Homeschooling and the Intercultural World in Which I Live

Abstract

First, in a broad philosophical sense, I consider my two children, who were born in 2003 and 2005, and myself to be homeschoolers. The child born in 2003 has decided to attend a mainstream public school, and my child born in 2005 has decided she would rather not. [Note: Currently (2014) they are both in school. This can change as they see fit.] As I clarify what I mean by the type of homeschooling we embrace, hopefully my characterization of my daughters and me as homeschoolers in a broader sense will become clearer. You see, for me the important thing is not whether they decide to go to a physical space or place, but the freedom with which they choose to do so. As will become clear later, for me homeschooling or more specifically, unschooling, personal learning, self-determined learning or natural learning is a holistic spiritual experience that respects humanity, freedom, democracy and agency. My children have decided to take different paths, and I respect and support their decisions because they need to decide what is best for them. I need to add at this point that I see myself as a child advocate, and I believe that young people can be trusted and can make substantive decisions about their own lives.