I received some great feedback on my (rather messy) initial program sketch. Many readers asked questions about the basic purpose and demographics of my program: Who’s it for? Why will they sign up? What needs does it fill? What about the parents? I address those questions here.
What’s the essence of the program? What are you selling?
The essence of what I’m offering is a long-term mentorship, support, and accountability program for self-directed learners. It will support teens who are actively making the transition to independent adulthood.
My program will teach process (the process of designing and structuring your own education) rather than content (e.g. direct instruction in math, art, writing—which are widely available elsewhere).
Imagine a really great soccer coach: She knows the rules of the game. She knows when her players are struggling. She knows just what piece of advice or instruction to give at the right moment. She provides lots of specific positive feedback, but she doesn’t shy away from giving important critical feedback as well. She tells you when you’re messing up or not focusing, but never in a demeaning way.
Now imagine this coaching applied to the process of self-directed learning as a teenager in the 21st century. That’s what I want to sell.
Who’s the program for? Just unschoolers?
After six years of working almost exclusively with self-described unschoolers, I’m ready to branch out and work with families who have not yet discovered unschooling or simply aren’t on the unschooling bandwagon. My program will promote self-directed learning, genuine student autonomy, and learning by doing—the fundamental principles of unschooling—but not attach itself to the term “unschooling.”
I hope to enroll lots of unschoolers, of course. But as I describe in my guidance services literature:
Families and young people who pursue alternative educational paths are self-reliant. They have chosen to face the challenges of educating themselves, and they have little need for outside guidance. This is what I love about self-directed learners: they embrace the do-it-yourself ethic, they learn through trial-and-experiment, and they’re skeptical of so-called “expert advice” where parenting and schooling are involved.
In other words: Many experienced unschooling families simply won’t need what I’m selling. And that’s okay.
Why will people sign up? Why will they choose this over public/charter/alternative school or home/unschooling?
Because rigorous one-on-one coaching in the process of self-directed learning is hard to find.
Public & charter schools don’t provide it. Or they crush whatever they do provide under the weight of prescribed curriculum.
Free schools and community learning centers may offer it through one-on-one meetings with school staff, but those staff may be very busy with the many day-to-day tasks of managing a school.
Home/unschooling parents certainly teach the process of self-directed learning to their kids, either directly or through example. But as these kids become teenagers, they begin seeking sources of authority outside of their parents. Parents’ advice and coaching often falls on deaf ears.
What about the parents?
Let’s dwell a moment longer on the role of parents. Quite a few people picked up the message that I don’t want parents involved at all. When a young person starts stepping into adulthood, I don’t think that the parents should disappear from the equation.
Rather, parents should recognize that their kids are now looking for experience, expertise, and guidance outside of the home nest. In this phase, parents can continue providing moral and material support, but direct guidance and critical feedback may best come from elsewhere.
Imagine the teenage child of that really excellent soccer coach we described earlier. It’s challenging for the parent to play the dual roles of unconditional loving parent/supporter and critical coach/accountability buddy.
So YES, the parents are highly involved in my program, but in a certain way.
The following excerpt from a West Virginia Home Educators Association post excellently describes a parent’s role in a young person’s coming of age, described here by the word “Walkabout.” (Think of the “Walkabout” as my program and “committee” as its staff):
The parents’ roles in the Walkabout are familiar to any parent: emotional support, financial support, and physical support. The child and the parents share the day-to-day work of completing the challenges, because the committee is not around on a daily basis. Equipment must be purchased, transportation arranged, frustrations soothed, options explained, etc…. It’s nothing new to a parent, but within the Walkabout it is all focused on a concrete set of goals.
Perhaps the hardest part of the parent’s role is to stay out of the way. (Remember, it’s a learning period for us, too.) Parents can’t make the child’s choices about whom they want on the committee or what they want the [child-elected] challenges to be. Of course there is a veto power, but it must be balanced by a respect for the emerging, self-directed adult. This is a hard line to walk, but it’s not particular to the Walkabout.
In my program vision, parents will always be part of the discussion and decision-making regarding their teen’s activities. They know their child best.
My program will not be for unschooling parents who have a perfect relationship with their kids and can play the loving parent + learning coach roles at the same time. They won’t need it. Instead, it will be for parents who recognize the need for a high-quality third-party coach/mentor/supporter to help their teen transition into independent, self-directed adulthood.
I’ve raised a number of significant issues in this post, and I’ll cut it off here before it gets too long. Tell me what you think. Let’s keep the conversation going.
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