A fringe group of parents think following your child’s learning instincts, rather than setting them a standard educational pattern, is the best way to foster their growth. 

The trend, known as “unschooling,” proposes completely abandoning standard curriculum. Gone are the days of regular math and literature classes; these parenting influencers insist on only following what the kid expresses curiosity about. But the trend has proved highly controversial, with critics suggesting the approach flies in the face of research on effective education techniques. 

What is unschooling?

Unschooling demands that parents homeschool their kids but not follow standard teacher-student principles. Rather, the parents stay with the child throughout their day, responding to queries they may offer about the world. 

Many in the unschooling community are frustrated with the traditional education system. “Homeschool is you’re still using the schooling curriculum to teach your child, and you still have to turn in paperwork to the government,” influencer Kelsey Rhae said in a TikTok. “You still have to check boxes, which is what I don’t want to do.”

@thekelseyrhae

Let me be clear that he WILL be learning the fundamentals needed to get great jobs OR become a great entrepreneur…. But he will be learning in a different way. Let me know your thoughts. #homeschool #homeschooling #unschool #publicschool

? original sound – Kelsey Rhae

Influencer Mami Onami offers a good look at the pedagogy in action. One of Onami’s TikToks shows her child asking what “et cetera” means, after they’d witnessed Onami using the term on a call. Onami walked her child through the phrase’s meaning by using a color analogy. “Unschooling isn’t no education, it’s education in response to a kid’s interests,” influencer Onami said in the video. “Small children have a lot of them.”

@mami.onami

Imagine our surprise when we learn that we don’t even spell “etcetera” all the way usually!! It’s my job to help you understand. Ask me anything about unschooling in the stories at @weteachthem #unschooling #interestbasedlearning #montessori

? original sound – Mami Onami

Some viewers weren’t impressed: “This is not unschooling, this is a conversation,” commenter @Ruskbn wrote. 

But not everyone is convinced. Teacher influencer Mr. Williams, for one, said that while “learning can be happening during [unstructured] activities, it should be paired with more intentional learning and objectives.”