Deschooling vs Unschooling: What is the difference?

When I first got introduced to the homeschooling lifestyle, I kept hearing the terms “deschooling” and ‘unschooling” being thrown around. I had no idea what they meant, but once I learned, I realized WHY people talked about them so much! Deschooling and unschooling are two very different concepts. I’m going to explain what the difference is between them and why, as home educators, it’s important to understand each one. 

What is Deschooling?

Deschooling refers to a transition period that acts as a form of “deprogramming” from the public school mindset. 

Providing a deschooling period for your child is extremely important if they have previously attended any type of public or private school setting. Even if they haven’t, but YOU as the parent grew up in the public school system, YOU will need to go through the deschooling process, so that you can fully embrace the homeschooling lifestyle.

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What is the deschooling process?

Ok, so what exactly is this deschooling process, and how do we go about doing it? 

As homeschoolers, especially new homeschoolers, the pretty pencils, pencil holders, and beautifully curated homeschool spaces we see on Pinterest are extremely tempting! It all seems so fun and beautiful, so there’s no way our kids won’t absolutely LOVE and embrace the fullness of homeschool…right?

Well, if your kids have any prior experience with traditional schooling, they may not show as much enthusiasm as you are expecting. Why? Because they have already been conditioned to what “school” is – sitting in a desk, being quiet, and being forced to learn things that they either have no interest in or that feel irrelevant to their current life. 

Even if your child somewhat enjoyed traditional schooling, they don’t yet realize that the world of homeschooling is a completely different can of beans. And in order for you AND your children to understand the fullness of what homeschooling can really be like, you need to take a break from ALL types of formal education for a period of time. 

Ok….take a deep breath….this means….DO NOTHING AT ALL! No lesson plans, no online classes, and no phonics flash cards. During your period of deschooling, you and your children are to do absolutely ZERO forced learning. 

Although this may make you worry that your child will “fall behind” (which does not exist in the realm of homeschooling), trust me – they won’t. 

Providing a deschooling time is crucial in order to shed the association of “learning” with “school”. All children experience something called ‘natural learning’, which means they spend their life learning through all sorts of learning experiences that have nothing to do with a classroom.

Benefits of Deschooling

• Lots of quality time together as a family
• Provides the adjustment period needed for transitioning to a homeschool environment
• Allows time for children to develop a natural love of learning 
• Increased self esteem for children
• Opportunities for children to discover what they love and are passionate about
• Decreased stress for both parents and children
• Time for parents to observe HOW their children learn through real life learning
• Opportunities to learn life skills and explore future career options

How Long Is The Deschooling Period?

This answer isn’t black and white, because the deschooling journey will look different for everyone based on their own past experiences. The good news is that there is no right or wrong amount of time to commit to deschooling. 

The best way to prepare both your mind and the minds of your children for homeschooling, is to make room for the importance of deschooling. For some families, this period of time lasts anywhere from a month, right up to a year! 

You’ll know for yourself when it’s time to move on past this stage when you start seeing home education as something very separate than what the traditional school environment provides. 

What To Do While Deschooling

The term ‘deschooling’ doesn’t imply that you and your kids sit at home all day for months on end staring at each other, or at the TV. There are many different ways to explore your children’s learning styles, gain new experiences and connect with each other during your deschooling transition. Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Go on lots of field trips together
• Try some new things like an instrument or a cooking skill
• Start seeking out a local homeschool community
• Go on nature walks together with little bags to collect whatever treasures are discovered
• Read some good books together
• Create a routine or rhythm that promotes curiosity and rest

Now that we’ve covered deschooling, let’s explore unschooling and see what the difference is!

What is the Unschooling Approach?

I will start by being fully transparent, and let you know that we are not unschoolers. However, I agree with many of the educational principles that unschooling promotes, and I do incorporate aspects of the unschooling philosophy into our own homeschooling experience. I’ve done a lot of reading about unschooling, and for those that it fits, it fits very well!

People often misunderstand what unschooling really is. It is actually one of the most misinterpreted homeschooling styles out there. While looking for the best way to quickly define the term unschooling for you, I came across this explanation which sums it up perfectly: 

“Unschooling is a style of homeschooling where children are trusted to direct their own education, with the parent offering support, resources, opportunities and connection.”

In other words, the unschooling method is all about child-led learning, and trusting children’s natural ability to learn from the environment around them. This sounds terrifying to most adults because of two primary reasons:

1. This is not how we have been conditioned to view learning.
2. At our core, we don’t trust that children can take charge of their learning.

However, the entire premise of unschooling is that children CAN take charge of their own learning – as long as there are parents or other adults present that are actively engaged in supporting their children in this endeavor. 

What does the Unschooling approach look like?

To be completely honest, when I first learned what unschooling was all about, I thought it sounded irresponsible and downright crazy! In my ignorance, I assumed it meant that unschooled kids sat around playing video games all day, and essentially getting away with doing whatever the heck they wanted! It seemed like such a radical educational philosophy, that was sure to set kids up for failure. 

However, it intrigued me nonetheless, so I started doing some actual research on it – and I humbly admit, I had it all wrong! 

Contrary to the traditional school setting, (as well as many homeschooling styles), unschooling is centered around the parents playing a supporting role in the child’s interests and learning experiences; rather than the children being subject to what the adults think they should be learning. 

This doesn’t mean that adults don’t play an integral role in the lives of unschoolers – they absolutely do! But unlike the traditional school mindset that focuses on grades, test scores, and not “falling behind”, unschooling families don’t worry about any of those external expectations and focus solely on nurturing their child’s natural curiosity in order to develop a deep love of learning – long term. 

Often times, this means using no curriculum of any kind, and instead, utilizing tools such as nature, the library, household chores, and community involvement to teach children what they need to know. Instead of viewing their “school days” as their learning space, they view their whole life as their classroom! 

Sometimes however, unschooling families WILL in fact use a formal curriculum to learn about a topic of interest. The difference here, is that unschoolers don’t treat the curriculum like a road map to higher education – they simply use it as a stepping stone along their own educational road trip. 

Benefits of Unschooling

• Encourages critical thinking
• Ability to fully customize your child’s education
• Large focus on learning life skills
• Complete freedom of time
• Unschooled kids develop strong research skills
• Children are often more rested which promotes brain development
• Time and freedom to dive deep into topics of interest
• Minimizes negative experiences linked to “school” and “learning”

Can Unschooled kids go to college/university?

Yes, they absolutely can!

It’s a common misconception that a high school diploma is required in order to get accepted into college or university. The truth is, a diploma is only required as proof of completing a private or public school education. 

Homeschooled and unschooled kids do not require the same kind of documentation as those that have been part of a traditional school setting. The website unschoolingtouniversity.com states:

“Most unschoolers present a portfolio of work or write the same government grade 12 diploma exams that all other students have to write. They also present SAT, ACT scores or other equivalents. Because . . . courses are based on outcomes, how a student acquires the knowledge and skills required is irrelevant. If students have the education needed for good exam marks, they can bypass the entire grade K-12 system and still be accepted for post-secondary education.”

Does Unschooling actually work?

This is a loaded question because like anything, different people respond well to different experiences. 

In a situation where the parents are attentive, supportive, and are unschooling their children with purpose and dedication, then yes – it does work! And in these situations, it usually works very well!

However, if a parent is choosing the unschooling method because they think it’s the easy way out, therefore ignoring their child’s interests, and plopping them in front of a screen all day – well, I doubt that will have the same outcome. 

Much like all homeschooling methods, unschooling is successful when the parents are actively investing in their child’s education – whether it be through natural child-led learning or the use of a curriculum when desired. 

Parental involvement and support is key. So if you feel that your child could benefit from the unschooling lifestyle, and you too are drawn to it and how it can enrich your family, give it a try! You can always change course if it’s not suiting the needs of your family.

Summary

Although the terms deschooling and unschooling sound similar, they are two very different things. 

Deschooling

Deschooling is a period of time in which the child and/or parent are transitioning away from the traditional school mindset. This is an important step towards understanding and embracing the fullness and difference of homeschooling. 

The deschooling period can last as long as necessary in order to deprogram yourselves from associating “learning” with the structure of the traditional school system. 

There are many benefits of deschooling, including discovering your child’s learning style, spending quality time together, and less stress on both the child and the parent. Once you feel deschooling has served its purpose, you can dive head first into the beauty and freedom of homeschooling!

Unschooling

Unlike deschooling, (which is a temporary transition time into homeschooling), unschooling is a homeschooling method itself. It has nothing to do with the process of breaking away from the public school mindset – and has everything to do with child-led learning as the educational method of choice.

Unschooling is an educational philosophy that views the entire world as the child’s classroom. Parents of unschooled kids need to be very involved in supporting their children in their unschooling journey. Paying close attention to their child’s interests and curiosities, and allowing them to dive deep into those topics are crucial roles the parents need to take on. 

The unschooling approach has many benefits such as critical thinking skills, and the ability to fully customize your child’s education. And contrary to what some may think, unschoolers are perfectly capable of growing up and going to university or college, if that’s what they choose. 

Final Thoughts

There are many different homeschooling styles out there, and if you are a new homeschooler, I encourage you to look into them and see what feels right for your family. 

If natural, child-led learning feels like the right fit, then perhaps unschooling is for you. If you like the idea of what unschooling is all about, but feel as though you want a little more structure or guidance, there are so many other wonderful homeschooling options available to you. The best thing you can do when starting out on your homeschool journey, is to deschool yourself and your children. Then, just start trying things out. You’ll know when something is working well! 

Also, getting connected to your local homeschool community is always a good idea as these people have been where you are, and will be happy to offer you help along the way!

Blessings!

~Maryann