Woman, Wife, Mama: Homeschool versus unschool, and what this Black mom chose

If you’ve paid attention to the media or talked to any parent who is dissatisfied with the direction our schools are going, you are familiar with the term homeschool. In short, homeschooling is educating your child in the home instead of the traditional public school setting. Now unschooling? This is extremely uncommon, especially in the Black community. Without a full understanding, some may even label Black parents as radical for choosing to unschool their children these days.

Since there are few conversations surrounding unschooling, I’ve turned to Google University and found a wealth of knowledge. If you’re new to this style of education, to unschool is to allow your child’s interests and curiosities to drive the path of learning. I’ll admit, when this concept was introduced to me, I rejected it. It seemed so unorganized, so random and poorly thought out, so unlike traditional learning. It was different from what I knew. But isn’t that the point?

 I have a four-year-old son with autism, so you can imagine my and my husband’s thought process when it comes to his education. We have to be a bit more specific and begin our process slightly earlier because, with autism, repetition is key. Thankfully, homeschooling felt natural for us. I enjoy being the mastermind behind my son’s education. I enjoy thinking up all the different activities he’s come to love. I enjoy watching what I’ve poured into my son make its way into our conversations. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment.

To my surprise, unschooling my son has become our favorite part of our school day.

It isn’t at all unorganized, random and poorly thought out like I once thought. It’s quite the opposite. As I’m planning lessons, I can’t wait to carve out the time to be totally consumed in what interests my son. For instance, we spend a lot of time at music stores, libraries, children’s museums, and even pet stores, because those are among the things he loves. We’ll even swing by Chick-fil-A and create counting games from the nuggets and fries as we eat. Everything becomes a tool when you unschool. Sure, there can be cons to homeschooling as well as unschooling, but I’ve found that there are also wonderful pros.

So when it comes to what this Black mom chooses? I chose both. I homeschool with a heart-led sprinkle of unschooling, and it works just fine. More than anything, I choose freedom. I’m free to learn my boys without distraction. I’m free to tend to and affirm their love languages and acknowledge the things that are important to them. My decision to homeschool and unschool is the decision to be intentional with my time. It’s also a decision to protect my children’s hearts, teaching them who they are day in and day out. It’s a decision to raise them to be who God called them to be, instead of who the world may convince them to be, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Signed, a Black woman, wife, and mama

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Read Mattilyn Scott’s work in the Black Iowa Newspaper, found at 90+ locations around Iowa. Subscribe to get the Black Iowa Newspaper mailed to your home, business or organization. Give a gift subscription.