Change. It's happening again. The freedom to live and explore, wander and discover, change and grow, have been the main engine behind much of my posts, with parenting and unschooling providing the fuel. Now there is an unexpected twist in our evolution as unschoolers, one that goes a bit beyond my comfort zone. I don't know if I am ready for this part of our journey, but maybe my children are. To put it plainly, my kids are going to try going back to Montessori.
E. and M. both had initiated this decision, which was further supported by hubs. But, my fears cloud my faith and I wonder, have they really deschooled enough? Will this set them back? We have been to Montessori before when they were younger, what is different now? It took me a couple days to think about this when the obvious finally hit me.
They weren't unschooled children back then. We were a traditional family that didn't offer the choice of if or when to start school. I didn't consider that they might not be ready. We just went through the motions, putting them in school early to give them a "head start". They were not ready then, which undoubtedly helped set our path to unschooling a few years later.
What has changed since is that there is freedom of choice. They have had time to unravel my earlier mistakes, and kids deschool much faster than we do. They aren't afraid of being who they are when we stop conducting, start listening, and start trusting. They don't really know if Montessori will meet their needs, but, they want to try. What
is guaranteed is that they are going in with a different attitude, and may come out with a new perspective. They will certainly gain a greater knowledge of themselves, and hopefully a greater understanding of what they really want and need.
Being able to live in a manner that honors freedom of choice empowers learning. The problem with mainstream schooling is that kids aren't given that power. Accolades, rewards, and praise may give an illusion of choice, but the joy to follow a whim, the internal need to satisfy a curiosity, and the power to choose what or how they want to learn, is replaced by standards, grades and scores. Unschooling has given that power back to my children. Unschooling means living with choice and command in your own learning, and letting your interests and needs guide those choices. Montessori may not be the "perfect" choice, but it is their choice. They are free to choose, and we will learn to live and grow with those choices.
The simple fact is, if it doesn't work out, they will come home and things will shift again. What will never change is my unconditional love, or my respect, or my trust for them. I will go with it, and see where it leads. This is just as much a part of our journey as any other choice, and it is this thought, that I will carry with me for the next two months. Meanwhile, I will share my experiences here with you, as there is always something for me to learn :).
