Unschooling

I am very excited to announce that my first novel, Azalea Unschooled, will be published in spring 2015 by Islandport Press. The book takes place in Portland, Maine, and is about a homeschooling family that decides to make the switch to unschooling.

I first heard about unschooling a few years ago, when I was at the playground with my daughter. A little girl, about my daughter’s age, came up to us and we began to talk. I asked the girl what grade she was in, and she told me, “I don’t go to school. I unschool. I learn on my own.”

Later I did a little research, and discovered that unschooling is a movement, with its own social networks, publications, supporters and detractors. Its basic philosophy is that children are natural, self-directed learners who should be guided by their own interests.

My family does not unschool; in fact, much of my work as a freelance writer is creating language arts materials for teachers to use in their classrooms. I didn’t write the book to advocate for or against unschooling. I wrote it because I’m deeply interested in the moment when someone says, “I don’t have to do that, even if everyone else does.”