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Local Media

Mindful discovery
Parents, kids root for new options at self-directed learning community.
By SARA AGNEW of the Tribune’s staff
Published Friday, February 22, 2008

Angie's Story

Public school stopped working for my daughter when we moved from Dallas, Texas to small town Boonville, Missouri when she was in the fourth grade.  The change in quality of education, resources and social opportunities was immediately apparent. Zena was uncomfortable with the lack of options, and she was literally bored to tears.  She cried every morning as I dropped her off at the door to the school, she cried every afternoon when I picked her up.  I recall a particular ride home....it was a moment of understanding that led to a huge shift in our lives .... sobbing, Zena cried out to me that she hadn't learned a single thing she didn't already know the entire three months that we'd been here.  She craved mental engagement. She knew what she needed even before I did. 

What I thought was going to be a wholesome experience for my children, growing up in a quaint little town where everyone knows your name, turned out to be a nightmare for our family.  During a conference with Zena's teacher, I was told that the she (the teacher) had to focus her attention on the kids that were struggling, and that 'smart ones' like Zena just slipped through the cracks.  I was told that they simply didn't have enough advanced level curriculum to accommodate her, and that she was sorry Zena was having such a hard time, but there was not much she could do about it. 

The end of that meeting led to the beginning of exhaustive research into homeschooling. I pulled her out of school immediately, even though I had no idea of what I was doing.  Surely, I could do better than the school was.  So, I made lesson plans, came up with theme studies, gave assignments, did geography, bought workbooks....and burned both of us out pretty quickly.  Structured homeschooling lasted about three weeks.  That's when I stumbled across an unschooling forum.  That's when I began reading books about the unschooling philosophy and how life learning happens.  That's when I had a radical shift in my perception of what true education really is.  Education is personal.  It's empowering.  And it happens in each of us every moment of every day...even more so when you are open enough to receive it.  

Homeschooling, in particular unschooling, has changed all of our lives in so many ways.  Zena is now 16, vibrant, amazing, clear on her goals, ambitious, determined and confident in herself, despite the fact, or perhaps because of the fact, that she hasn't set foot inside a public school building in 7 years.  My youngest daughter Ruby, now 6, has never been to school.  She is witty, funny, engaging, intelligent, opinionated and most importantly, free of the confines of an externally chosen bank of "knowledge" being forced upon her.  The freedom to learn what is important and thought provoking to them as individuals has led my girls to pursue some uncommon interests, in addition to some standard 'school stuff'.  Kids want to know how the world works.  They seek out answers to so many amazing questions when they are given the opportunity to find the questions for themselves rather than be handed the questions out of a textbook.  Unschooling was working for us.  It suited our lifestyle, our schedules and our preferences.  Even so, something was missing.
 
With some dismay, I realized that what was missing from our lives  was a sense of community ... a sense of belonging.  Though I tried to branch out and meet other homeschoolers, we had only met a few families, and even fewer unschoolers.   Not going to school, the girls frequently felt isolated, and no real, true connections had been made with other children, especially for Zena.  I longed for the day when we could be part of something bigger, but not something compulsory.   Zena longed for the day that she could find other kids that she could relate to. 
 
Then we found Roots, and our community got a lot bigger, quickly.   Roots was such an inspiration for us, that I immediately knew a connection had been made.  The community was there...the life learning philosophy was there...the people were amazing...so much so that I  understood that I would be a part of the community of Roots from that point on.  No longer just a parent of a child in school...more than any Room Mother....more than just signing report cards and showing up at recitals and PTA meetings ... Roots, for my children, and for myself...was like coming home. 
 
Today, being part of the community that is Roots is a huge part of all of our lives.   My children belong.  They are loved, supported and nurtured by the connections they have made.  As Roots grows, we grow, and as more and more people open up and learn in freedom, Roots is being transformed before our very eyes into something that has immense value.  Roots is the core structure, Roots is the vehicle through which my children can engage themselves in whatever activities they desire.  Roots offers the resources, the assistance, the extra 6 pairs of hands needed to build a fort or dig up huge rocks for the garden.  Roots offers more to my family than any other aspect of our Unschooling journey thus far, because it gives my children a vibrant, tolerant, respectful, peaceful, sustainable community in which to explore their world.