Jo Watt was a teacher with a Master’s degree in education. In this episode of Honey! I’m Homeschooling the Kids, you’ll hear how she learned to deschool the adult mind.
How does a teacher and master’s degree educated person learn to deschool the adult mind? It comes down to careful observation and acceptance. Keep reading to learn more. And listen to the episode to get the full story.
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Jo Watt is English. Very English. At least to my prairie Canadian ears. I could listen to that accent all day. I think she might have lured me into a trance. Do English people know the power they hold over us North Americans?
But accent aside, I loved Jo’s story and the lessons she shared. I’ll walk you through some of these lessons below. But the big takeaway, was how she went from being a teacher with a master’s degree in education to a full blown unschooling mom. As with most of us who choose this path, Jo had to deschool the adult mind before she could truly understand her kids.
Jo is a friend of Rachel Rainbolt (Sage Parenting) who you heard from on Episode 17. Like Rachel, Jo lives in the Washington state, although her journey there was a bit different. We cover that in a bit of detail in this podcast as well.
Jo writes a great blog about unschooling called Girls Unschooled. You can also follow her on Facebook or Instagram to stay in touch. Please do so. Anyone pursuing alternative education needs to form a community.
Community is virtual not just geographic. Let’s be honest, you don’t need to see any more political rants from your crazy uncle. But you could use uplifting and interesting stories from an inspiring unschooler like Jo. So go there and link up with her now.
Deschool the Adult Mind
Jo Watt, teacher and Master of Education. It’s a formidable title. She sounds like the kind of person who could instill education into children. This narrative has changed. She is that — a formidable person with talents.
But, as an unschooler, what’s the real benefit of her background and titles? Jo claims it’s useful when dealing with prickly questions from well-meaning family members and friends.
“I don’t know how you do it? Are you even qualified?”
As unschoolers, we hear this all the time. Many parents I hear from would love to pursue alternative education, but they don’t think they’re up for the challenge.
“I’d love to do that but I’m not a teacher and I wouldn’t have the first idea where to start.”
Well, Jo has more than enough education. But she told me on the podcast that she doesn’t think it’s all that useful in unschooling her two daughters. Where it does provide a major benefit is talking to others. They often seem skeptical at first, but when they find out she’s a master’s degree educated teacher they relent. They trust that she can handle it and stop questioning her.
But Jo points out that the opposite is almost true. Her girls were very young when they first started home-educating. All they wanted to do was play. And Jo imagined that the time would come soon when she’d start ‘instilling’ the education. She imagined worksheets and desks and all the things you think of when you picture education.
But I give her great credit, because she didn’t remain attached to that vision. She soon found out that any type of ‘schoolish’ activity was a bad fit for her girls. They wanted to play and explore, and they were full to the brim with enthusiasm and joy.
And Jo goes on to explain that they’re still this way. Even though her oldest daughter is grade 2 age, she is still largely focused on creative play. This shouldn’t be surprising. Isn’t this what the developmental psychologists and researchers are telling us? Nothing is as important to small children as play. This is where they learn the most. And as unschooling parents, especially at that age, our job is to stay out of the way, observe, and support if needed.
This was how Jo learned to deschool the adult mind.
The Power of Observation
Jo found herself layering her schooled beliefs over her kids’ natural learning. And she tells one story about getting in the way of her kids self-led learning. She caught herself on that occasion, but how often do we interrupt when we should just observe?
Jo eventually settled into her role as unschooling parent. And she learned that the best way to teach her kids was to watch them. By carefully watching them you learn so much. You learn to accept them. And most of all you realize that our schooled beliefs about testing, attendance, etc. are not real learning. Real learning is deep. It’s hard to quantify with data.
How do you test for emotional ability, for example? You can’t. But these types of life skills — the real realm of unschooling — serve you through life far better than a test score ever could. Through her deschooling, Jo has remembered how much of her self-worth was wrapped up in test score success.
But through observing her girls, she has seen that true education runs much deeper. Test scores or grades on an essay don’t indicate real learning.
The Joys and Benefits of Connection
I mentioned emotional development above. This is something most alternative education families value. Jo stated that her favorite part of their unschooling is seeing the relationship her two daughters have.
My experience echoes this. There is no way that my kids would have the close relationship that they do unless they unschooled together. Age segregation in schools removes the opportunity for siblings to spend time together.
And connection with her is equally important. Jo remembers coming home as a child and her mom (mum) would ask her how her day was. Child Jo’s response never varied, “It was okay.” Most families can relate to this. Jo has a great relationship with her mom and she trusts her. She did as a child, too. But there is just a separation in the lives of parent and child when the child goes to school.
It’s like there’s an invisible wall between parent and child. This might have its benefits, but this can also lessen connection between parent and child.
She, as the home parent gets to have that connection all day. But what about her husband? And what about other family members?
The Importance of Her Blog
Jo shared that her family was always very accepting. But at the beginning they maybe didn’t quite understand it. She began to believe deeply in unschooling. With her husband and parents she would speak excitedly about her experiences and beliefs.
But this isn’t always the most effective way to discuss ideas and share experiences. Anyone who’s been on the receiving end will understand.
So Jo started writing her blog. There’s she’s able to articulate clearly. And this has made all the difference in communicating with her husband and other family. They truly see what Jo and the girls are experiencing as they unschool. They understand more deeply.
Don’t underestimate the importance of this. Our kids are always educated within a community. After your kids and the primary home educator, the next most important relationship is that with the nearest family.
I’m not suggesting that you should break your principles to appease family members. But part of your role as home educator is to communicate with others. You don’t owe it to them. But it will be deeply appreciated and will provoke better conversations. When others with deeply schooled minds understand the benefits, they become your ally and even a resource.
More!
Jo had many more great anecdotes and insights. I won’t get into them here, but please listen to this episode to learn more.
And remember to read Jo’s blog and connect with her on Facebook and/or Instagram.
