Unschooling Is My Job - Or Is It?
by Ingrid Seger-Woznicki
I read with great interest the article written by Ruthe Friedner Matisky (February 2003 issue) and felt compelled to share my thoughts. The particular paragraph that stood out for me was:
Let’s talk about that stimulating environment. In Utopia a parent wouldn’t have to give this a thought. I’ve pictured Utopia for years - it’s an intentional community where the adults are all involved in meaningful pursuits and there are no housekeeping burdens because it’s all shared equally and there is always someone available to take care of the smaller children while the older children are able to pick and choose which adults to join in their meaningful work. There is never a deadline that prevents the adults from being anything but patient and charming with their children and there are no stupid television programs or mindless computer games to distract the children from the joy of real community. The environment in Utopia just naturally gives the kids much food for thought to stimulate their brain cells. The kids don’t have to be shuttled around to experience nature or to encounter people making music or playing chess or doing karate because its all around them.
The concept of a Utopian education makes me wonder how I am moulding my own son, because I can not at any point in time forget that I live in a Western, suburban, contemporary society where individuals life-continuums do not necessarily cross but bounce off each other. Utopia for me includes having a tribe/commune/extended family support - living in an interdependent culture. This lack of an interdependent culture is noticeable when I observe the play tactics of children in playgrounds; it amazes me how often children play as separate entities, irrespective of the number of children that happen to be at the playground at the same time. The exception is that if the child has a friend with them, then naturally these ‘friends’ play together and collectively they are their own little “island”, excluding other children from entering their world. This seems to hold true for all ages, even my own.
