What are schools for?

The other day I received the following in my inbox, which started a discussion with a friend living in Greece, also following my case with the state laws, concerning unschooling. I thought it would be good to share her experience, to help all of us with our own thoughts. With her permission, this was her message:

" I am experiencing the school system and it's just pathetic. My oldest adopted daughter who is 12 has been going to frontistirio, school, oloimero, and gabbing tutors at home before we came to adopt her. She had no idea how to do BASIC math not that it's a problem cause I am not that way bothered, I'm an unschooling type. But with all that input in her life you would think she would have some knowledge. Xristiana I'm not kidding you, we couldn't hold a conversation with her without her stopping us at every other word to ask 'τι σημαίνει αυτό; (what does this mean?) the 'experts' just taught her like a robot. We put info in, job done. I couldn't discuss anything with her she couldn't understand common language or terms, didn't know where the Parthenon was or what is Africa..

An unorganized childhood

I’m not much of an organizer, I don’t believe in organizing and structuring every moment of a child’s life.

Being outside the school system gives me an opportunity to observe the families and children around me as well as contemplate on what I’m seeing in my child, as she grows from day to day.

I realize that the most important questions are seldom asked and they can’t be subtracted from our roles as parents. Where are we going? Who are we? Why are doing whatever we are doing? Are we content, calm, united inside? Are we raising happy children? I try to see through these questions wherever I go, wherever I am, whatever I am doing.

Change can’t be made illegal

Sometimes, when there is no alternative, we have to break the law to change the law. We might be temporarily illegal but “change can’t be made illegal” as a friend said!

Whether we want to homeschool, unschool or create alternative, natural and community based schools, we do not have this choice in Greece.