Today I played a game: I asked questions inspired by the things around me.

The result? A list longer than even I had expected. I stopped playing after a few dozen questions, but the game does prove a good point: we can learn everything we need to know just by paying attention to what is around us.

Why is learning from your environment better, though?

That’s easy to explain.

Let’s say two children are learning about chlorophyll at the same time. The difference is that one child is coming across it through school, and the other child is curious about her environment.

Now, the child in school (let’s call him Jimmy) is being told this information by his teacher and his textbook. The facts are presented to him in a very concise, step-by-step way. Jimmy hasn’t thought about plant color before.

The unschooler (let’s name her Jill) is out having fun in the park with her family. Jill looks at the trees before she asks why leaves are green. Her parents explain and they have a conversation about it.

Both children are told the same information, but I’ll tell you why Jill is at an advantage:.

- She’s enjoying herself. By having a positive experience, the learning becomes a happy experience, too.
- She’s shown she’s ready to learn by asking a question. Being told something doesn’t mean you’re going to (or even want to) learn it.
- She has a hands on example. She might even grab a few leaves to press as souvenirs.
- She’s encouraged to ask questions. Jimmy could leave his class wanting to know more. He might even be punished for asking questions out of turn.

Most of all, Jill has an advantage because what she’s learning is relevant to her life. She can relate to what she’s learning and she can understand how the information affects her.

Who will learn more: the child who is told to listen and repeat what he’s been told, or the child who is encouraged to seek new information? Which would you rather be?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Compared to unschooling, schools require dozens of teachers and faculty, all with their own specializations, to make sure the school runs properly. The same level of complexity is impossible to replicate at home. There’s simply too much to do for one family to be responsible of.

The truth is the complexity is unnecessary, and even harmful.

Schools Create Educational Dependency

Schools accept responsibility for their students in several ways:

- Organization. Schools tell students what to learn and when to learn it.
- Control. Through an endless list of rules and regulations, schools limit activity to what is necessary for the school to run efficiently.
- Assessment. Students are graded, evaluated, judged, rewarded and punished according to their performance. It’s up to the school to tell others whether or not the student is learning.

Most importantly, schools take responsibility for the student’s learning. Schools base themselves around that responsibility. How will they control what the student learns? How will they know when the student is learning? How can they prove the student’s progress?

The tricky thing is that whether or not schools have good intentions, they can’t tell you what a student knows or what a student has learned. Only the student can. The only thing schools can be certain of is what the student has known at a given point in time, and what the student has been exposed to while in school. Schools cannot guarantee a student’s knowledge. No one can.

However, that lack of guarantee itself isn’t the problem..

By accepting responsibility for the student’s education, schools effectively take that responsibility away from the student and his or her family. Instead of empowering students, schools tell them they can’t be trusted with their own minds and their own knowledge.

Students are dependent on schools for their education.

Unschooling Empowers Learners

Unschooling gives responsibility to the learners. Unschooled children are told they can learn what they want to, when they want to. That responsibility creates a crucial contrast to schools. Instead of passively receiving information, unschoolers know what they learn and when they learn it is their own responsibility. They aren’t afraid to ask questions. They openly seek knowledge.

Knowing you’re in charge of your own education affects your learning in a number of ways:

- You’ll be more curious and excited about your learning. It’s what YOU want to learn, so why wouldn’t you be?
- You’ll be more in-depth. You might focus on a shorter list of subjects than what you’d be exposed to in school, but your learning won’t be focused on answering a handful of questions. You’ll learn for the sake of wanting to.
- You’ll be more relaxed. You won’t be focused on meeting curriculum standards, competing with other students, and making sure you meet expectations. Learning will be natural.
- You’ll realize learning never stops. Being aware of your own learning will make you realize that it happens all the time, at any given moment.
- You’ll enjoy learning. You can’t dread learning if you’re learning what you want to. Learning will be an enjoyable experience, like it should be.

Learning happens naturally, from the day we’re born. Creating an environment capable of stimulating learners both intellectually and creatively is easy, even on low budgets. Humans are naturally curious. All we need to learn is the ability to find answers to our questions.

Giving children responsibility for their learning lets them trust themselves. Their own interests and judgment are listened to. Having the power to control their own educations empowers unschoolers in a positive way. That same responsibility can help adults, too.

Instead of creating dependent students, unschooling empowers learners. Intuitive and natural learning isn’t lazy. It’s just the way it should be.

As an unschooler, I’m responsible for my own education. It’s up to me to know when I’m learning, what I want to learn, and how I’m going to learn it. I’m asking questions, not just answering them.

The only one that can control what you learn and when you learn it, is you. How has being in charge of your own education affected your learning?