Public schools have never been more than hopelessly, flawed attempts at distributing commercialized, in-the-box curriculums to a large number of recipients. It’s basically, in my opinion anyways, just another way of mass population management. I mean, we can’t have a lot of free thinkers running around, can we? Schooling is learning how to follow instructions, and how to pass a test. It’s sitting at a school desk, and listening to a lecture. It doesn’t prepare the students for everyday life beyond that. It doesn’t prepare them for critical thinking. This leads us to the deschooling process.

Unfortunately, year-long, pre-planned curriculums have long become outdated. How can you plan the course of study for an entire year in advance when you don’t know how much time it will take for each student to learn and master each skill. Deschooling is the mental adjustment that takes place when school structures such as tests, worksheets, and book work are eliminated from the daily schedule as the main course of work.

The idea of deschooling is to get out of the mindset of “regular” schooling. It’s realizing that the structure, routine, or disciple of a classroom setting doesn’t always fit a family’s needs. Unschooling is the method that has been used for learning throughout most of human history. Humans have been studying mathematics, history, science, literature, music, arts, and many other interests long before they were considered “subjects”.

Deschooling will usually need to happen with students, but furthermore, with the parents as well. When transitioning from “traditional” compulsory schooling to unschooling, or to homeschooling, and somethings even when transitioning from homeschooling to unschooling (yes, there’s a difference), a deschooling process will eventually need to take place. The timeframe for deschooling can be different for every person and for every family, and is usually dependent upon the length of time that was spent in a more structured school setting.

To learn more about the unschooling process, check out:

Unschooling Part 1- What is Unschooling?

Unschooling Part 2- The Benefits of Unschooling

Unschooling Part 4- How to Start Unschooling