Unschooling advocate Akilah S. Richards and her husband Kris have been unschooling their daughters Sage (11) and Marley (13) for six years. For Akilah, the practice of child-led education is an integral part to raising free Black children.
But what exactly is unschooling? And is it right for every family? Akilah answered readers’ questions about unschooling on Facebook Live:
- “Do you collaborate with local groups of unschoolers or homeschoolers, or do you lone-wolf it?”
- “How do you structure your day?”
- “Are there certain places/resources that have helped you immensely during your unschooling?”
- “What does unschooling look like in the teen years for Black children? Is it different than White children? Since WE are held to a different set of standards, specifically in the United States, will our children be negatively looked at as ‘lazy’ or ‘uneducated?'”
- “How does unschooling work for the future in applying for colleges (such as a need for transcripts, testing scores such as ACT or SAT)?”
- “What are the basic tenets of unschooling?”
- “Do you need a curriculum?”
- “What role does a parent play in self-directed learning?”
- “I’m a single, working mom. Is unschooling an option?”
- “Is it ‘too late’ to introduce unschooling to a teenager?”
- “Do you believe that all children can learn and thrive equally well in an unschooling environment?”
- “What did deschooling look like for your family?”
Watch the video below for Akilah’s answers, and check out the following resources she gave Live viewers.
Akilah S. Richards’ Top Unschooling Resources
The Getting Started Guide To Rethinking Schooling And Education
The Alliance For Self-Directed Education
Tipping Points, The Alliance For Self-Directed Education’s Online Magazine
College Admissions For Alternative Schooled, Homeschooled, and Unschooled Applicants
“Two incredible sisters, Jenayne and Tarsha Leigh Jenneker, share the highs and lows of their education journeys from schooling to homeschooling and eventually to unschooling. One is now a successful entrepreneur and the other [is a] top-performing student at University of Witwatersrand.”
