By The Green Parent
07th June 2022
UNIQUE RYTHM
Esther Putnikovic lives with her husband, Daniel, and their four children, Luka, 13, Ana, 11, Sol, nine and Matija, five. Seven years ago the older two children were deregistered from school and the family discovered the world of unschooling
Living an eco-friendly lifestyle of reusable coffee cups and cloth nappies was not enough for us. We had a yearning to adventure; explore, and provide a more self-sufficient lifestyle for our family. Almost two years ago, I left my job of 14 years as an Intensive Care Nurse in Belfast. My husband left the security of his job. We sold our house and packed our treasured items. Unsure of where we were going, we loaded up our trusty car and set off.
After time in the Costa Rican jungle, we travelled to Eastern Europe, where Daniel had spent part of his childhood. Here we took up the offer to try our hand at cherry farming and restore a dilapidated family home.
Our unschooled children have flourished on this new land. They have the freedom to explore the outdoors, to learn how to build, plant seeds, and harvest food and learn from their mistakes. Each day provides fresh challenges and learning opportunities for us all! Our only heat source is a wood-burning fire; we spend hours chopping and gathering wood for the winter. Knowing our back-breaking work is providing us warmth has to be one of the most satisfying feelings!
“We listened to our children and allowed them the freedom to roam, with no pressure, no expectations, just guidance””
We have offered our children the opportunity to attend local schools but they always refuse. They love the freedom unschooling brings. Children are born with their own rhythm. Each unique. My kids knew their own rhythm from birth; they walked when their feet found a path, they talked when their words came. But for my eldest son, that rhythm changed when he went to school. He would arrive home from a day of school like a caged bird scrambling for the space to spread his wings. Energy rushing through his limbs, words pouring from his mouth, exhausted from keeping it all in.
We deregistered him from school. After a period of deschooling, we unearthed a world of ‘no school’. We listened to our children and allowed them the freedom to roam, with no pressure, no expectations, just guidance.
Some days we soar, immersing ourselves in passions, others we crash, hitting brick walls. Doubt creeping in, comparison quietly stealing our joy. But it is the little sparks that bring us back on track and reassure us that we are following the right rhythm.
Waking up as the dawn breaks, logging onto a Maths programme, only stopping to eat. This was Sol’s rhythm for four months. A little spark turned into a blazing fire, and as rapidly as it started it stopped. He is now back to drawing comic books and devising business plans. Ana who for years refused point-blank to read or write, has discovered a desire to learn cursive writing and create journals. Her creativity radiates from the pages she crafts. Matija immerses himself in nature, planting, growing, building, and surprising me by reading a few words spontaneously without being ‘taught’. These things cannot be measured. It is these moments, these surges of passion that assure me that unschooling is the path for us.
RESOURCES
GET SUPPORT
Last year Lucy supported over 500 families who joined the unschooling online course and coaching membership, Disco Circle - discolearning.com.
“Together we are befriending our fears, growing our community-building skills, updating old limiting belief systems. With a monthly workshop and a seriously brave and alive online community, Disco Circle might just be the heart-work that will keep your unschooling sustainable and joyful.”
LISTEN Adele’s Revillaging podcast and blog can be found at adelejarrettkerr.com
FOLLOW @black_world_schoolers on Instagram
READ How Children Learn by John Holt and The Unschooling Manual by Jan Hunt
