I am writing this article, because I think many people get the two terms confused and cross use them thinking they mean the same thing. But, they are two totally different things.
Unschooling is a style of homeschooling that is more free form. There is many different styles of unschooling even. Some are more structured to completely unstructured.
Many unschooling parents see themselves more as facilitators rather then teachers. They try to introduce different ideas, places, and people to their children. To help their children develop new ideas, and interests. This style of homeschooling is dominated by being child led learning. The parents take the effort to make sure to follow any rabbit trails that their children's interest takes them down. If your child is interested in France, then you dive into that interest and try to facilitate it in any way you can. Or horses, or cars, or rocks. What ever their interest, you allow them to study it and learn about it and present them with any opportunities you can about the subject as long as they are interested in learning about that interest. Then when they move on to another interest you move on as well. Some parents make sure that all school subjects are learned through this interest-math, history, science, etc. While others allow their children to learn what they will learn with the interest with out a agenda. Both methods can be extremely successful.
To get the best information and understanding on unschooling. I highly suggest any books by John Holt. He was a former teacher for a elite private school that only allowed those with very high IQ's to enter their school. Yet, the children still were having problems learning in institutional style environment. (Private school). Through keeping journals and noting what worked and did not work with teaching children. John Holt firmly believed in unschooling and homeschooling. My favorite book by him was, How Children Fail. I think all parents should read it, weather they unschool, structurally homeschool, or what ever choices they make for their children. I found his journals of how to help children learn very valuable!
Unschooling is a way of homeschooling, that can continue for the whole homeschool career.
Deschooling on the other hand, can be very useful for children who have been in public school and now you want to start to homeschool.
Deschooling is a detoxing of public school. There are many things that children who have been in public school will need to be detoxed of. It is not meant as a way of homeschooling that continues the whole time you homeschool. It is only a way to transition from institutionalized schooling (mostly public school), to homeschooling. No matter the style of homeschooling you choose, weather it be structured, or unschooling.
One reason some may want to deschool is many children feel stupid or dumb, because of public schools expecting children to do things that are developmentally inappropriate for their ages. After months, and years of children being told they should be able to do things, that they can NOT do, due to their maturity and age. They begin to feel it must be their fault they can not do it, and they must just be stupid. But, in reality, most public schools expect children to do things completely inappropriate for their ages. You do not expect a baby to be born, and at a month old walking and talking, and eating solids. You just would know that is not something you can expect them to be able to learn. However, that is exactly the same thing that public schools do when they expect 4 and 5 year olds to sit down and do seat work, and work sheets, learn to read and write. Yes, a few can. But, the majority simply do not have the brain development or fine motor skills for such til closer to 7 to as late as 12 years old.
Then there is also detoxing, from being influenced by the worldly attitudes and thinking for that many hours, daily for years. This also takes time to detox from. Rudeness, not getting along with parents or siblings. etc. This is common among public school children, yet, many report after some months of bringing them out of that environment they see much less of these bad behaviors! Yes, so much for that so called socialization! ACK!
During the deschooling period, parents are encouraged to not try to replicate public school. But, rather to spend lots of time with the family. Learning in fun ways, that children do not even realize they may be learning. Going on hikes, observing nature, going on field trips to all the places they would ever want to go, going to museums, zoos, and parks. Teaching them things around the home like cooking, that's sneakily teaching them math and science. Maybe teaching them to change a tire, or do laundry, etc. Focus on life skills, having fun, and getting to know each other as people. And not only in the few minutes you had before and after school as you did in the past. You can go on library trips, but allow the child to choose the books (of course make sure they are spiritually clean). This is not a time of assignments, but of trying to nurture that love of learning again. Remember, you didn't have to push them to learn to talk, or walk, or crawl, these were things they did naturally because they wanted to learn them. It can be the same with all education. When a child wants to learn them, they will do it, happily! So this is the time you will be trying to encourage and get that wonder and love of learning back. And it may also be a time when mom reevaluates what learning is, and what it looks like for her family. And realizes, it does not need to look like public school, in any way, shape or form.
The general rule of thumb is, children need to deschool for one month for every year they were in school.
That may seem over whelming if your child was in school for years. And it may not seem like you have that kind of time. BUT, a child who loves to learn, and gains that love back, can speed through academics when they have that LOVE, and desire! Where if you have a child who has lost that love, it can be agonizing and drawn out, and take a very long time, and you may not even then be productive in teaching them.
First there is that wall, of they feel they are too stupid to learn any how, so why try. Secondly, they have that worldly influence of learning is not cool, or fun... so again stigma to learning. Brought on by the socializing with only children of their same age and maturity level, the sinking down to the lowest values.
But, by deschooling many have found that a child learns that they love learning and they are not stupid, and they do not need to worry about their peers and their influence on learning any more. But, rather are more influenced by their family and the families morals and values once again. But, as I stated this will not happen over night. Expect at least 1 month per a year they were in the public school system.
After you are through with your deschooling, and every parent chooses a different length of time for this, then you move on to the style of homeschooling you choose. Which can be unschooling, or structured schooling, and can even morph to different styles as you trial and error and research more, what works for your family. What ever you feel works best for you as the teacher, and your child's learning style as well. Take the time that you deschool, to research styles of homeschooling, and getting to actually know your children, observe how they get excited, what interest them, what really makes them want to learn. And see how that can be used in educating them.
Remember it doesn't all have to happen over night, even if they are teens. Refer back to my post, about how can you teach your child every thing they need to learn. That's not our job, and it's unrealistic, teach your child to love learning and how to find the answers to what they need to learn, and they will learn what they need to in life! And it will be ok!
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