Disclaimer: this is just my POV. In no way am I trying to influence you or your child. I’m no influencer. Also because to be honest, it’s complicated to explain over and over again.
Ya, so you heard.
I’m unschooled.
It’s either you think that I don’t do anything and have just given up on life completely or you think that I’ve figured out how to time travel in the past year I’ve been out of school.
Sorry to burst that bubble of yours but true fact: it’s neither.
Unschooling is not dropping out of school, giving up on life or any of that sort. It leans towards self directed learning and experimenting in the adult working environment. It’s just like how most of you graduate and continue with your life (no longer studying in the system) and have a family to take care of etcetera. The difference is that I’m starting early.
To get this train going, you need to find and discover things you’re interested in. You work at it, do your own research, think of how you can progress and perhaps make it into a career at some point. You can also take courses and get certificates for future job interviews which require proof of your experience to determine your level and position in a company.
Personally, I admit that I do take a bit of time doing all that. Just saying, unschooled or not, I’m still a confused teenager struggling to make important choices.
All my life before this, I was bound to compulsory education in Singapore – until PSLE. Our dear fellow Singaporeans should know what it’s like. You’re given a fixed schedule. You study several subjects in school and take a few exams(go for tuition too). You get your results and bam! You get a job, you get a life partner, you get money and you’re all set. Awesome.
I’m not literally saying it’s terrible or anything. I’m just saying that it doesn’t work for someone like me. Unschooling isn’t for everyone and neither is the typical school system. You have to decide which one works better for you.
What I’ve been doing: I’m interested in the media industry. That is why I work five days a week as an employee under our small family business. However, I do take days off for TV shoots and courses. I try to pick up skills that would help me nevertheless to keep myself open to different opportunities.
To summarise: I’m not Albert Einstein so I did not just figure out how to make an atomic bomb.
Mentally taking myself out of the mindset was tough. I had to remind myself that I had to make my own choices. Plan for myself. Make choices for myself. Act for myself.
One thing I noticed when I first changed my direction and took a different path was that people treated you differently. They’d be awkward because they didn’t know what to ask you. Some of my friends even avoided me. Maybe their parents told them that hanging out with a drop-out wasn’t right. They could’ve easily decided alone as well.
Seriously though. No matter what, I’ll still be the same me you knew before I left school.
Everyday, I would have at least one or more interrogations.
“What do you do?”
“If you no O level then how?”
“Can meh?”
I know that even for some adults, it can be difficult to answer such questions. Some people make you feel cornered. Luckily for me, I have a big mouth and could answer their questions without running away, screaming. That would be embarrassing.
Ansl
Answering yol
Answering your questionsl
Yes, it is possible. It depends on the law in your country. These days, from my observation, companies are looking for experience and not report cards. At least for the ones that pique my interest, they don’t mention that.
Later on in life, I may decide to go back to school. You never really know. Our dreams change all the time. Maybe I’d like to become a lawyer? A doctor? A security guard? I can’t predict that accurately but for now I’m not too keen on those.
I get frustrated sometimes when I’m told I won’t get anywhere. As a normal human being, I feel upset when people question me in a certain manner that sounds like they demand and expect a certain something from me.
A quick shout out to those people: “I’m still unschooling and living my life! Thanks for your concern! What about you? What have you been doing with your life?”
It’s not wrong to be curious, everyone. I understand that it’s normal nature to question when you’re unsure about something that’s foreign. Assuming what I will do fifty years from now is a little extreme though.
That ends our discussion on unschooling! Please do your homework and read this for your own further study.
I may have an update in the future. Let me know if I haven’t addressed your concerns! 💓😄
Kierra