Winging It Worked Well: Lynda's Interview

Lynda is another mom who didn't really plan to homeschool/unschool. It just sort of happened and certainly made sense because of what was happening with her family.

But obviously she and her family took to it very well.

I especially like what her kids did to learn more about what it's like to be uber-rich. Now that's what I call some creative hands-on learning. Read on to find out what I mean...

1. How long have you been homeschooling (or if finished, how long did you homeschool)?

We have one left (17 years old). We started back in the 60s, purely by accident, when our 5 nieces and nephews came to live with us. Their mother was hospitalized and would be for an extended period of time. They were traumatized and so I figured they didn't need the stress of school and I kept them home for a year. I hadn't a clue about homeschooling and we winged it and later found out we were unschooling. The kidlets were happy, we were happy and a whole bunch of learning took place purely by accident.

And, to the question I'm sure someone is going to ask, cause someone always does , when my sister-in-law was able to care for her children again, they were tested before returning to public school. They tested at or above grade level.

2. One of the main benefits of homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility it allows. Can you give us a few examples of how this freedom and flexibility benefited you (your family)?

With homeschooling, in our case unschooling, it is just part of everyday life and not separate. There is no "Oh, we have to stop this and do that now because it is school." No one says, "You are now in grade x, y or z and you must learn a, b or c now."

Unschooling gives you the freedom to TRULY be an individual. To reach for stars or dig for bones. To read or not read. To be a math whiz or not.

No one is there trying to make you into who you aren't and then getting upset because you are the square peg and won't fit in the round hole.

I now know more than I ever wanted to know about dinosaurs, the solar system, biology, Russian, German, Japanese, high fashion, turkeys, and a whole list of other things we'd never have investigated in depth.

3. Another benefit of homeschooling is the fun factor. Can you give us a few examples of some especially fun times you had as a result of homeschooling?

Oh boy, again, the list is soooooo long.

Making "clothes" for a pit bull when youngest decided to learn about tailoring.

Up to our elbows in frosting when the kidlets decided they wanted to learn cake decorating.

Another time they read in the newspaper about some visiting dignitary and decided they wanted to know what it was like to be uber-rich and stay where presidents and royalty had stayed. They raised money and we rented a suite at the Claremont. They indulged themselves with room service and they all ordered foods they'd never tried before.

4. We all have funny experiences while homeschooling. Can you share one of yours with us?

Many long years ago the kidlets made some t-shirts. On the back was a picture of the old red schoolhouse with the red circle and line through it. Over the top it read "No MORE!" and on the bottom "Kiddie Prisons." On the front was "Free to be me."

They wore them everywhere.

Youngest and I were in Safeway when a woman (the usual busybody type) came up and asked youngest (she was about 6 at the time, 17 now going on 30, of course ) "well, why are you in school today?"

Youngest looked at the woman like she was a dull bulb and said "We don't do school," and held the front of her t-shirt out. She waited until the woman read it and then did a spin and leaned a little forward so the woman could read the back of it.

The woman made a tsk, tsk noise and stomped off. The cashier just about choked as she tried to stifle her laughing.