May I introduce to you Mr. Round Peg and Mr. Square Peg

First let me introduce to you Mr. Circle Peg, we will call him Mark.  When Mark was a young boy his dutiful parents  enrolled him into music lessons and he began his formal education.  Lots of instruction,  practice and time.  Mark went from recitals, to high school orchestra, to his college orchestra and performing  with an  orchestra professionally.  Finally one day he is proud to be sitting among the finest and most accomplished musicians in his handsome tux, playing amazing pieces by brilliant composers at Carnegie Hall.  He had worked hard all his life for a moment like this.

Now I would like to introduce to you Mr. Square Peg, let’s call him Jimmy.  Jimmy’s father bought a guitar for his son when he was young because he was fascinated with them.  Jimmy had very little, if any, formal training.  But he loved playing his guitar and was passionate about it.  He taught himself by trying to play his favorite songs and trying to develop new songs  with his own personal style. It was said that Jimmy loved his guitar so much that he took it everywhere with him so that if he had a melody playing in his head he could practice it.  Jimmy worked on his own style that would set himself apart from other performers, like playing behind his head and he was even known to set his guitar on fire!  With dedication and practice his career grew and grew.  Eventually Jimmy would play many gigs, even play at the most famous music concert in history, where he played on of his most popular performances ever!  Even after 40 plus years after his death, he is still a legend!

Here I am trying to reflect on the differences between “schooled” and “unschooled.”  Many people do not understand “unschooling” and a stigma has been attached to it as a thing bohemian, hippy parents do.  But unschooling is not new or unusual if you really look at education throughout human existence, it is quite normal, and “schooling” has JUST recently become the norm .  Some people actually really thrive in school, they tend to be the more conformist type, they like routines and order and can handle sitting for long periods of time and concentrating.  Then there are people just like me, who are active daydreamers, nonconformist, obsessive and creative, who thrive when they can throw themselves into subjects they love.

Both Mark and Jimmy were very successful in their paths, but how they got to where they were was very different.  You have to ask yourself, if Jimmy would have been forced into a round hole, where he could not personalize his gifts would he have thrived or just given up.  And Mark, would he have had the creativity and passion to pursue music in a “unschooled “  manner.   As you know, no two minds are the same, we all think differently, and  I want to help in raising awareness that we all have something to offer.  In schools sometimes  we see the hyper, distracted, daydreamer as a child we have to fix, not understand.

As a mom, that chooses mostly to unschool, (yes unfortunately I still mostly school math and Language Arts, and I have written about what a battle that is)  We mentor our children, not necessarily teach.  We encourage their exploration and be there for discussions, activities and often gentle reminders that they sometimes need to do more than just their one thing.   I make sure that there is a wealth of learning material around,  and I try to find fun and interesting ways to stimulate my young boys mind.