A Good Education Comes From ...
Diana Tashjian

I always think that this discussion of educational methodologies really comes down to some very specific things: personalities, life experiences, life philosophies and parenting philosophies. And it always seems that how people homeschool varies so widely among families because each family is absolutely unique. So it almost seems pointless to me to argue about methodology... But here goes anyway.

For me, personally, based on my experiences and personality, unschooling has meant believing that a good education would come from:

1. my son living in our world



2. modeling and sharing what we, as parents, believe about life and living



3. exposing our child to what we know about the world and how to find out more



4. minimizing coercion and maximizing freedom



5. believing that our son is innately committed to becoming a capable adult



6. based on how I was raised, not wanting an authoritarian relationship with my son



7. coming to terms with the fact that, at the end of the day, my son's education might not match what society says an education should be



8. hoping and believing my son's freedom to make himself will lead to an independent, autonomous individual who can figure out what he wants to do and how to do it



9. realizing that other educational methodologies and other parents have similar goals that can also work but that the way I homeschool is basically the only way that I am *able* to homeschool and that the way other people homeschool is also basically the only way *they* are able to homeschool

Copyright January 2003, Diana Tashjian
Reprinted with permission from the Unschooling List, an e-mail discussion/support group.