62. Topics with Timmy: Deconstruction and Deschooling
May 10, 2024
Timothy Eaton
In this episode, host Timmy Eaton discusses the common homeschool topic of deschooling. Deschooling is the transition to homeschooling that parents and their children undergo as they move away from the conventional schools and ways of learning. He explains that sometimes it is necessary to deconstruct before one can reconstruct. For some homeschool families, deschooling seems to be natural and smooth. For others, however, deschooling is challenging and uncomfortable because it requires significant changes in thinking and being. Regardless of a family's level of comfort with deschooling, Timmy encourages all homeschoolers to regularly deschool so they remain deliberate and proactive about their education and living.
In this episode, host Timmy Eaton discusses the common homeschool topic of deschooling. Deschooling is the transition to homeschooling that parents and their children undergo as they move away from the conventional schools and ways of learning. He explains that sometimes it is necessary to deconstruct before one can reconstruct. For some homeschool families, deschooling seems to be natural and smooth. For others, however, deschooling is challenging and uncomfortable because it requires significant changes in thinking and being. Regardless of a family's level of comfort with deschooling, Timmy encourages all homeschoolers to regularly deschool so they remain deliberate and proactive about their education and living.
Thank you for listening to this golden hour podcast. In reality, sometimes you have to deconstruct before you can reconstruct. Let me give an example. It's springtime and people tend to get into a mode of cleaning. This is going right now in our home. We go into each room and basically tear it apart so that we can put it back together again, the way we want. This principle of deconstruction can apply to our way of thinking and our traditions. In the homeschool world, many use the term de schooling to describe the transition that parents and children go through as they shift their thinking and being from what they are accustomed to in conventional systems like schools. An Austrian theologian and philosopher named Ivan Illich seems to have coined de schooling in his 1971 book, De Schooling Society, where he strongly criticized society's institutional way of thinking and doing things, and specifically the traditional approach to education. I don't mind the term de schooling, but for me, the principle is fundamentally about freedom. I think de schooling is reclaiming our own thoughts and thinking for ourselves and asking questions without feeling like we always need permission from someone. Why are things the way they are and what doesn't totally sit right with us? De schooling means that we proactively and deliberately approach education and everything else The urging is that we purposefully know why we choose to do and believe the things we do and believe. I feel like I was taught that I had to ask permission for virtually all of my decisions, and I never saw this as a problem because of my obedient nature. I even let myself get annoyed with people who seem to always have to do things differently or question authority and everything else. I feel like I was the classic example of toeing the line and staying well within the box. This is not to say that I think people should be oppositional or argumentative for the sake of opposition or argument, but we should think through stuff and come to our own conclusions based on our purposes and priorities. When our kids were approaching the school years, my wife started asking very natural questions about education and the traditional ways we had both been brought up in. Perhaps the most fundamental question she asked was, why do I want my five or six year old to be away from me for a large chunk of the day? Her question is a good example of de schooling, of transitioning from conventional thinking. When she asked me why we would send our kids to school, I would give answers like, what else do you do? Or, so they can learn. I'm not suggesting that people who send their children to school have not deliberately made that decision. I'm simply saying that the crucial decisions we make regarding our family's education should be carefully considered and purposeful. And it's hard to make these important decisions when we don't know what the options even are. I know there are many people like me who are not prone to ask why things are the way they are. They just accept it and make the best of it. But I have gone through my own long process of de schooling, of transitioning my thoughts and actions away from the conventional ways of learning, and I know the transition is not easy. want to help parents and families who are thinking about homeschooling, or already homeschooling, to transition from the conventional ways of thinking about education and living. Henry David Thoreau said, The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Deschooling invites us to think about what we and our families are doing and sincerely ask ourselves if we want or should change something based on our beliefs or values or priorities instead of carrying on unsatisfied or unhappy with the way things are, pressing on in quiet desperation. We really can choose to change things and live how we want to live. So if our children's education or our family lifestyle is not the way we imagined or hoped, then we can't. Do something about it. Here are several questions to help people start to transition their thinking. Do I have to interrupt my children's rest, rush the morning and send my kids away without a healthy meal for the majority of the day? Do bells and set times have to dictate when learning a certain subject should begin and end? What stands in the way of my family enjoying a flexible, customized lifestyle unfettered by the school schedule? Are there a variety of routes for my kids to be admitted to college and other post secondary pursuits with and without a diploma? I have learned that trying to do things at home, like the school, is one of the biggest mistakes that homeschool families make. Remember, if you're choosing to homeschool, you can completely and immediately take control. Of your own routine, schedule, lifestyle, curriculum, and influence. One of my main purposes with this golden hour is to help homeschool families develop a customized plan for their homeschool and de schooling on a regular basis is essential to tailoring your own plan and lifestyle. If you want to learn a bit more about this topic of de schooling, you should visit my website at thisgoldenhour. org and click the button at the top free ebook course. This ebook course goes into more depth about de schooling and gives you some exercises to help you start to de school. I recommend you check it out. Recently, my family and I visited family members and helped them clean out the garage of their rental home. We took everything from inside the garage and brought it outside. After everything was out, we thoroughly cleaned the shelves and swept the garage floor. We ended up with a huge pile of trash that would be taken to the dump. With the garage empty and clean, we returned the garage items that they wanted to keep back into the garage in a neat, organized fashion. It looked real nice and felt real nice too. We had to deconstruct that puppy before we could reconstruct it and leave it clean and organized the way we wanted it. This same principle can apply to our views and approach to education and our family lifestyle. Some of us have more de schooling to do than others, but most people need to be de schooling on a regular basis. I can attest that the ongoing transition of our thinking and being from the conventional, institutional way is essential for homeschool families. That wraps up another edition of This Golden Hour podcast. If you haven't done so already, I would totally appreciate it if you would take a minute and give us a review in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps out a lot. And if you've done that already, thank you much. Please consider sharing this show with friends and family members that you think would get something out of it. And thank you for listening and for your support. I'm your host, Tim Eaton. Until next time, remember to cherish this golden hour with your children and family.
