So far our spring is shaping up quite nicely and is very similar to what had been going on in the fall of 2022.
My daughter (age 14) was still attending the small school we found until a couple weeks ago. She was taking English Composition, U.S. History, Biology, Latin, and Home Economics. About six weeks ago she decided that she didn’t want to attend Home Economics anymore. They had moved on to sewing and she just wasn’t enjoying it. Although the teacher said she had a knack for it and picked it up quickly. But, just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to like it. Anyway, about two weeks after that she decided she was really done with the whole program. There were only four more classes left for the semester and she just felt like she had gotten everything out of it that she wanted at that time.
I am glad she gave something new a try and that she knew when she was ready to move on. There was a time that I would have said she had to finish it out because we had paid for it, or that you need to finish what you start, or something like that. But, all that would have done is make the next four weeks miserable for her and for me. Forcing her to go somewhere she didn’t want to go and her having to do homework for something she was ready to move on from wouldn’t be good for anyone. There have been plenty of times that I tried something and then part way through decided it wasn’t for me. Adults do it all the time so why can’t kids? I will say that she has been a little bored without having the homework to do and the class to go to weekly. But, it’s all part of learning who you are. And, when she is ready for something else I am here to support her and/or find just what that new interest might be.
She still takes gymnastics lessons twice a week and continues to improve. Most importantly, she genuinely enjoys it and looks forward to it. Her current interests are still fashion, makeup, hair, and all things trendy. YouTube and TikTok are her favorite past times as well as lots of time hanging out with friends. She is also helping out around the house a bit more to earn extra allowance money.
My son (age 16) got his driver’s license a couple weeks ago – it truly is a milestone! He continues to be involved in Boy Scouts and the Order of the Arrow (OA). There are lots of activities, campouts and philanthropic service. This spring he began working on his Eagle Scout project and plans to earn his Eagle rank by the end of this year.
He continues to play the drums and the bass and takes weekly lessons. This semester he is also in an ensemble with two other teen boys, and they will be recording a rock song in May. He is still learning Japanese and recently joined an online conversation club on Outschool in addition to his private lessons.
One activity that he has stopped is soccer. This is the first season in five years that he hasn’t played. He was on a competitive team in the fall and the intensity was much greater than anticipated. Although he enjoyed it, he realized that he wasn’t passionate about soccer like he is other things in his life. The time commitment was also significant and ultimately, he decided to focus on all of the other things he has going on.
In the fall I mentioned that he had been studying to take the ACT in February 2023. This is because he plans to do dual enrollment this fall. Well, I am happy to report that he took the ACT and exceeded his expectations on his scores! Let me share a little about this experience. In October 2022 he started weekly 90-minute private tutoring sessions for math. He hadn’t had a formal math class since he was about 11 years old. Between October 2022 and January 2023 he learned enough Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry to score more than what was needed to test out of beginning college math classes. Additionally, he scored significantly higher on the reading, English, and science sections than the national average. Because he wanted to learn the higher-level math for his goal of dual enrollment, he put in the work and made it happen. When you let kids choose their own path, they get what they want and it happens on their own timeline.
Some other things that keep him busy this spring are live-streaming on Twitch (he is monetized; @limb0girraf), video editing for a YouTuber, his pet sitting business, and hanging out with friends.
Well, that pretty much sums things up about how my two unschooling teens spend their time. As you can see, it’s very individualized based on their personal interests. I do regular check-ins with them asking if they feel like things are going well or if they need help/support to make some changes. As of right now, things are good.
If you want to talk about unschooling and/or respectful parenting, you can schedule an appointment by clicking this link.