appreciate being heard when it comes to what I have to say. I realized after I went through institutionalized high school and college that my urge for learning was a struggling fire for about a year after college graduation. I graduated with a B.A. in mathematics and it ruined me on wanting to look at a math equation or a proof or a matrix for about a year... though it is my passion. I was so stressed that I couldn't appreciate and cultivate my passion for mathematics. It was such a rushed process that I didn't have time to chew on and savor. I had a scholarship that paid for everything due to my rocky upbringing, so I had to finish in 4 years. I appreciate the financial burdon I don't have to carry, but I could have gotten so much more out of my experience if I could have taken my time. I then spent a year in a struggling school teaching kids as a mentor and in-school tutor through an AmeriCorps program.... I cried all the time over the lack of parental intervention as well as the standards being absolutely destructive to these kid's understanding of simple concepts. Unschooling is an incredible option for people who give a damn about their kids, have a vast knowledge, and have a passion to learn, but there are so many parents who can't or DON'T provide that. Though I took over as an "auntie" figure to my kids and found creative ways to instill learning through unconventional methods (that made them sooo excited), they still had another 6-7 hours of the day being yelled at and scrutinized for not understanding the linear curriculum. They understood my explanations incredibly well, but they struggled to remember them over the stress of the forceful, bullshit curriculum. I now feel a passion for learning and living for experiences rather than following the linear crowd. Especially after my year of living immersed in watching my beloved kid's brains rot. The only thing negative that I have to say about someone who's ready to immerse their children in unschooling is that this world is far from stress-free. If you have no experience in dealing with stress and pressure as a child, this world will eat you alive. Job pressures, worldly pressures and personal or familial ailments get in the way no matter who you are. Unless you have the means to live off-the-grid, this world is too corrupt for unschooling. Though it is a beautiful concept, I'm not sure I can see it being a viable option in the face of this ugly world, but we can dream? Thank you for reading this far, I appreciate the opportunity to be heard.
Excuse me for being late to the party. Things do NOT change until people make the change. This world is chaotic and stressful DUE to people's choices. That will never change if we all just keep going along with it. Life is stressful because we make it so. Where is it written that life is supposed to be stressful? Just because many people live that way, does not make it ok. Kind of like when people say that heart disease is normal because soooo many people have it. Sure, many people have heart disease, but that doesn't make it right! For most, heart disease was brought on by their life style. It is wrong to keep normalizing it. Likewise it is wrong to keep normalizing stress as a way of life. We don't exclusively unschool. However, we also are not up to standard compared to the public education's standards. My kids know that life can be stressful. They have been here when my husband has lost his job. They were here when some of our kids had massive, massive health issues. Our kids are not sheltered. And really, thus far, I have to say that my children have handled the real world remarkably well. It amazes me how they handle confrontations at work, or in relationships. They do so FAR better than I did at their age! Probably because they weren't tucked away in a school room, away from the real world, like I was. I don't think these things should be left as dreams. The world will never lose it's ugliness if we keep allowing the ugliness to win.
Took my daughter out of public school after 1st grade, we've been unschooling ever since and she's 13 now, she's into growing plants(even grafting, propagation, hybridizing), art(digital and traditional), hiking, swimming, etc. The most important thing I noticed doing this is that the forced 'education' of schools all comes naturally, a child learns to read by their own curiosity, they learn to do math from necessity, the force is unnecessary.
I watched the full video and as a Teacher I can say this. Everything you said can be found in many Schools not all Schools are the same. I do not aprove kids not going to school for many reasons that I do not want to go in detail explaining. If you plan for your kids to live their whole life on a farm, do it. If not don't. School does not only give knowledge it gives social experiences, responsibility, beeing organized, and many more. She sais competition with others is a bad thing, but it realy isn't because competition with others pushes you to go even further beyond of what you thought was posible. This is my opinion and it is only that.
I love it when my favorite youtube channels and podcasts intersect. I've been subscribed to Lucys main channel for a while now, though not as long as Robs. I don't care to have children myself, but her NZ Yurt homestead looks perfect!
I remember in 8th grade I had a teacher who gave us the answers to the final to memorize and most of us made 100’s or close to that! Even a day after that final, I couldn’t have told you what I learned. I just memorized things and then discarded it once I was finished
That is a beautiful tree behind you and the mother you interviewed is in my opinion, a very, wise woman... her children are lucky to have her as their Mom! 🌀❤️🌀
Oh dear Lucy. She is amazing! I have followed her for years and have learned so much from her, even though I have no children. How interesting how connected we all are xoxo
Imteresting video. As someone who went through the American school system, I can definitely say that school left me unfulfilled, full of stress and self-doubt. University was no different, as leaving high school with no sense of who I was or what I wanted to learn made everything so stressful. You are surrounded by people who know what they want, while also watching their minds fall apart from coursework stress. Leaving college after 2 semesters wasn't an easy decision (except maybe financially lol), but I feel like now I'm really starting to learn who I am and what I am truly interested in pursuing. I really want to understand horticulture, raising my own food and reconnecting with nature. I used to think I wanted to be a chef, now I think I want to be a farmer haha. I would have never come to that realization had I not left college. Obviously, that choice isn't for everyone, but it's for me. I can confidently say I am so much happier in life right now, even working my regular job as a cook. I enjoy food and understanding cooking chemistry, and in my off time at home I focus on my plants and understanding how to raise them well so that when I get older I can have lots and lots of plants. I know that's easier said than done, but now I'm spending my time as a young adult truly finding myself and my desires, and planning ahead for my adult future.
I wish I had been raised like this. School took my childhood away from me, and I've lost my taste for learning - not that I learned anything important from school. I think I would know more than I do if I had been allowed to learn naturally, like this.
I hated school. Especially as I got older. I dropped out as soon as I could. With the internet and a healthy environment, there's not much needed beyond learning to read. I've learned so much more after dropping out then I ever did in school. I've taught myself several instruments, touch typing, welding, several coding/scripting languages like Python, Java and JQuery. I've taught myself to work on cars, build tiny houses, gardening and permaculture, mushroom growing. Tons of stuff. The great thing with unschooling is kids are free to learn what they are interested in. It's hard to teach school because most kids don't care about what you're forcing on them. To the people saying that kids won't be social, just because they aren't going to school doesn't mean they aren't around people. It's important, maybe more so to socialize, meet people, etc. Set up unschooling groups or whatever.
Ron Tropics 👏 👏 👏 And as for socializing in school, I’ve never attended a school myself where people weren’t cliquish. They were only interested in the echo chamber of their mirrors, and nothing else. No inclusivity or opportunity to study others unlike yourself, because institutions aren’t set up that way.
So true! This is how ideal learning should be. Aristotle taught his students this way. Imagine how many Alexander the Great there would be if all children learn in a free non-threatening environment. But society binds its people to jobs and servitude, hindering their potentials from fruition so only the few can succeed, and they call these few the best, the champions, the leaders, the powerful, and the rich.
Success really depends on the parents and the child. My daughter did four years in Waldorf schools and she hated it and I found it annoying. You’re forced to interact with a bunch of rich helicopter parents and not free thinkers.
I'm a teacher in China and there's a lot of branding and marketing in private education. Montessori is big, but I've never heard anything good about it that hasn't been incorporated into mainstream teaching by some of the better teachers.
Waldorf school is just another school system. My children went to such a school, but for two of them it wasn't the right system. So halfway they changed to another school. If homeschooling was possible, that would be my choice, but here that is not legally possible
I worked in the most exclusive international schools in one city. It means the Rich go there. The teachers were just, well some where not people you’d admire. You made very Good Arguments! Learn free from shame. So many Teachers are Crazy! They shame students. When I became a teacher, i think like you guys!!!
Really interesting, little bit late now but I guess we could give them some slack! My wife left her secure job on IT company and started garden design services. I'm the bread and butter man with state job, but I'm happy with that. We dream of tiny houses in a ring with friends and family and outdoor kitchen in the middle, growing our own grub.
This is great, thank you. I home schooled mine. Always getting compliments about mine. I'm forever grateful for the relationship we have, too. Alternative education has its challenges, but it's all worth it.
This reminds me of an assignment I wrote for my university, the topic I chose was the relationship between child obesity and educational outcomes. I was studying for a Master degree in Applied Linguistics and the focus of the paper I wrote, was to define how a review works (an intellectual masturbation). I didn't listen to my tutor and proceeded with the paper where it is obvious that the current educational system cares more about numbers and statistics rather than the welfare of our children. At the same time, I was teaching English for a private institute in Italy where children study an extra 1 or 2 hours per week after their regular curriculum. Luckily, I managed to find games, songs and other activities to keep them interested and to let them have some fun. In a competitive society, parents get really worried about their children's "future" so they push them very hard to get good grades so that one day they can have good jobs. When I was teaching in Japan, it was even worse, some children commit suicide. This system is completely disconnected from who we are and why we are here. Sister, I'm with you all the way! 😁🤗💖
@Michelle Wong What kind of job prospects will an eight year degree in Gender Theory be able to provide? At least with unschooling you won't start your life off in student debt.
I believe there would be plenty of job opportunities out there for those willing to look and put in the effort. Many conventional jobs will accept alternative schooling in lieu of a high school diploma or college degrees.
John Holt who developed the un schooling. " what to do on Monday" " How children learn" He died in 1980's Anyone interested in this wonderful kind of growing children..., these books are still around
Rob I love you man but you shouldn't be pushing unschooling. It seems nice until you realize their place in society is extremely hampered due to lacking even a highschool diploma. You can tell by the way she talks that this was a reactionary decision based on a serious hatred of the education system. Hatred bring unsound reactionary choices. Homeschooling is a better option.
This is a risk. If these kids grow up wanting to be doctors they could be disappointed, but if they are as happy and flourishing as she says, they could also find their passion and do very well. This woman sounds like a potentially great teacher and she's doing better than many mainstream parents who put their child in mainstream school and just watch them struggle.
Unschooling doesn't mean no diploma. I unschooled my older 7 children. They are all very successful adults. A few of them went on to college, one is a successful business owner. But all of them are successful citizens with excellant work ethics and all have diplomas.
Geovanni D. In today’s world diplomas and certificats are no longer a guarantee to a decent life, let alone a happy and healthy life! A lot of highly qualified people no longer find a job. I think what is going on in today’s world shows the vulnerability of this system. The financial/economical bubble is being stretched, Guess what might happen after that? I paraphrase a quote from north-American wisdom: the day the last tree is cut, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, men will realize he can’t eat money. I think we better wake up to the state of the world we live in before that. The actual state of the world is caused by our run for material goods instead of living in balance with nature. Our school systems are based on this old system. They try and tell our kids who they are. I think this lady (and many others) have decided to let their kids find out for themselves. This by no means means that they will be undereducated. They will be happier and more balanced and not programmed in the old system like we were. This will enable them to become game changers. This is very badly needed and urgent! Why would people in governments that benefit from this old system, would want to change anything? Not until it collapses under their feet. And this is what will happen if we continue this way. Change it needed, from the bottom up and the inside out. Waiting for governments to do the necessary? I don’t believe in it. They are too much influenced by lobbying from big companies that pay their way in and then pull the strings...
Geovanni D. Ahhh hello? They will be doing the NZ homeschooling system. My nephew did it and he’s studying at Wellington uni now....even got a scholarship for it!
How do the kids learn math reading and writing without practice? Learning to read requires a list of books and math requires problems to solve! You have to practice your hand writing skills. What I’ve just described is the definition of a curriculum.
All of these things can occur naturally out of interest - on any day my kids will choose to read their favourite books, work our large sums because of games or needing an answer or write letters / shopping lists / signs.
Such much truth Lucy, as I teacher, I see your points loud and clear. I'm planning to move away from mainstream and find alternatives for my work. Thanks for sharing.
I've followed her for a while with her unschooling and I love how they live. I totally agree with it. But this needs to be done in the right environment! A little bit of land and parents with more freedom is essential.
Land definitely isn’t essential- sometimes we envy unschoolers in the city and their access to all those city based resources like galleries and museums and good coffee shops 🤪
I feel that this works on the whole as Lucy's children are integrating with other children and adults frequently and developing social skills whilst also reaping the rewards of a hands on, practical education. My challenge to this lifestyle would be the fact that if Lucy's children are mixing within a community that all share the same values and way of life, are they missing out on some of the development that comes with learning to deal with the inevitable conflict of people from all backgrounds and cultures mixing at school. Good on you Lucy and thanks Rob!
David F I imagine that in that lifestyle where the individual is honoured, supported and encouraged to be who they are, that they would actually handle it better than most.
Sounds rosy, but how do you teach them to get through the hard parts of life? How do you teach them to deal with not so nice people? How do you teach them grit and perseverance, routine, etc? It is a nice bubble but as they grow older and branch out on their own it will be a culture shock. It is almost like you are indulging them. A balance is important imo.
I do love the idea of this, however I think balance in life is the key to success. Some formal learning and some unschooling would make for a very rounded individual 👍
My very best memories from childhood are of free-form learning and community activities at a Unitarian community in Los Angeles. The Unitarians are a liberal arts type community that practice a kind-of free-form spirituality mixed with community. Nothing I experienced via the official school system can compare.
Im just curious, till what age till they get a formal school? Its like we can teach then ourselves maybe till junior highschool grade, but in Senior highschool, i know that maybe we have our own specialization maybe in art, physics, mathematics, language etc. How if your kid have different passion w you. How do you teach then? Or you'll homeschooling them till spesific age
What happens when they became adult and have to face deadlines or quality.. like if they became artist and they have to face art revision and deadlines? The pressure are high..
@@alanrose5959 I have students---i teach art btw, in the past 10 years all i see from alumni, most of them who succeed building in careers in the industry are the one who push themselves or being pushed by need to be a family breadwinner. Yes there are families that need support from their children income to get by. The student who came to study just because of curiosity but lack of pressure, most of them are changing fields. Are they not successful? No, just their jobs has less pressure. Another high pressure job i know is medical fields. I was raised in such families. My education since primary school is being tutoring by families bits of pieces of medical things. Anatomy, roentgen images, listening to cases, latin, discussing jurnals. If i can't following, it means a few days later some books will be delivered. My cousins has to learn musical instrument to harnessing their ears when listening heartbeat. I love biology, i learn because of curiosity, but I can't face the pressure to deal with death. So i choose another field. I still love to dig on medical jurnal, but i don't have the pressure on human life. My cousins? They go to medschool and become doctors. Even surgeons. I choose to be art teacher, and this unschool thing is interesting, also i really curious how to teach pressure in this way of teaching/studying. Because this 2... Art and medical field has high pressure..
I've just left school and I'm suddenly realising that I actually have no idea who I am and I completely blame that on the conformity and rigid nature of school. Between uniforms/dress codes, having a very small selection of subjects to choose from, and the very strong expectations of how you will behave, talk, etc has been so harmful to my self development. I also believe you do not learn the right things in mainstream schools. I really think they should be teaching practical, everyday things like cooking (I think everyone should learn how to cook at least the basic things even if you don't choose food tech which I dropped due to the very scientific nature which I just couldn't maintain), growing fruit and veg, basic building techniques, nutrition other than your simple food pyramid, mental health practices, etc.
How do they get a good Job without a secondary education diploma? What if they wanna go to university? How do you make sure that they are balanced in their knowledge?
Hi there! Lots and lots of good jobs don’t require a diploma or higher education. However there’s a good chance they might want to go to uni because both their parents did 🙋♀️ and kids often want to try things their parents did. Lots of universities these days accept unschoolers simply on interview (google it- lots of cool stuff said about these interviews ☺️) but if there was a specific one and they needed test results to get in then they would just swat and pass the test. This is something lots of unschoolers end up doing - several years worth of work in a short, intense amount of time because once you are self motivated the learning happens so much more effectively. Hope that helps!
@@LucyatLifeWithoutSchool I have a 13 year old girl who has always struggled with school and is suffering from stress anxiety and self esteem concerns. She recently basically dropped out after one term of high school grade 8. We have been wondering how she will ever get her education now as it is so painful for her. I believe now this is what she has always needed and would have been a totally different kid if we had the courage and the forethought and the resolve to go against mainstream etc. At this age how does one adjust to un-schooling ..I am starting to imagine she may be a good match for a combo of online classes and a very relaxed school expectation. . Thanks for any support.
Exactly. I'm so glad I went through public school doing what I knew was right and only picking information that was actually worth learning and doing more self education then worrying about getting a passing grade on tests and other nonsensical information and just completely blowing off nonsense people told me like you shouldn't be doing that, what're you doing, why are you like this, and you gotta learn this way or consequence and consequence I would always smirk at their rubbish, living my life I know to be true.
Especially when it came to dress code ha I always wored what I wanted to express my self I loved wearing sandals with socks to school. I ditched school sooo much lol I'm soo glad of my life choices
I think about this alot, and I mainly think about the kids that have been home schooled by hyper religious nut jobs and how the parents have functionally crippled those kids mentally for potentially their entire lives. Then I think about my schooling experience of being a d-f student and getting a whooping every time a report card came out. Then after failing 6th grade i realized i had to play along and was a honor roll student the rest of my time. It is a really tricky undertaking to raise and educate a young person.
This is my concern as well. Right now we are seeing a sharp spike in sexual abuse cases reported due to children being home from school. I wish it weren’t the case, but some adults who wish to harm their children will use home/un schooling so the child will not be seen or have contact with anyone outside their home. There needs to be a regular check-in with outside authorities to make sure children are safe within their homes.
@@EcstaticRightNow People who wish to harm other people will do so, the abusers will play the game and manipulate the victims. We need to make sure the children have possible access to resources to call for help if they need to and to know what is not okay to be done to them.
Surprisingly found myself nodding and agreeing with almost every view expressed. Wish I would have understood this when I went through school and more importantly, when I had kids. Too late! But glad you’re out there changing the world.
I love that woman so incredibly much! I've been missing her youtube presence tremendously since she stopped posting new videos on her channel. She is not only wise but very learned on this subject and I'm very happy to see proliferation of her wisdom and of unschooling!
We ALL need more of this. We all need more of unschooling for both kids and adults.. to get back to being passionate and WANTING to learn and be creative
I don’t know if it’s just me in the comments that finds this approach wrong. Yes it is important to learn with curiosity but , when you are in a limited environment with your family, neighbourhood etc. you are going to be curious only about things you see in a regular basis. Even with the internet, it is a resource only you if you know how to use it as a resource.With schooling, you can have a curiosity to things you may not be able to see daily , you can meet with people so much different cultural backgrounds that you don’t see in your neighbourhood. I personally don’t think that this approach allows children for their full potential. Not a single child is going to say ‘yeah i am going to be software engineer when i grow up.’ but maybe this children going to make it so good but didn’t even know.and may be wasting his time on reinventing the wheel.
This is so true! I worked in the field of education for over 20 years, primarily in the private sector. I had the blessing of teaching from toddlers to company executives and though the goal was always to achieve a certain level of proficiency in a particular skill, in my case the English language, at the end of the day, all of my students wanted to express themselves thus becoming protagonists of their learning rather than passive sponges of other people's cultural and historical beliefs. I didn't know anything about unschooling and now, thanks to this brave and inspiring woman, I have finally found an optimal "system" for the education of children: unschooling! Spontaneity and creativity as a priority for the development of beautiful human souls in each child.
She is not a homeschooler, unschooling and homeschool are very different. We homeschool, our children have curriculum and reach educational goals. I feel learning things you are not interested in is important, because it widens your world view.
I agree the cookie cutter pack em in teach them to be consumers method is wrong, but the other extreme is what this seems like. If human reasoning happens naturally. I could agree but basic skills like critical thinking and such are taught, I don't remember the name of the movie but "the student will rise to the level of the expectations of the teacher." Basically just putting a plug in for structure and the value of competition. Also failing to plan is a plan to fail.
I think too there are many things children need to learn. A newborn baby doesn't have any life experience. So all there is to know in life must be taught. Parents can do that, probably better than any school. But they have to understand what they are doing.
Where I live, it is illegal not to go to school until a certain age. If your child doesn’t go to a school then they have to be homeschooled, so do you just say that they are being homeschooled to the government?
I love hearing alternatives because the current system is in need of change for sure. We need to recognize that one parent would be home at all times for unschooling to happen, so one less salary. It would require a major life change. Perhaps also not a terrible thing. Yurts don’t work in Canada as it’s too cold. Smaller homes and less stuff would be a part of the picture. This is not a small decision. Single parents would perhaps not have this option. The structural freedom is very appealing though.
Synchronicity... my only subscription on RUclips is to Lucy (formally lulastic hippyshake) and my husbands only subscription was to Rob Green Field... we always talked about u as our ‘friends’... ‘oh u need to watch my friend Lucy, her clip about unschooling is so cool’ ‘Oh watch my friend Robs vídeo about sauerkraut, it’s awesome’.... then we found out that our ‘friends’ were actually friends too thru this joint video!!!! How cool is that?! So happy 😀
I would have liked this when I was young, but I suspect my job opportunities would have been limited without my structured education. We live in a wider society that often requires a high level of training and skills, the ability to work through issues and develop patience in uncomfortable or tedious situations, navigate difficult personalities, mediate inter-personal conflicts, and persevere in the face of challenges. If children are unschooled in K-12, I don't understand how they can compete in an increasingly specialized/complex world. I don't like it either, but it seems to be the direction we are moving.
Very very good ! I'm a advocates for this pure, casual lifestyle. May this world quickly transform itself back into your address. thank you for your commitment and share this here on the net dear
I remember being shamed for not understanding basic math and my mom still picks on me today about it. It really hurts. This sounds like a cool idea! Though I believe it’s illegal to not let children have some kind of schooling in my area. Also, I love her overalls
I love this channel. I am a public school teacher, and I’m glad that this woman has found something that works for her kids. Her views of public education make me sad. Wish she would have had a better experience. I do feel like her views on public school are very inaccurate, but what do I know...
I'm still curious to learn about the concept of unschooling as an alternative to mainstream education, but I do agree with you. I went to public school and perhaps I was lucky, but I have many fond memories and I was by no means in the popular crowd. My friends all grew into fun, kind, well-adjusted adults. None of them are twitching in some corner reliving the horrors from 5th grade. I do feel there are some circumstances where unschooling could potentially be a better alternative, and vice versa. but her representation of it... just seems to be such a one-sided view point from someone who claims to espouse open-mindedness. :/
Awsome. This is the real way to live. Our current systems make us distant from nature. We end up in thinking we are different from environment. We are part of it.
I’m only 1:20 in and I’m sold! I know for a fact the public school failed me for sure! I’m still trying to figure out how x+y=5🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️ So glad thymes are changing! Bless up kiwi❤️💛💚
Well,there used to be a thing called a “truent officer”. Mayb just in the states? But this person will chase down a child,and basically throw the parents in jail,if you did not have ur child “at school”. And of course home schooling,unschooling was not really a thing during my time......u opened up a can of worms sister,thank you! I am 46 n still struggle a lot w my wounds from the public school system attempts at “making me be a productive member of society”...............the whole idea is GROSS,and totally a waste of time........ rock on witcha bad ass self🤙🏽
Interesting. There's a lot I agree about this. I definitely found classroom learning stifling. Hated it, in fact. But as I've grown older I think some learning should take us out of comfort zone. It should not all come easily or be exactly what we want to do. Maybe that's not what she was saying but that's what I heard. Reading books about people and places that aren't like us. Learning maths when you're not "good" at it. It teaches your brain how to figure out conceptual ideas, push beyond comfort which I think is good for us.-- it's another way of opening a mind. Sure I think we've gone too far away from the playful in the world learning but there's also value in the other. But perhaps the point being made is that if we take kids out of the dog eat dog classroom, they will naturally want to learn a whole variety of things.
The military teaches and trains under stressful environments to great effect. Is learning under a stressful environment perhaps itself a skill to be learned and could that also be a beneficial skill? A childhood completely sheltered from stress doesn't seem particularly future proof for the stress of life we all invariably encounter at some point. I support the majority of the concepts presented here, but I wanted to present a food for thought nugget. I also attended Waldorf School K through 8, and loved it.
I was unschooled until grade 8 when I chose to start high school. I loved unschooling and was lucky to have a community of homeschooled and unschooled friends to play with, learn and be creative with (and a stay at home mom, which is the only reason my unschooling was possible). By grade 7 I tried a year of more serious homeschooling and I felt ready for the challenge of public school. Five years later I’m now in grade 12 and graduating and am grateful for both types of schooling I have experienced.
Did you have a hard time with any of the work, especially math? Just curious because I homeschool and my kids want to go back to school.
I'm curious...How did you learn Math and science? What field did you choose in college? As probably by now you are done with school...
Who else thought "Oh I didn't know Rob has children" after the title?
Not me... because i knew from another video that he got vasectomy at 25 yo... ;)
Me!! LOL!
I knew Rob doesn't have children. So I understood he was quoting someone
@@VinceMorin same here 😂 from wikipedia and a news article
Vincent Garage I really hope that was already public knowledge!!
Yep mainstream schooling won't teach self sufficiency because that's not what the corporate world asks of us
Neither does os creative and personal thought. It bashes that out of people.
John, that i what homesteading is for. Screw the system. Generic boring bs
@@melihism Being with others makes me aggravated. Constant competition bs i what I hate. Then and now nothing has changed and is lame , vane, boring , stupid . Public education create mindless brain dead cattle
I feel I’ve been heavily programmed through education and school system. Like most of us. Trying to remember now who I am underneath all that...🤔...it’s a long road back...
Yes, that is really unschooling
I had to do that. I’m 45 now, and feel the most free I’ve ever been. It probably took me a decade to fully shake off all the indoctrination (about mid-20s to mid-30s). You’re probably aware of the process. It’s all displacement, and being mindful of every stimulus-reaction. You stop yourself midway through whatever you’ve been conditioned to think or do, then insert the NEW programming you want to adopt. Through repetition, you eventually become your new self and one day, you realize in hindsight that the person you’ve always wanted to become, is now second nature.
Enjoy the journey back to yourself. 💝
Mo Poppins exactly🙏🏻🥰. I’m nearly 56. I found some texts I wrote when I was 17/18 years old. To my astonishment I already wrote about this!🤔😅. Apparently I wanted to go through the experience of feeling totally lost. I went through a couple of depressions..The worst one felt like being cut of from my roots and from my HS. It felt like being dead without suppressing the form. Went through some amazing and some difficult experiences. But since 2012 things have started to feel and look different. This is the process of undoing/atonement. It is never to late! We are always where we were meant to be. Not believing all the thoughts that come and watch them come and go is an important step on this process. I have recently discovered the importance of this. This is only the beginning💫. Much love to you from Switzerland🙏🏻
Sorry for your loss
I was pulled out of school at the end of the 6th grade because I was Heavily Heavily bullied by both teachers & student's & was becoming suicidal.
I'm trans & have high functioning autism, This made me the weird kid and put a target on my back.
When my folks pulled me out of school they got me a library card, acsess to a forest near by and gave me completely uncensored media & a computer ( my Dad built computers ).
I had always thought I was dumb, because I would greatly struggle in school. But once I had some liberty to explore on my own, I was able to adapt how I learned to ways that was most effective for my own specific needs.
Because of this I was able to explore my passion for biology & ecology. I got good at using calculator's to make up for my lack of math skills, I wanted to be able to have intelligent conversations with adults. So I worked on articulation & read books on Greek reason & argumentation, rather than grammer & english.
I learnt more about spelling through spell check then the entire time I had been in school.
Simply because I knew which mistakes were made & what correction needed to be made right there on screen.
By 15- I started being able to hold my own in conversations with adults online over intellectual discussions on evolutionary biology.
I would read Darwin, Dawkins, Gould out in the woods where I could see right in front of me the patterns of life these men would discuss in their books.
This has given me a perspective on life that I highly cherish.
For some children the academic schoolastic world works out great,
And our modern school system does give certain advantages ( for example, I'm terrible at paper work )
For those like me tho, that system failed utterly. Perhaps if I had been lucky enough to have good teachers I would have been ok.
But they never came.
I needed Freedom.
I needed Experience.
I needed People to talk too.
I did not need standardized testing.
I did not need physical as well as emotional abuse from my peers.
So for those of you reading- who may think this idea of unschooling is irrational or crazy. . . Please consider the kids who were like me. Who don't conform well to traditional standards.
Because it may be a matter of life and death for some & consider the advantages and not just the preceived disadvantages.
I own my home in a time where people struggle just to find a place to rent.
I'm forming a co-operative in a time where most struggle to find employment.
I have zero student debt, no high school diploma yet work and study in a feild people pay thousands to try to get into.
Not to shabby for a 6th grade drop out.
Wow. This is what I needed to read. I’ve just taken my boy out of school because of similar situation as yourself. Thank you
@@taramoynihan1406
Good luck, to both you & your boy! Ping me on here if you need to talk about it or have any questions
Absolutely what I needed to hear, blessing to you. 🙏 I've just had to pull my 11 yo son out (UK) and unschooling seems like the absolute perfect fit for him and his way of learning. He has three older and younger siblings still in traditional schooling so this is a brave new world for us. I never knew unschooling existed a week ago and yet already I know this is where he's supposed to be. Your story is a fantastic example of how I see him blossoming. Thank you. 💛
Repeat, regurgitate and forget is not learning I like. Be inspired of what you want and you'll want to learn information not worth forgetting
"Dont let schooling get in the way of your education"
True
You can't and shouldn't trust anything related to or run by money!
I unschooled my four kids. They loved to learn whatever they had in their heart to learn and are all successful adults now. Each child is unique and gifted! If you let them help you with what you do, give them freedom to explore out doors, give them musical instruments, animals, gardens, lots of things to make stuff with, etc. they will expand their brain in the way it was perfectly designed to be critical thinkers and truth seekers. Forcing children to sit down and shut up and learn a certain way will do the opposite!!!
A bit late to this party; but I think you sound like a great parent, and I just bet your kids love you more than anything! 😉
successful? In a modern country its nearly impossible to get a job without a degree
What kind of job did they get ?
Arent they from a modern country?
@@PuppyTheTiny There is alot of people that became successful without a degree, please make some researchs before commenting, and most of the companies search for creative clever people and not the people who acts like robots
@@PuppyTheTiny and They tend to be more engaged and invested in learning as they are there completely of their own free will and simple desire to learn more. There are many many many careers that do not require a diploma. Unschooled people tend to be free thinkers and can think outside of the box more easily than those of us who have been trained since a young age to think a certain way.
@@notpillow6759 Like I said in my modern country you cant do shit without a degree. You get the worst paid jobs. Even cashiers have degrees. I dont say its bad. But its really bad in a modern country.
woahhh this was crazy. first time I ever heard about this and while I have my reservations, I really appreciated a lot of the points she made. opened up my perspective!
Imagine not spending years of your life that you’ll never get back with people that became teachers because it’s a power trip that allows them to feel superior and belittle their students... I feel so hopeful for the kids getting these “alternative” experiences (which, let’s face it, are more of a “reset to factory setting” than an alternative). It sounds so healthy and wholesome.
That’s good and all, but you could still do all of this while homeschooling them, and this would be even better because they could still pursue a career. You’re child is going to need credentials and an understanding of biology to become a doctor, maths to become a financial adviser/banker, Complex literature/history to be a writer and even more professions. School is toxic in many ways but homeschool is the best in the long run. You can’t change the pointless parts of the schooling system but the diploma is very valuable aswell as social interaction (other than your friends and their kids). Almost no kids are interested in realistic careers at young ages so they obliviously won’t be interested but it’ll pay the bills unlike to dream of being an artist usually does
I scrolled to see a comment like this, this makes a lot more sense.
That being said, and those are valid points, apprenticeships and workplace education/quals enable these children to get a successful career. Not everyone needs higher education or degrees. I personally don't have a degree and I'm successful in my own right (depending how success is perceived). But yes, formal education at teenager years are vital if you want to become xyz with a requirement to have the right credentials.
It's very simple to get a GED and to go on to get a college degree (even higher degrees) as an unschooler. The beautiful thing is that they can gain knowledge in any topic very quickly (so different than school) and can go on to do anything they want. In today's world, it's possible to not need any "credentials" unless they are going into a scientific world, but one should never assume what a child would want to do. If it turns out they are interested in that...they will naturally be open to the path of more structured education.
You can do all of that as an unschooler - it’s about self directed learning so as soon as you realise you wanna be lawyer / doctor / brain surgeon you just take your intrinsic motivation and get the degrees you need to do it. It’s just not forced.
CryingWasabi thank you
There was a large homeschooling study done several years ago that examined all approaches including unschooling in the USA. It concluded that even unschooled children had a better education than the average public school student.
Being unschooled does not mean doing nothing. It is an approach that uses the childs interest as a springboard and be cause they are the driver, they go deeper and actually retain more than kids who are taught usually. Yes, they learn math and reading etc... and if there are blank spots (and don't tell me public school kids don't have them), they know how to learn them when needed and actually have more of a love for learning period.
Cottage Mommy that's very cool! 😃
@CottageMommy. I just spent a hours trying to find the study you mentioned to no avail. By any chance do you remember who commissioned the study? Perhaps I could find it if I had a hint. Right now pages and pages are devoted to the controversy of Harvard Professor who bashed homeschooling and proposed it be banned.
Who did the study?
@@piedpiper7051 May not have been a peer-reviewed study in a reputable journal. Antivaxers quote all kinds of studies to support their views, too. It's meaningless.
@@katerinahikesalot1644 Meaningless like your life.
I am totally down for this radical New Zealand Fairy Unschool....
I have been homeschooled my whole life and always wanted to do unschooling. Now I am 14 and my mom does’t have time to teach me a single thing! I love to learn and i feel like I am smarter then ever doing way way less school and everything I love doing. I am unschooling right now without even noticing. And EVERY SINGLE hobby or skill I have learned, I have learned and discovered by myself. We need to have freedom in order to succeed.
Sooooo cool to hear from you Bunny! Such a great example 👍 rock on!
This is what happened to me when I started homeschooling myself in 8th grade (my mom gave me permission under the condition that completely self-taught). While I did learn a good amount from public school and had some very talented teachers, most of my knowledge and interests I ended up cultivating independently, even if the subject was taught in school already. You can learn a lot more yourself and start building essential life skills when you aren’t expected to dedicate most of your waking hours to learning a lot of useless things. If I have children in the future, I am going to ensure that they are homeschooled and allow them to go on a positive trajectory that they choose. Public school is a mess sadly, between a mix of lackluster teachers, overbearing curricula that stomp out the potential that good teachers have, the ridiculous demand it places on students, teaching generally useless things, and being a practical prison in some cases.
I don’t know man, I am pretty happy my doctor went to school.
Just because academic school has some value, doesnt mean that there isnt room for significant improvement or revision of our current school system. its relatively known and accepted that many medical school students suffer from severe stress and have sad rates of suicide. So though I am also happy doctors went to school, I am more than willing to have the system change drastically..
Cello Cello Many doctors lack emotional intelligence, it's really traumatic dealing with them. Academic intelligence is very important but not the most important in my opinion. In lacking emotional intelligence and compassion, they are missing the very essence of what it means to want to "help people", as you would like to think that is the reason for becoming a doctor. However that is obviously not always the case; family expectations, prestige and financial rewards are frequently the primary driving force.
The vast majority of Americans will not become doctors. So should we keep the education system limited to those careers/skillsets? Do you see the issue here?
I'm with you Cello Cello. Unschooling isn't for everyone. It wouldn't work if everyone did it. The educational system is the only way we can currently know if someone is qualified to be operating on us. I am torn really, regardless of your choice you will take options away from your child. But I also agree that especially in junior (primary) school it should be all about experiencing the world. So maybe school shouldn't start until 13?? And even then should be optional. Decided by the child
Even if your doctor was unschooled he/she would have to go to medical school. Many higher education programs are very interested and open to homeschoolers and unschooled because they are often out of the box thinkers. If your child was interested in being a doctor they would find the resources to access the further education required for the license to practice medicine.
Two of my favorite utuber's in one video. I love and admire both you you! Keep on being you! You are an inspiration! 💙💚💛💜
"Unschooling is so great." Yet, most of your arguments start of with "studies show" or "statistics show" which all come from some department of study/schooling.
Phangz 83 Perhaps the alternative term ‘whole life learning’ would help you understand it better. It’s not about not learning or discovering, it’s about not formally structuring learning in a way typically seen as schooling, instead using daily life experiences to facilitate learning.
Is your argument that research institutions wouldn't exist if not for an overpowering, coercive school system?
Ikr hahahaha ROFL
It is possible to have a peer reviewed study published without attending a university etc.
lol why is it that studies and statistics can exist within only "schools"?
My only concern would be their ability to handle stressful situations, if they've never been exposed to stress.
I'm not judging but I feel like you don't really understand "stress" to say that.
Yeah don’t worry, life is full of “natural stress” just not “made up for the sake of someone’s weird arbitrary test” stress 👍
damn have you ever stepped foot outside of a school before? or maybe your room?
@@LucyatLifeWithoutSchool Well said Lucy! 💜💜💜
I was bullied at school and at home. Instead of teaching me how to handle stressful situations I became a bag of nerves with very low self-esteem. I pulled myself out of both, as an adult thankfully but would have loved to have been brought up in Lucy's supportive atmosphere. Just think what I could have achieved?!
I wish I was unschooled, but I've been doing it since I left school. I learn new things every day about a variety of things because I enjoy it.
LOVE THIS VIDEO - just love it... the Unschooling Community is growing around the globe. And it is simply wonderful.
I was shamed by my fourth grade math teacher in front of the whole class. It affected me for the majority of my life. I was always afraid of getting into trouble or failing at anything I attempted. My parents never knew nor were they involved in my school work. I am 57-years old now, I feel that I could have been better off in life had I not been made to feel like I was dumb because I didn't know how to work a math problem. I also did not complete my four-year degree (one math class) because I saved math as my last class and was afraid of failing the class.
forgive yourself (and others), gratitude for lessons (some take lifetimes and that's the point). the wisdom from such a long lesson is valuable, timeless, might take time to process and I wish I'd feel it too :)
thanks for sharing
Love and empathy to you. You didn’t deserve this. You are a good person and can be trusted.
My 4 grade math teacher hits me in front of al students and makes me to hate math for the rest of my life
@@bezaethiopian7817 I completely understand! And that's unfortunate. It made me scared of math and anything having to do with numbers.
I might've missed it, but what happens as they get older and decide they want to have a career that would have required traditional education?
We support them to access what they need to do it. ☺️
They do better in fitting in and usually better educated.
@@LucyatLifeWithoutSchool Does new zealand require a GED or equivalent to go to university? I'm wondering if this would be feasible in other countries
Kelsey it’s absolutely feasible in other countries. I unschool my 10 year old in Canada and I have no concerns at all about my son attaining higher learning if he so desires. Many universities and colleges are now quite eager to accept unschooled students. They tend to be more engaged and invested in learning as they are there completely of their own free will and simple desire to learn more. There are many many many careers that do not require a diploma. Unschooled people tend to be free thinkers and can think outside of the box more easily than those of us who have been trained since a young age to think a certain way.
@@Rebecca.Robbins I've actually found the opposite with universities, that they require a pretty strict set of requirements. Hopefully that changes by the time your son is that age.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Been complaining about school ever since I forced into it. Everyone belittles kids K-12 that "that's just how it is" but kids are intelligent, they know what isn't good for them, and normal schooling is one of those things. When tons of kids are stressed out and say they hate school, hey! maybe they hate school!
Great video
Curious on how these kids can get jobs in the future other than minimum wage
there are lots of examples of grown up unschoolers who found a job they can live from and are passionate about... some study, some take an apprenticeship, some continue to self learn and are self employed
I have been getting into the world of rewilding and unschooling and homeschooling etc lately as I approach the part of my life where we are thinking about kids. The main thing we are concerned about is that unschooling/homeschooling means that one of the adults in the household (let's be honest it's usually a mom) must pull back from their career or life goals to focus on the unschooling all day. For my relationship, my husband has a very developed career and I have a more free-form type life with the goal of improving the world. Logically this would mean that I would leave my job, but then I am abandoning my work improving my community.
I wish there was something in between where an organization would do unschooling or homeschooling type school for a group of neighbouhood kids instead of each set of parents dedicating all of their time to it. Maybe the kids could rotate through households every day? That would be really cool. Find a group of parents with similar interests and form an unschooling group. You would get the whole group of kids once a week. Has anyone heard of this being done?
Most communities have unschooling groups that meet regularly! I also would say that unschooling is the opposite of having to "focus on the unschooling all day". That defeats the whole point...they become very self-regulated and passionate about their interests. Like she says...this is how people have done it for so many years...you JUST LIVE. Parents are not the teachers...the children teach themselves and the parents provide opportunities. Good for you for exploring this even before you have kids!
If you think of it, raising your children is improving your community. I’m homeschooling twin boys and it looks a lot different than most homeschool setups. It is a labor of love but I see success in my free thinking, confident, creative self starters.
Yeah we are working on a model like that.
I'm an early years teacher at a PYP school in China. This way of doing things could easily by laughed off, but a lot of teachers would be sympathetic. It probably puts a big onus on parents to provide a rich learning environment and to constantly model the skills that children need to learn. In this case it sounds viable, but without that it wouldn't be great. A happy medium might be to do brief but intensive classes teaching basic skills. Many children have left school having learned little, and this model could do much better than that. At our school we follow an inquiry-based learning curriculum. Some of what she says describes what we try to do. One thing to consider is that the shape of education is driven in part by the need for children to be occuppied whilst adults work, which is not easily changed for everyone.
Yep, teaching is the represented profession amongst unschooling parents by a long shot.
I've been following Lucy and their journey for quite some time now, and I'm very sure I want my kids to be unschooled! No doubt of that... BUT... an issue that comes up every time I come across content about unschooling is how elitist it is, and how it's not for every social background. I'm from Brazil, one of the countries with the biggest social gap in the world, and I'm a teacher in a private language school. I see how not every kid has a nourishing environment and present parents to provide them with this richness unschooling needs. I can see some of the kids I teach actually going down the wrong path if they leave school by any chance. This is the saddest possible thing... I strongly believe unschooling is the best alternative in education, but first we need to support families so they have enough social and financial stability. Kids won't be joyful and curious and interested if they have tired, stressed and overloaded parents.
Meanwhile, I'll try to gently convince my partner that unschooling is the best alternative for our future kids.
Yeah, it’s a huge challenge. That’s why we need lots of people who are privileged enough to do it, to do it, so we can start forming and funding the alternatives to education for everyone.
I wouldn’t describe it as elitist. But yes it does require parents who are capable of providing it for them. Unschooling does not mean tossing the children to the wind - this is completely rooted in the parents. But no one is proposing mass social change. We can each only start at home. So my suggestion to you is that you focus on your children, and let Brazil sort itself out while you invest in a few good humans to contribute to the country ☺️🙏🏼🤍
(and before we can give this to children, we need parents who are capable. We each have to start at home, in the mirror and in our dependents. That’s all we can do, and it’s enough. 🙏🏼🤍)
These are such eye opening conversations. I like how you acknowledge the downsides of this given different social backgrounds but agree that it is a much more viable alternative
I unschooled my autistic son for a few years. It was great. If I were to school him, it would have been Montessori. I couldn't keep it up but I would highly recommend it for anyone that could see their way to do it. Children are naturally curious. They WILL learn more than you can imagine.
I'm from india and I don't know much about education system outside india... but one thing is sure, what I've learned after highschool (after 15 years old, in Indian education system ) has nothing to do with my life. I've learned calculus, trigonometric functions,learned about IC chips, semiconductors, Quantum mechanics and so on. Even though I like science and technology very much, I'm pretty much sure that those things haven't helped me in my day to day life. You cannot learn many important things from schools. You may learn to score well in exams but you may not learn how to live a good life from schools.
same here in canada...i dont use pythagora theorem much..or at all but i like knowing it..academics teach you how to learn and mold your brain into being more scientific..having said that, im not pro school tho. wish i had learned all this without the pressure of being at school with all the asshole that made fun of me and made me learn anger and shyness. pro knowledge anti-people
I once heard someone saying schools were endoctrination camps.
I very much agree with the idea of parents giving room for the kids to blossom into healthy young adults. However, I also believe there is a place to structure the education of children. Education is not always the most fun experience, but it is necessary. Maybe not in a mainstream classroom setting, but being taught lessons of history and literature and chemistry and physics and biology and geography is critical. To not teach our kids---to encourage them to skip through the daisy fields for 15 or so years, playing with the bunnies and being, basically, feral---is a criminal disservice to their...and our...future.
when you weren't interested in something, and you were made to learn it and still weren't interested, and then forgot it later, how well did that do for you? Humans need love, and wisdom, biology , physics, most humans don't need to know a lick about those things to be loving, wise people. Humans are naturally curious, we want to learn and explore and will always do so, kids aren't going to skip through fields for 15 years they're going to explore the world on every level just like everyone else did. Just because you don't force a structure of what you think they need to learn doesn't mean they just stop being healthy humans, its quite the opposite. Experience will always be the golden teacher.
@@dogsheep1137 that is not untrue, nevertheless sir/madam it's also very important to have actual academic knowledge of the world, that's what gets you forward
This is going to be a jumbled mess of a comment, but I would really appreciate being heard when it comes to what I have to say.
I realized after I went through institutionalized high school and college that my urge for learning was a struggling fire for about a year after college graduation. I graduated with a B.A. in mathematics and it ruined me on wanting to look at a math equation or a proof or a matrix for about a year... though it is my passion. I was so stressed that I couldn't appreciate and cultivate my passion for mathematics. It was such a rushed process that I didn't have time to chew on and savor. I had a scholarship that paid for everything due to my rocky upbringing, so I had to finish in 4 years. I appreciate the financial burdon I don't have to carry, but I could have gotten so much more out of my experience if I could have taken my time.
I then spent a year in a struggling school teaching kids as a mentor and in-school tutor through an AmeriCorps program.... I cried all the time over the lack of parental intervention as well as the standards being absolutely destructive to these kid's understanding of simple concepts. Unschooling is an incredible option for people who give a damn about their kids, have a vast knowledge, and have a passion to learn, but there are so many parents who can't or DON'T provide that. Though I took over as an "auntie" figure to my kids and found creative ways to instill learning through unconventional methods (that made them sooo excited), they still had another 6-7 hours of the day being yelled at and scrutinized for not understanding the linear curriculum. They understood my explanations incredibly well, but they struggled to remember them over the stress of the forceful, bullshit curriculum.
I now feel a passion for learning and living for experiences rather than following the linear crowd. Especially after my year of living immersed in watching my beloved kid's brains rot.
The only thing negative that I have to say about someone who's ready to immerse their children in unschooling is that this world is far from stress-free. If you have no experience in dealing with stress and pressure as a child, this world will eat you alive. Job pressures, worldly pressures and personal or familial ailments get in the way no matter who you are. Unless you have the means to live off-the-grid, this world is too corrupt for unschooling. Though it is a beautiful concept, I'm not sure I can see it being a viable option in the face of this ugly world, but we can dream?
Thank you for reading this far, I appreciate the opportunity to be heard.
Excuse me for being late to the party. Things do NOT change until people make the change. This world is chaotic and stressful DUE to people's choices. That will never change if we all just keep going along with it. Life is stressful because we make it so. Where is it written that life is supposed to be stressful? Just because many people live that way, does not make it ok. Kind of like when people say that heart disease is normal because soooo many people have it. Sure, many people have heart disease, but that doesn't make it right! For most, heart disease was brought on by their life style. It is wrong to keep normalizing it. Likewise it is wrong to keep normalizing stress as a way of life.
We don't exclusively unschool. However, we also are not up to standard compared to the public education's standards. My kids know that life can be stressful. They have been here when my husband has lost his job. They were here when some of our kids had massive, massive health issues. Our kids are not sheltered. And really, thus far, I have to say that my children have handled the real world remarkably well. It amazes me how they handle confrontations at work, or in relationships. They do so FAR better than I did at their age! Probably because they weren't tucked away in a school room, away from the real world, like I was.
I don't think these things should be left as dreams. The world will never lose it's ugliness if we keep allowing the ugliness to win.
Took my daughter out of public school after 1st grade, we've been unschooling ever since and she's 13 now, she's into growing plants(even grafting, propagation, hybridizing), art(digital and traditional), hiking, swimming, etc. The most important thing I noticed doing this is that the forced 'education' of schools all comes naturally, a child learns to read by their own curiosity, they learn to do math from necessity, the force is unnecessary.
So cool!!!
I watched the full video and as a Teacher I can say this. Everything you said can be found in many Schools not all Schools are the same. I do not aprove kids not going to school for many reasons that I do not want to go in detail explaining. If you plan for your kids to live their whole life on a farm, do it. If not don't. School does not only give knowledge it gives social experiences, responsibility, beeing
organized, and many more. She sais competition with others is a bad thing, but it realy isn't because competition with others pushes you to go even further beyond of what you thought was posible.
This is my opinion and it is only that.
Thank you, fellow teacher.
@Pili- Pala Yes. I'm actually from Bulgaria
I love it when my favorite youtube channels and podcasts intersect. I've been subscribed to Lucys main channel for a while now, though not as long as Robs. I don't care to have children myself, but her NZ Yurt homestead looks perfect!
I remember in 8th grade I had a teacher who gave us the answers to the final to memorize and most of us made 100’s or close to that! Even a day after that final, I couldn’t have told you what I learned. I just memorized things and then discarded it once I was finished
That's not the usual mainstream approach to studying for a test.
That is a beautiful tree behind you and the mother you interviewed is in my opinion, a very, wise woman... her children are lucky to have her as their Mom! 🌀❤️🌀
If you enjoy being with your children and respect them.... unschooling is a wonderful way for an entire family to live. Wonderful video ! Thank you !
Oh dear Lucy. She is amazing! I have followed her for years and have learned so much from her, even though I have no children. How interesting how connected we all are xoxo
Imteresting video. As someone who went through the American school system, I can definitely say that school left me unfulfilled, full of stress and self-doubt. University was no different, as leaving high school with no sense of who I was or what I wanted to learn made everything so stressful. You are surrounded by people who know what they want, while also watching their minds fall apart from coursework stress.
Leaving college after 2 semesters wasn't an easy decision (except maybe financially lol), but I feel like now I'm really starting to learn who I am and what I am truly interested in pursuing.
I really want to understand horticulture, raising my own food and reconnecting with nature. I used to think I wanted to be a chef, now I think I want to be a farmer haha. I would have never come to that realization had I not left college.
Obviously, that choice isn't for everyone, but it's for me. I can confidently say I am so much happier in life right now, even working my regular job as a cook. I enjoy food and understanding cooking chemistry, and in my off time at home I focus on my plants and understanding how to raise them well so that when I get older I can have lots and lots of plants.
I know that's easier said than done, but now I'm spending my time as a young adult truly finding myself and my desires, and planning ahead for my adult future.
Parents: Your teacher called from school today. Where were you all day
Me. : I was Unschooling, this lady from New Zealand says it’s good for my brain
I wish I had been raised like this. School took my childhood away from me, and I've lost my taste for learning - not that I learned anything important from school. I think I would know more than I do if I had been allowed to learn naturally, like this.
I hated school. Especially as I got older. I dropped out as soon as I could. With the internet and a healthy environment, there's not much needed beyond learning to read. I've learned so much more after dropping out then I ever did in school. I've taught myself several instruments, touch typing, welding, several coding/scripting languages like Python, Java and JQuery. I've taught myself to work on cars, build tiny houses, gardening and permaculture, mushroom growing. Tons of stuff. The great thing with unschooling is kids are free to learn what they are interested in. It's hard to teach school because most kids don't care about what you're forcing on them.
To the people saying that kids won't be social, just because they aren't going to school doesn't mean they aren't around people. It's important, maybe more so to socialize, meet people, etc. Set up unschooling groups or whatever.
Ron Tropics 👏 👏 👏 And as for socializing in school, I’ve never attended a school myself where people weren’t cliquish. They were only interested in the echo chamber of their mirrors, and nothing else. No inclusivity or opportunity to study others unlike yourself, because institutions aren’t set up that way.
@@MoPoppins I didn't really think about that but you're spot on.
So true! This is how ideal learning should be. Aristotle taught his students this way. Imagine how many Alexander the Great there would be if all children learn in a free non-threatening environment.
But society binds its people to jobs and servitude, hindering their potentials from fruition so only the few can succeed, and they call these few the best, the champions, the leaders, the powerful, and the rich.
Brilliant! I think that the public schooling I received as a child was very damaging. My life could have been much better.
Success really depends on the parents and the child. My daughter did four years in Waldorf schools and she hated it and I found it annoying. You’re forced to interact with a bunch of rich helicopter parents and not free thinkers.
I'm a teacher in China and there's a lot of branding and marketing in private education. Montessori is big, but I've never heard anything good about it that hasn't been incorporated into mainstream teaching by some of the better teachers.
Waldorf school is just another school system. My children went to such a school, but for two of them it wasn't the right system. So halfway they changed to another school. If homeschooling was possible, that would be my choice, but here that is not legally possible
I love seeing people like you exist.
I worked in the most exclusive international schools in one city. It means the Rich go there. The teachers were just, well some where not people you’d admire. You made very Good Arguments! Learn free from shame. So many Teachers are Crazy! They shame students. When I became a teacher, i think like you guys!!!
Really interesting, little bit late now but I guess we could give them some slack! My wife left her secure job on IT company and started garden design services. I'm the bread and butter man with state job, but I'm happy with that. We dream of tiny houses in a ring with friends and family and outdoor kitchen in the middle, growing our own grub.
This is great, thank you. I home schooled mine. Always getting compliments about mine. I'm forever grateful for the relationship we have, too. Alternative education has its challenges, but it's all worth it.
This reminds me of an assignment I wrote for my university, the topic I chose was the relationship between child obesity and educational outcomes. I was studying for a Master degree in Applied Linguistics and the focus of the paper I wrote, was to define how a review works (an intellectual masturbation). I didn't listen to my tutor and proceeded with the paper where it is obvious that the current educational system cares more about numbers and statistics rather than the welfare of our children. At the same time, I was teaching English for a private institute in Italy where children study an extra 1 or 2 hours per week after their regular curriculum. Luckily, I managed to find games, songs and other activities to keep them interested and to let them have some fun. In a competitive society, parents get really worried about their children's "future" so they push them very hard to get good grades so that one day they can have good jobs. When I was teaching in Japan, it was even worse, some children commit suicide. This system is completely disconnected from who we are and why we are here. Sister, I'm with you all the way! 😁🤗💖
What kind of job prospects will unschooling be able to provide?
Two options, have your own business, or in the United States you get your GED, and then if you want to - university or work.
@Michelle Wong What kind of job prospects will an eight year degree in Gender Theory be able to provide? At least with unschooling you won't start your life off in student debt.
I believe there would be plenty of job opportunities out there for those willing to look and put in the effort. Many conventional jobs will accept alternative schooling in lieu of a high school diploma or college degrees.
@@Jomo326 My brother got his GED and is now a aerospace engineer. And there are trade schools too.
Anything they want to do! These kids are being raised with the support to access the things they want to.
John Holt who developed the un schooling. " what to do on Monday" " How children learn" He died in 1980's Anyone interested in this wonderful kind of growing children..., these books are still around
This was very interesting, thanks! Personally, I’ve never heard of unschooling.
Lots of peole haven't. Because they are too institutionalised 😉
Rob I love you man but you shouldn't be pushing unschooling. It seems nice until you realize their place in society is extremely hampered due to lacking even a highschool diploma. You can tell by the way she talks that this was a reactionary decision based on a serious hatred of the education system. Hatred bring unsound reactionary choices. Homeschooling is a better option.
This is a risk. If these kids grow up wanting to be doctors they could be disappointed, but if they are as happy and flourishing as she says, they could also find their passion and do very well. This woman sounds like a potentially great teacher and she's doing better than many mainstream parents who put their child in mainstream school and just watch them struggle.
Unschooling doesn't mean no diploma. I unschooled my older 7 children. They are all very successful adults. A few of them went on to college, one is a successful business owner. But all of them are successful citizens with excellant work ethics and all have diplomas.
Rob always shows the extremes, both in his own life and in others. It doesn't mean he wants us to follow these examples. It is food for thought.
Geovanni D. In today’s world diplomas and certificats are no longer a guarantee to a decent life, let alone a happy and healthy life! A lot of highly qualified people no longer find a job. I think what is going on in today’s world shows the vulnerability of this system. The financial/economical bubble is being stretched, Guess what might happen after that? I paraphrase a quote from north-American wisdom: the day the last tree is cut, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned, men will realize he can’t eat money. I think we better wake up to the state of the world we live in before that. The actual state of the world is caused by our run for material goods instead of living in balance with nature. Our school systems are based on this old system. They try and tell our kids who they are. I think this lady (and many others) have decided to let their kids find out for themselves. This by no means means that they will be undereducated. They will be happier and more balanced and not programmed in the old system like we were. This will enable them to become game changers. This is very badly needed and urgent! Why would people in governments that benefit from this old system, would want to change anything? Not until it collapses under their feet. And this is what will happen if we continue this way. Change it needed, from the bottom up and the inside out. Waiting for governments to do the necessary? I don’t believe in it. They are too much influenced by lobbying from big companies that pay their way in and then pull the strings...
Geovanni D. Ahhh hello? They will be doing the NZ homeschooling system. My nephew did it and he’s studying at Wellington uni now....even got a scholarship for it!
2 girls here ages 10 and 7 fully radically unschooled since day one. Wouldn't have it any other way.
How do the kids learn math reading and writing without practice? Learning to read requires a list of books and math requires problems to solve! You have to practice your hand writing skills. What I’ve just described is the definition of a curriculum.
All of these things can occur naturally out of interest - on any day my kids will choose to read their favourite books, work our large sums because of games or needing an answer or write letters / shopping lists / signs.
Such much truth Lucy, as I teacher, I see your points loud and clear. I'm planning to move away from mainstream and find alternatives for my work. Thanks for sharing.
I've followed her for a while with her unschooling and I love how they live. I totally agree with it. But this needs to be done in the right environment! A little bit of land and parents with more freedom is essential.
Land definitely isn’t essential- sometimes we envy unschoolers in the city and their access to all those city based resources like galleries and museums and good coffee shops 🤪
We have many friends who homeschool and it’s a beautiful thing. If we ever have children, we most likely will too🙂
I feel that this works on the whole as Lucy's children are integrating with other children and adults frequently and developing social skills whilst also reaping the rewards of a hands on, practical education.
My challenge to this lifestyle would be the fact that if Lucy's children are mixing within a community that all share the same values and way of life, are they missing out on some of the development that comes with learning to deal with the inevitable conflict of people from all backgrounds and cultures mixing at school.
Good on you Lucy and thanks Rob!
David F I imagine that in that lifestyle where the individual is honoured, supported and encouraged to be who they are, that they would actually handle it better than most.
Sounds rosy, but how do you teach them to get through the hard parts of life? How do you teach them to deal with not so nice people? How do you teach them grit and perseverance, routine, etc? It is a nice bubble but as they grow older and branch out on their own it will be a culture shock. It is almost like you are indulging them. A balance is important imo.
I unschool my five children! It's amazing seeing them learn so much more at their ages.
I do love the idea of this, however I think balance in life is the key to success. Some formal learning and some unschooling would make for a very rounded individual 👍
My very best memories from childhood are of free-form learning and community activities at a Unitarian community in Los Angeles. The Unitarians are a liberal arts type community that practice a kind-of free-form spirituality mixed with community. Nothing I experienced via the official school system can compare.
Sounds great!
Oh I used to follow her blog and youtube channel years ago. I agree with so much of what she said in this video 👏🏻 if not all of it
"There's too much anarchy for it to be cult-y." 😅🙌💜 I love Lucy and her world changing perspectives so much!
naw hey you!
Thanks for sharing this, Rob. So inspiring!
Im just curious, till what age till they get a formal school? Its like we can teach then ourselves maybe till junior highschool grade, but in Senior highschool, i know that maybe we have our own specialization maybe in art, physics, mathematics, language etc. How if your kid have different passion w you. How do you teach then? Or you'll homeschooling them till spesific age
I think it depends. Every child is different
What do you do as an adult if you want to learn deeply about something? They’ll do that.
What happens when they became adult and have to face deadlines or quality.. like if they became artist and they have to face art revision and deadlines? The pressure are high..
They won't raise incapable children.
@@alanrose5959 I have students---i teach art btw, in the past 10 years all i see from alumni, most of them who succeed building in careers in the industry are the one who push themselves or being pushed by need to be a family breadwinner. Yes there are families that need support from their children income to get by. The student who came to study just because of curiosity but lack of pressure, most of them are changing fields. Are they not successful? No, just their jobs has less pressure.
Another high pressure job i know is medical fields. I was raised in such families. My education since primary school is being tutoring by families bits of pieces of medical things. Anatomy, roentgen images, listening to cases, latin, discussing jurnals. If i can't following, it means a few days later some books will be delivered. My cousins has to learn musical instrument to harnessing their ears when listening heartbeat.
I love biology, i learn because of curiosity, but I can't face the pressure to deal with death. So i choose another field. I still love to dig on medical jurnal, but i don't have the pressure on human life. My cousins? They go to medschool and become doctors. Even surgeons.
I choose to be art teacher, and this unschool thing is interesting, also i really curious how to teach pressure in this way of teaching/studying. Because this 2... Art and medical field has high pressure..
I've just left school and I'm suddenly realising that I actually have no idea who I am and I completely blame that on the conformity and rigid nature of school. Between uniforms/dress codes, having a very small selection of subjects to choose from, and the very strong expectations of how you will behave, talk, etc has been so harmful to my self development. I also believe you do not learn the right things in mainstream schools. I really think they should be teaching practical, everyday things like cooking (I think everyone should learn how to cook at least the basic things even if you don't choose food tech which I dropped due to the very scientific nature which I just couldn't maintain), growing fruit and veg, basic building techniques, nutrition other than your simple food pyramid, mental health practices, etc.
How do they get a good Job without a secondary education diploma? What if they wanna go to university?
How do you make sure that they are balanced in their knowledge?
Hi there! Lots and lots of good jobs don’t require a diploma or higher education. However there’s a good chance they might want to go to uni because both their parents did 🙋♀️ and kids often want to try things their parents did. Lots of universities these days accept unschoolers simply on interview (google it- lots of cool stuff said about these interviews ☺️) but if there was a specific one and they needed test results to get in then they would just swat and pass the test. This is something lots of unschoolers end up doing - several years worth of work in a short, intense amount of time because once you are self motivated the learning happens so much more effectively.
Hope that helps!
@@LucyatLifeWithoutSchool I have a 13 year old girl who has always struggled with school and is suffering from stress anxiety and self esteem concerns. She recently basically dropped out after one term of high school grade 8. We have been wondering how she will ever get her education now as it is so painful for her. I believe now this is what she has always needed and would have been a totally different kid if we had the courage and the forethought and the resolve to go against mainstream etc. At this age how does one adjust to un-schooling ..I am starting to imagine she may be a good match for a combo of online classes and a very relaxed school expectation. . Thanks for any support.
Exactly. I'm so glad I went through public school doing what I knew was right and only picking information that was actually worth learning and doing more self education then worrying about getting a passing grade on tests and other nonsensical information and just completely blowing off nonsense people told me like you shouldn't be doing that, what're you doing, why are you like this, and you gotta learn this way or consequence and consequence I would always smirk at their rubbish, living my life I know to be true.
Especially when it came to dress code ha I always wored what I wanted to express my self I loved wearing sandals with socks to school. I ditched school sooo much lol I'm soo glad of my life choices
I think about this alot, and I mainly think about the kids that have been home schooled by hyper religious nut jobs and how the parents have functionally crippled those kids mentally for potentially their entire lives.
Then I think about my schooling experience of being a d-f student and getting a whooping every time a report card came out. Then after failing 6th grade i realized i had to play along and was a honor roll student the rest of my time.
It is a really tricky undertaking to raise and educate a young person.
This is my concern as well. Right now we are seeing a sharp spike in sexual abuse cases reported due to children being home from school. I wish it weren’t the case, but some adults who wish to harm their children will use home/un schooling so the child will not be seen or have contact with anyone outside their home. There needs to be a regular check-in with outside authorities to make sure children are safe within their homes.
@@EcstaticRightNow People who wish to harm other people will do so, the abusers will play the game and manipulate the victims. We need to make sure the children have possible access to resources to call for help if they need to and to know what is not okay to be done to them.
Surprisingly found myself nodding and agreeing with almost every view expressed. Wish I would have understood this when I went through school and more importantly, when I had kids. Too late! But glad you’re out there changing the world.
I love that woman so incredibly much! I've been missing her youtube presence tremendously since she stopped posting new videos on her channel. She is not only wise but very learned on this subject and I'm very happy to see proliferation of her wisdom and of unschooling!
you can also see some new videos from her at "Lucy at life without school"
@@almazalmo7683 thanks!
We ALL need more of this. We all need more of unschooling for both kids and adults.. to get back to being passionate and WANTING to learn and be creative
I don’t know if it’s just me in the comments that finds this approach wrong. Yes it is important to learn with curiosity but , when you are in a limited environment with your family, neighbourhood etc. you are going to be curious only about things you see in a regular basis. Even with the internet, it is a resource only you if you know how to use it as a resource.With schooling, you can have a curiosity to things you may not be able to see daily , you can meet with people so much different cultural backgrounds that you don’t see in your neighbourhood. I personally don’t think that this approach allows children for their full potential. Not a single child is going to say ‘yeah i am going to be software engineer when i grow up.’ but maybe this children going to make it so good but didn’t even know.and may be wasting his time on reinventing the wheel.
This is so true! I worked in the field of education for over 20 years, primarily in the private sector. I had the blessing of teaching from toddlers to company executives and though the goal was always to achieve a certain level of proficiency in a particular skill, in my case the English language, at the end of the day, all of my students wanted to express themselves thus becoming protagonists of their learning rather than passive sponges of other people's cultural and historical beliefs. I didn't know anything about unschooling and now, thanks to this brave and inspiring woman, I have finally found an optimal "system" for the education of children: unschooling! Spontaneity and creativity as a priority for the development of beautiful human souls in each child.
Thanks for bringing light to homeschool. I wish I listened to myself and started earlier
Homeschooling, I think that is a better word, instead of unschooling
She is not a homeschooler, unschooling and homeschool are very different. We homeschool, our children have curriculum and reach educational goals. I feel learning things you are not interested in is important, because it widens your world view.
I agree the cookie cutter pack em in teach them to be consumers method is wrong, but the other extreme is what this seems like.
If human reasoning happens naturally. I could agree but basic skills like critical thinking and such are taught, I don't remember the name of the movie but "the student will rise to the level of the expectations of the teacher." Basically just putting a plug in for structure and the value of competition. Also failing to plan is a plan to fail.
I think too there are many things children need to learn. A newborn baby doesn't have any life experience. So all there is to know in life must be taught. Parents can do that, probably better than any school. But they have to understand what they are doing.
Where I live, it is illegal not to go to school until a certain age. If your child doesn’t go to a school then they have to be homeschooled, so do you just say that they are being homeschooled to the government?
In my opinion this so-called unschooling is a type of homeschooling.
Yeah in Nz you have to apply to homeschool. My applications describe our unschooling life and they get the thumbs up 👍
I love hearing alternatives because the current system is in need of change for sure. We need to recognize that one parent would be home at all times for unschooling to happen, so one less salary. It would require a major life change. Perhaps also not a terrible thing. Yurts don’t work in Canada as it’s too cold. Smaller homes and less stuff would be a part of the picture. This is not a small decision. Single parents would perhaps not have this option. The structural freedom is very appealing though.
we are russian unschoolers parents,thanks for this channel!
Forcing children to go to school is pure child abuse. Thank you for your beautiful video
WOW - I Love Free Learning 🍀❤️🍀❤️
Thanks for the video! Got me thinking about my childhood...
Synchronicity... my only subscription on RUclips is to Lucy (formally lulastic hippyshake) and my husbands only subscription was to Rob Green Field... we always talked about u as our ‘friends’... ‘oh u need to watch my friend Lucy, her clip about unschooling is so cool’
‘Oh watch my friend Robs vídeo about sauerkraut, it’s awesome’....
then we found out that our ‘friends’ were actually friends too thru this joint video!!!! How cool is that?! So happy 😀
I would have liked this when I was young, but I suspect my job opportunities would have been limited without my structured education. We live in a wider society that often requires a high level of training and skills, the ability to work through issues and develop patience in uncomfortable or tedious situations, navigate difficult personalities, mediate inter-personal conflicts, and persevere in the face of challenges. If children are unschooled in K-12, I don't understand how they can compete in an increasingly specialized/complex world. I don't like it either, but it seems to be the direction we are moving.
Lucy is awsome.. This channel rocks, perfect to head me in the direction i wanna go in life wow i. Speechless take care and all the best
Thank you
still better than common core
Very very good ! I'm a advocates for this pure, casual lifestyle. May this world quickly transform itself back into your address. thank you for your commitment and share this here on the net dear
I remember being shamed for not understanding basic math and my mom still picks on me today about it. It really hurts. This sounds like a cool idea! Though I believe it’s illegal to not let children have some kind of schooling in my area.
Also, I love her overalls
I love this channel. I am a public school teacher, and I’m glad that this woman has found something that works for her kids. Her views of public education make me sad. Wish she would have had a better experience. I do feel like her views on public school are very inaccurate, but what do I know...
I'm still curious to learn about the concept of unschooling as an alternative to mainstream education, but I do agree with you. I went to public school and perhaps I was lucky, but I have many fond memories and I was by no means in the popular crowd. My friends all grew into fun, kind, well-adjusted adults. None of them are twitching in some corner reliving the horrors from 5th grade. I do feel there are some circumstances where unschooling could potentially be a better alternative, and vice versa. but her representation of it... just seems to be such a one-sided view point from someone who claims to espouse open-mindedness. :/
Awsome. This is the real way to live. Our current systems make us distant from nature. We end up in thinking we are different from environment. We are part of it.
I couldn't agree more, wow, much to think about
I’m only 1:20 in and I’m sold! I know for a fact the public school failed me for sure! I’m still trying to figure out how x+y=5🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️ So glad thymes are changing! Bless up kiwi❤️💛💚
Def part of that 80%👎🏾 n yes! It has effected my entire life. Sad,but true.
Well,there used to be a thing called a “truent officer”. Mayb just in the states? But this person will chase down a child,and basically throw the parents in jail,if you did not have ur child “at school”. And of course home schooling,unschooling was not really a thing during my time......u opened up a can of worms sister,thank you! I am 46 n still struggle a lot w my wounds from the public school system attempts at “making me be a productive member of society”...............the whole idea is GROSS,and totally a waste of time........ rock on witcha bad ass self🤙🏽
Interesting. There's a lot I agree about this. I definitely found classroom learning stifling. Hated it, in fact. But as I've grown older I think some learning should take us out of comfort zone. It should not all come easily or be exactly what we want to do. Maybe that's not what she was saying but that's what I heard. Reading books about people and places that aren't like us. Learning maths when you're not "good" at it. It teaches your brain how to figure out conceptual ideas, push beyond comfort which I think is good for us.-- it's another way of opening a mind. Sure I think we've gone too far away from the playful in the world learning but there's also value in the other. But perhaps the point being made is that if we take kids out of the dog eat dog classroom, they will naturally want to learn a whole variety of things.
The military teaches and trains under stressful environments to great effect. Is learning under a stressful environment perhaps itself a skill to be learned and could that also be a beneficial skill? A childhood completely sheltered from stress doesn't seem particularly future proof for the stress of life we all invariably encounter at some point. I support the majority of the concepts presented here, but I wanted to present a food for thought nugget. I also attended Waldorf School K through 8, and loved it.