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Every day, children all

across America wake
up and go to school.

It's something most
of us have done.

It's something most of
our parents have done.

We go to school to learn.

To be educated.

To become good citizens
of the world.

But is it still working?

The nature of
the school itself,

it's this thing that's removed.

It's an institution,
it's bureaucratic

and I don't necessarily think
that it is capable of education.

Because it can't
embrace everyone's needs.

Are schools keeping
up with the times?

We need to embrace the
fact that there's technology.

That the role of the teacher
needs to change dramatically.

In a world where I can
pull out my smart phone

and Google anything I want.

I don't need to have a
teacher telling me facts.

What I need is a guide helping
me to apply that knowledge.

Most of us have been
indoctrinated to believe

that schools are natural.

It's like, how can you learn
if you don't go to school?

The idea that kids are
this entire human being

and are interacting
with the world.

Not just a teacher
in a classroom,

is still new to so many adults.

Learning is not the
result of teaching.

Learning is the result of
the activity of learners.

We're just completely
trapped in this idea

that children only
learn if they're taught.

In ancient times
when we were born,

we came into the
world, we just lived.

We lived and learned, and
the two weren't separated.

Living and learning are
the exact same thing.

There are two
essential ways of looking

at the way children learn.

One of them is that you
have to force them to learn.

I tell you right
now, that unless you get

over your lazy habits.

Come up to the standards
I've set for this class.

Many of you will
have the pleasure

of repeating this
course next semester.

The other one is that
children are natural learners.

If you accept the idea that
they're natural learners,

then we're not talking
about reform.

We're talking about an
entirely different way

of approaching things.

[ Alarm Clock ]

Ana, It's time to get up.

I've never liked
waking up early.

Or not being able to do
things in the morning.

Lily, it's time
to get up, sweetie.

School's like something
that I always dread going to.

Because you're going to
be stuck in a classroom,

sitting there for
hours and hours.

Ana, are you ready?

We're going to be late!

School's about to start.

Have you eaten anything?

No.

You don't have
time for breakfast.

I'll make you some toast.

We have to leave in
like two minutes.

Mom.

Lily, how about you?

Do you think you should have
had this done last night?

No.

Go put your shoes on.

You're going to have to
finish that at school.

Mom!

Here's your breakfast Ana.

Toast and water.

When we moved to Los Angeles
we did a lot of research

about where the best
schools were.

And we moved to the town that
we're in, because it had some

of the best schools
in the state.

It's a lot more expensive
to live in this little town,

than we could've gotten
in outlying communities.

But the education was
really important to us.

Well, the thing about school
is, basically you go to school.

And you can hang out with
your friends for five minutes.

And then the bell rings
and you go to class.

You read out of the textbook.

You answer questions
in your workbook.

And then you take a test on it.

And it's basically the same
thing every single day.

Like, there's nothing different.

You just get sick of it.

I love the idea of school.

It's a great concept, in theory.

We're all going to go and
learn about important things.

But the truth was,
there wasn't a lot

of learning that was going on.

The biggest challenge

that public education is facing
today is doing things the same

old way.

We're kind of tinkering
around the edges.

Changing things here and there.

But we really need a dramatic
shift in what happens in school.

We don't need to have everyone
come together at the same time,

at the same place,
to hear a lecture.

Kids should be able to move

at different rates,
at different times.

And there's really no need for
us to continue grouping kids

by date of manufacture.

Kids should be grouped by what
they learn, what they love,

at the rate they learn and love.

Allowing children to follow
their natural curiosity is a

concept that threatens
long-held beliefs

about how children's
education should be tracked.

I understand taking
tests aren't fun.

Too bad [laughter].

We need to know in America.

We need to know whether

or not children have
got the basic education.

On January the 8th, 2002,

then President George
W. Bush signed,

No Child Left Behind, into law.

Which imposed frequent
standardized testing on students

as a means of measuring
every one of them.

NCLB stated that by 2014,

100% of students must
perform at grade level.

When the first incarnation of
No Child Left Behind came out.

I said, okay, well, this
will be like the other ones.

It'll kind of go over
two or three years.

And people will realize
it's a stupid idea,

and it will go away.

And now, a dozen years
have gone by, or more.

And it's still there.

A decade of evidence shows
that NCLB has failed miserably.

It has neither significantly
increased academic performance,

nor reduced achievement gaps.

Even as measured by
standardized exams.

And so-called reforms, such
as the recently adopted Common

Core Standards.

Have turned many
schools into little more

than test preparation factories.

The greatest obstacle
to reforming Ed.

is the testing, really.

It's impossible in
the current climate,

to engage in innovative
practices.

When everyone is pushed to the
same standard, which is measured

in the same way by
outdated tests.

And we talk about
differentiating instruction.

Yet we have a one-size-fits
all standardized test.

I just find it shocking
that we live

in a country that's imposing
something upon children.

That educators know is wrong.

Parents know is wrong.

Children know is wrong.

Even our president
knows it's wrong.

Yet we're still doing it.

I went through public
education like most of us.

And I really struggled
through it.

I mean, I'm a creative type.

I got in trouble
in school a lot.

I mean, while other people were
doing their normal school work,

I was drawing.

One time, there was
a timed math test.

And I had some drawings
I wanted to do.

So I drew all over my test.

And I just got in so much
trouble because, you know,

I should be doing
math, it was math time.

Our kids just come home
grumpy, over-worked.

And the craziest
amount of busy-homework.

I actually told -- I got in
a little trouble for this.

But, I told them to quit
doing their homework.

It was really just busy work.

We take children at
their most productive time.

When they are so creative.

When they have incredible
imaginations.

When they are even visionary.

They can see the possibilities.

Kids can do that.

And we take them and when
we institutionalize them

and tell them they have

to do standardized
curriculum all day long.

It makes them angry.

You know, and then we have
these angry young people

running around.

You know, because they're
not allowed to blossom.

We need to really question
what we're doing there.

Because I think kids could
solve a lot of our problems.

If we just believed in their
ability and talent to do it.

And if we just supported them.

Hi Daddy.

Hi.

How are you?

Good. Long time, no see.

Yeah. I usually have Ana
and Lily on the weekends.

They spend time here.

They've helped me out a lot.

Like, just putting
things back in folders,

or running things
around the office.

So what are you looking
for right there?

It's chart number 42738.

I remember being really
excited about school.

And being really
excited to like,

go through those same
passages, or whatever.

That my brothers and
sisters had gone through.

But I think I liked the
social aspect a lot better

than the actual sit
down and write a story

or read a book aspect of it.

But, I remember enjoying
school a lot.

What homework
are you working on?

Something.

Do you have to
have a square for it?

She was so excited to
learn when she was little.

And I've seen it plummet
over the last year or two.

Just not interested anymore.

Not interested in
the same things

that she had been
when she was younger.

Not interested in the new things
that were being introduced.

It just, she just
wasn't excited about it.

How was school today?

School.

Some people were
being annoying.

One day on the way home
from school, Ana said, "Mom,

can I please be homeschooled?"

And my heart stopped.

Like, I didn't even
know where it came from.

I feel like I'm not
getting as high of scores.

And it's not as interesting
anymore.

It really made
me start to think

and question what we were doing.

And made me wonder about what
other alternatives there were.

I knew a few people
that homeschooled.

But I was not going
to go that route.

Do you think it's
possible to enjoy school

with a different
attitude about it?

Do you think there are some
people who do enjoy school?

Yeah.

Are they doing something
different than you're doing?

I don't know.

And there was part
of me that thought,

every kid in America has to do
these hard things every day.

Go to school.

Why do you get to be different?

Can you just think about it?

Yeah, I can think about it.

I started to seriously
discuss with Thomas and Todd,

the possibility of pulling
the girls out of school.

I thought, you know I'm not
going to do anything rash.

I'll go talk to the principal.

So we went in there and
we told her our concerns.

And you got to understand too,

this is one of the
best public schools.

We actually picked El
Segundo because, like,

the public schools are
considerably better

than other schools
in the L.A. area.

So I just talked to her
about this whole laundry list

of concerns that I had.

And told her that I was
considering some possibilities.

So we're in this meeting,
and she was a little shocked.

Because she's like, hold on,
this is the best we have.

And you're like, and you're
saying it's not good enough.

And that's what we were saying.

My kids don't know
where they're going.

They're not enjoying learning.

I mean, kids love to learn.

She agreed that there
are a lot of problems

within the public school system.

But it's an old institution.

And they're working to make
changes to make it better.

But, they're not going
to happen overnight.

We're talking about
our kids' lives here.

We cannot wait for you guys.

We can't wait for you
guys to get it together.

She told me that if she
could wave a magic wand

and make everything
all better, she would.

We both really appreciated
everything she had to say.

There was one little
sentence in there though.

She told me she absolutely does
not recommend homeschooling.

And that caught me.

I was curious to know
what her reason was.

But I didn't want it to
influence my decision.

So I didn't ask why.

As we drove home
from the meeting,

I still wasn't really sure
what we were going to do.

And I was pretty terrified.

Rejecting the
system of education

that most people
consider fundamental

to a child's intellectual,
social, and civic development.

Is a very difficult
choice that more

and more American parents
are choosing to face.

Well, I started out
homeschooling my oldest.

Because he really didn't fit

into the public school system
well, and was very unhappy.

Which was really
upsetting to me.

I didn't understand how a
kid that was so curious.

And loved to learn so much,
could be so miserable at school.

And I just kind of out of
desperation, pulled him out.

I was told that they
really couldn't help him

for what his needs were.

You know it seemed that
he didn't fit the middle

of the bell curve.

You know, he would
perform at both ends.

And they weren't quite
sure what to do with that.

One of my favorite
things is you get a lot

of hands on learning.

And you get to pick
your learning styles.

And you get to pick
your classes.

And you get to be a
little bit more free

than being in a school.

He would go to
school and it was

like taking three steps back.

But I was always tiptoeing, you
know, around pulling him out.

Even the third grade was, the
third grade work was too easy.

So then, I went to homeschool
so I could get more hard math.

So far he's loved it.

One of the primary
reasons that, you know,

we chose to homeschool is.

Do I want to send my kids
off for half of their life?

You know, their half of their
awake life, with somebody else?

See, that's the
part that you lose.

You lose that connection
with your parent

when you go to school.

The parent loses
it with the child

and the child loses
it with the parent.

And where do you make it up?

There was no way that I was
going to put them in a system

that I had seen failing
children over and over again.

So I decided to do it myself.

You can create a customized
situation that fits any family.

I had to do it.

And when I thought,
oh, I can't homeschool.

I'm a single mom.

Like, that's impossible.

How would I possibly do that?

If you open up your
mind a little bit,

there's resources available
to you and to your family.

That you might not even
know that you have.

After Ana told
me that she wasn't

as a good of a student anymore.

And I started considering the
possibility of pulling them

out of the school,
something else happened.

I hadn't finished
some of my homework.

So I got something
called a homework alert.

Basically, what homework
alert is,

is if you don't get it signed

by the next day,
you get a detention.

Ana is such a good kid.

She does not do anything wrong.

She has never been in
trouble in her whole life.

I couldn't talk for a second.

Like, I didn't want to
talk, because I didn't want

to run the risk of
crying or anything.

It broke my heart.

And I just thought,
she did the homework.

She's supposed to
do the homework

to learn something, right?

She forgot to turn it in.

I get that.

But the purpose of
education is to learn.

She learned what she
was supposed to learn.

She just didn't turn it in.

And I actually wrote an email

to the principal
and to the teacher.

And just said, do we
really have to do this?

And they both wrote
back and said yes.

What really struck, me was
that the system of school,

the bureaucracy of
school, was really getting

in the way of learning.

Rachel, thank you very much
for your insight and comments.

I hear what you're saying, and
I understand your frustration.

That was one of the last
nails in the coffin.

I just thought, I don't think
we buy into this anymore.

[ Phone Ringing ]

Hi there. I have a
question for you.

I need to un-enroll my
kids from the school.

Can you tell me what
that process is?

What I need to do?

I was a little bit nervous,

because I didn't know
what we were going to do.

It was like I kind of
leapt before I looked.

I had to turn in all their books
and sign a couple of forms.

And while I was there,
I saw the principal

out of the corner of my eye.

And I was kind of nervous.

Because I knew that, you know,

what her thoughts were
about homeschooling.

And she saw me and
approached me.

And asked, so what
did you guys decide?

What are you going to do?

And I said, well, we're
going to homeschool.

She didn't say anything else,

but her facial expression
said everything.

And then I left.

Got in the car.

We drove home, we
were done with school.

It was like, so liberating,
you know.

Like, we had discovered
this little secret

that no one else knew.

That we didn't actually have
to be compliant and obedient

to this system that
wasn't serving us.

The house crickets are
part of the true crickets.

Anyone know what
those, that family is?

There's nothing secret
about homeschooling.

It's been around for
thousands of years.

But it started regaining
attention in the '60's.

Babies come into the world
extraordinarily curious,

eager to learn.

Extraordinarily resourceful
and competent at learning.

That they are in the
most literal sense

of the word, scientists.

They do exactly what
scientists do.

They use the scientific
method in making sense

of the world around them.

And then they get
to a certain age,

which may be as young as three.

But in any case,
the age of school.

And this process is
turned off by adults

who think they are
now going to direct

and control the learning
of these children.

They treat them like
an empty receptacles

into which they are going

to pour whatever learning
they think they ought to have.

In 1964, John Holt, an Ivy
League graduate and a teacher

in alternative schools.

Published his first book,
"How Children Fail."

In which he lays the
blame for the failure

of schoolchildren squarely on
the compulsory school system.

Not surprisingly, "How
Children Fail" was

extremely controversial.

And John Holt was soon famous

for rattling the American
national consciousness.

Perhaps no one knows
more about John Holt

and his work than Pat Farenga.

Here at his office in
Boston, Massachusetts,

Pat keeps John Holt's
legacy alive.

I got involved with
John Holt in 1981.

We were talking and then,
you know, so he asked me.

So what do you want
to do with your life?

And so, I told him, you
know, the honest truth.

Which was that I was
thinking of being a teacher.

And he said, why?

And I said, because I like
working with children.

And he took his glasses
off and he looked at me.

And he said, Pat, if you become
a teacher, you're not going

to work with children.

You're going to work
on children.

And I couldn't believe it.

What are you saying?

And before I could start
my argument, he said,

have you read any of my books?

I said, no.

He said, well, start.

So at that time his book, "Teach
Your Own" had just come out.

So I figured, let me
start with that one.

I couldn't get into it.

By the second chapter I
was pulling my hair out,

thinking this guy is crazy.

Who's going to teach your own?

This is nuts.

And so I remember
talking to Peggy,

Peg Durkee [assumed spelling],

his business manager
at the time.

And she said, well,
why don't you start

with his first book,
"How Children Fail."

So I read "How Children Fail."

And it made sense to me.

I got it. And then I
was able to engage John

in all these conversations.

By the mid-seventies,
Holt had officially given

up on reforming schools.

And instead, turned
his attention

to a movement he had been
previously unaware of.

Homeschooling.

John hit a nerve.

No one knew that all these
people were out there.

And once he realized that
these parents from all

around the country
were doing it,

but not in touch
with one another.

He started, "Growing
Without Schooling" magazine.

First issue was August, 1977.

"Growing Without Schooling"
magazine helped bring together

homeschoolers from
all over the country.

And was the only resource at the
time that dealt with the needs

of secular homeschoolers.

Either you were a
fundamentalist Christian,

or you were a crunchy
granola person.

Those were the people
who homeschooled back

when I began homeschooling.

I have seen a lot of shifts
in the homeschooling movement

over the last few decades.

Today, no matter where you
slice the American pie,

you will see homeschoolers
sticking out of it.

In 1980, homeschooling
was illegal in 30 states.

Now it's legal in all 50.

And the number of
homeschoolers is growing.

Between 1999 and
2012, the percentage

of children being
homeschooled has doubled.

Despite this growing trend,

there are many misperceptions
about homeschooling.

The general public's
conceptualization

of homeschooling is, your kids
stay at home all the time.

And you break out a book
and start lecturing to them,

and teaching them everything.

Homeschooling happens
like, pretty much everywhere.

Like in the car, at the grocery
store, on vacation, at home.

Everywhere.

There's so much that the
public doesn't understand

about homeschooling.

So, what do you
think alternatives are?

Have you heard about
homeschooling, for instance?

Do you think that's a
viable option for people?

For people who can afford it.

Do you think homeschooling
is expensive?

Yeah. Time consuming.

When I say the word
homeschooling, what images sort

of come to mind for you?

Sitting around a
kitchen table and, you know,

the parents giving the lessons.

Structured lessons.

A parent kind of going
through a curriculum

and teaching their kid, you
know, whatever grade level.

Actually, I think of a
really lonely, isolated child,

to be honest with you.

You need three
parents for that.

Are the parents
that are homeschooling,

I would assume it's
a parent or someone.

Are they certified?

Do they have, are they
qualified to educate?

Or if they're not, what makes
them think that they're better

than our public or
private schools?

That's my question.

When we pulled them
out, we had a couple

of soul searching moments.

Where we're like, you feel
inadequate to the job.

I mean we're not
trained teachers.

I don't have a credential.

I didn't go to school
and get a piece of paper

that says I can teach.

But I can teach.

They're my kids.

I know them.

I know their hearts.

I know their souls.

I know them inside and out.

I know what makes them tick.

You don't have to be
credentialed to teach.

On Sunday night,
my mom told us we have

to be ready for homeschooling.

So we had to be dressed and
everything at eight o'clock.

And you had to be at the table.

And we were just going to start.

Okay. So, we'll eventually
get some like, you know,

figure out a French curriculum.

Or a French program
that we're going to use.

But since we don't have
anything yet, we'll just.

We're just going to
start learning some words

out of this book
that we've always had

and we've never really
learned French out of.

So we'll start with la famille.

What do you think that means?

The family.

Very good.

That first morning
for homeschooling,

it was just school at home.

It wasn't anything special.

And I was like, what have
I gotten myself into?

Any word in French
that is feminine gets la.

And any word that is
masculine gets le.

I imagined like it would be
more I could choose more what I

want to do.

And I could learn
how I want to do it.

So my vision of what
homeschooling was like,

was that you recreated
school at the table.

You were going to have, you
know, from eight o'clock

to nine o'clock, you were
going to have one subject.

And then you would
switch to another.

I didn't really know
what we were going to do.

We didn't even know what
curriculum we were going

to follow.

There are thousands of options.

And I had intended to learn
what those options were

and be prepared.

But I didn't.

So Todd gave them an art lesson.

I want you draw as
many different kinds

of lines as you can.

And then we had to
take Todd into work.

So, you know, I thought,
there's no reason to stop.

So I brought the
French book with us

and we kept having a
French lesson in the car.

You got to remember, you don't
usually pronounce the letter

at the end of the word.

Unless there's an E after it.

So this one is just Ver.

Ver.

Instead of Verte.

Ver.

We dropped Todd off at work,
and I didn't know what to do.

So we just got home and kind
of called it a day after that.

The girls were thrilled, but
I had a big lump in my throat.

Thinking if they were in school,
they would still be working.

They would be learning things.

And it was hard for me to
just let nothing happen.

There are statistics that
say that about 50% of people

who homeschool drop out
during the first year.

Often it's because there's an
authoritarian parenting style

that's very inflexible.

They're slavishly adhering to
a school model for education.

And, you know, it just
isn't working in their home.

It's meant to work in a school,

where you can control
30 people with it.

It doesn't work so well
in the home environment.

When the student is sitting
right there next to you.

Gives you instant feedback, that
this is boring, or ridiculous.

Or they don't want
to do it, right.

So then, it comes into play.

The parent thinking,
oh, my gosh.

I have to force them to do this,

because that's what the
parent grew up with.

That's the model
that's in their head.

[ School Bell Ringing ]

The model of going to school
to learn is relatively new.

Before 1900, most
children learned at home

and out in the real world.

In 1837, the State

of Massachusetts formed the
first state board of education.

With Horace Mann
as its secretary.

Mann believed that
everyone was entitled

to the same content
in education.

Returning from a research
trip to Germany in 1848.

Mann lobbied heavily to have
the Prussian model adopted.

He quickly set about
establishing a statewide system

of Common Schools, staffed by
professionally trained teachers.

His ideas quickly
gained momentum.

And by 1852, Massachusetts
passed a compulsory

attendance law.

Mann also believed that school
could become a great equalizer.

And values such as
obedience to authority,

promptness in attendance,

and organizing time
according to bell ringing.

Would help students prepare

for future employment,
in an industrial age.

And the whole purpose of
it is to create a docile,

factory, military workforce.

The whole purpose is to
subordinate children.

And get them in that mindset
of being subordinated,

so they grow up to be
subordinated adults.

This is the poorest
class I've had in a long --

Prussian Schooling had been
out to destroy the imagination.

In every public library worth
its salt, in the United States,

and in every college library.

You will find a collection
of essays

by a Prussian philosopher,
Johann Fichte.

Fichte said we have
to set up a system

of universal forced schooling.

In which we destroy
the imagination.

Bells, ordered lessons,
constant testing, rankings.

The entire system is designed

to regiment a large
group of people.

And to get them all to
do the exact same thing.

By 1900, 34 states had
compulsory schooling laws.

Half the nation's children
attended one-room schools.

And by 1918, every
state required students

to complete elementary school.

The reality is,
they want children

to take their place in society.

Be cogs, and keep
this system going.

So you're going to
school to take your place.

Now, the trouble
is with your attitude.

You don't pay enough
attention in class.

You don't do enough
work outside of it.

Our own schooling,
in many respects,

did a whole lot of damage
to our self-confidence.

And that's what I try to tell
people when they look at me

and say, but, you know,
I'm not a teacher.

I couldn't possibly do
that with my children.

And sometimes they just
need some encouragement.

And a little rebuilding
of that self-confidence

that was destroyed.

Hello.

Hi.

Hi, come in.

Feeling uncertainty
about her decision,

Rachel has made an appointment
with a homeschool counselor.

And how long have you
been in this new lifestyle?

It's very new for us.

Yeah.

And we're really
excited that we're doing it.

But we're not really
sure how to do it.

We're kind of paving our own
path here, and it's scary.

Yes.

What if we do it wrong?

Those are some of my fears.

Yes.

What if we're closing
doors instead of opening them?

When we look at what are some

of the common concerns,
the overarching is,

I'm not doing enough.

And I'm going to miss
something anxiety.

What do you guys like to do?

I like designing
costumes and like,

create characters of my own.

And design costumes
and things like that.

So now you have lots of
time to do that, don't you?

Is that so great?

I'm really into like,
animals and marine biology.

So I really kind of want
to take a class on that.

Okay.

Yeah.

So parents really
worry about,

I'm living out of the box.

I'm not doing enough, right.

What if I screw this up?

It's like taking all of
the parenting worries,

and kind of magnifying
them a little bit more.

So you're just probably in an
early phase now of saying, okay,

we used to do all these things.

Our life was structured
this way.

And now we get to
have it structured

in a little bit of
a different way.

Okay.

And you're going to be
reinventing all the time.

You're going to create
a new path.

But that path has so many
places for discovery.

You get to change it
any time you want.

Michelle advises Rachel

to give the girls some
unstructured time before

deciding on a path.

A process called deschooling.

In traditional schooling,
it's a lot of top down.

I'm going to tell
you to do this.

And this is how you do it,
and this is when you do it.

So for the kids, part

of the deschooling process
is really allowing them

to find what really is
peaking their interests.

Sometimes people will say it's
like for every year that you're

in school, it's like a
month of deschooling.

I always say to parents, let's
just give it lots of time.

I want to give them
the freedom to be able

to really explore
what they want to do.

But I'm also really nervous.

It's -- I feel like I have
a different vantage point

on their lives than they do.

It scares me a little bit to
give them too much freedom.

And leave it too
much in their hands.

The hardest thing is to
get out of your own way.

I call it my school
brain, you know.

Every now and then kicks in and
starts going, you know, but,

but, they're not
interested in this.

But they're this age, and
this is what you learn.

You know, and you sort of -- if
you can stop that and step back.

And trust that your
kids are going

to be okay pursuing what
they are interested in.

And then, you're going to
have a much easier time of it.

It's hard for me not to
judge what my kids are doing.

I heard someone say
yesterday, you know,

one of the most important
things that you need to do

when you start this process.

Is to let go of expectations.

And I have a lot of them.

I want my kids to
be high achievers.

I hear about all
these other things

that all these amazing
kids have done, you know.

And I want my kids
to be those kids.

For this, you'll
need a sewing machine,

some light cotton fabric.

Scissors, pins.

>>The difference between school
and education and learning.

Is that learning can
become all the things

that anyone expected
of education.

But learning doesn't
separate educational

from non-educational.

And I think no matter
what a person learns.

No matter how trivial it
seems at the beginning.

It eventually can tie into
something or become useful.

Or make that person interesting,

give them their own
unique perspective.

And I think any ideas
of that's not scholarly,

that's not schoolish,
that's not educational.

Separate a person
from the world.

What are you doing, babe?

I find that I really
want a break sometimes.

I want to have seven hours where
I send my kids away to school.

And I feel kind of fortunate

that they do spend some
time with their dad.

So I do get breaks sometimes,
where some other people don't.

Like the lab slips, or
whatever dental fun here.

While you guys do this, I'll
go fix up a couple syringes.

The biggest fear for me in
deschooling is getting behind

to a point where they can't
catch up to those other kids.

Curriculum is maybe
a little strong word.

But I really want to give
them some sort of structure.

Once they figure out what
they want to do, I want to try

and help them achieve that.

As parents, we like,
want that security

to know we're doing our best.

Or we're doing what's
right for our kids.

And for some reason, we
get security in the fact

that they have done
their math homework

and their social
studies homework.

But like, what did
they really do?

You good? I think what they
really did isn't as significant

as what they really can
do if they're left alone.

If they're really left
alone to learn the things

that they're interested in.

They learn them so much better.

Take your cues
from the children.

Because they're very
innocent, they're very pure.

And that pureness comes through,
if your mind isn't cluttered

with a lot of other
things going on.

And if you do that, what you
need to do gets shown to you.

One of the concerns that I
have with homeschooling is that.

Well, how am I going to
know if they're progressing,

if they're not taking tests?

How am I going to know that
they're learning anything,

if I can't see on
a piece of paper

that they got a letter
saying that they learned it?

At school, you don't have
to worry about these things.

Three months into
deschooling, Rachel,

Todd and Thomas are anxious

about what the girls
might be missing.

They decide they need to
explore what other homeschoolers

are doing.

Hi.

Hello.

I was an elementary
school teacher.

And I thought I was going to
take my kids to my school.

I worked at a great
school that I loved.

And then my eldest did
not want to go to school.

And I thought that
was very strange.

But I honored that.

And I ended up homeschooling
kindergarten, thought,

you can't make or
break kindergarten.

Started off very structured,
because I was a teacher.

And kind of fell into it,
and then kind of liked it.

Like, this is kind of great.

There's a lot of freedom here.

Once I loosened up and
realized that kids will learn

when you leave them alone.

So I'll give you guys a cone.

And henna is really
like, all about symmetry.

So you can do like flowers
and leaves and stuff.

But you want to make
sure it's symmetrical.

And always pull towards you
when you're doing henna.

Kids don't really learn with
paper and pencil a whole lot.

My kids don't.

I mean, they do put
pencil to paper.

But that's not how they learn.

But not workbooks?

Tests?

I have them, they're
in my house.

And my kids have done them.

But it's not the
number one choice

of activity for them at all.

Take the nose and fold it
down on the straight line.

They do great things.

And it's not me, it's them.

People say, oh, you
were a teacher.

So you can teach them.

And I'm like, I don't
even really teach my kids.

I watch them grow and learn.

I don't teach them.

You know, once in a blue moon, I
might toss something their way,

that maybe they didn't
already know.

But that's pretty
rare, actually.

It's more that I actually
learn more from them.

They teach me a lot.

I feel pretty ready to
phase out of deschooling,

and into something a little
more formal and structured.

But I don't know how to do that.

As far as curriculum, there are
a few things I have my eyes on.

That I would like
to possibly use.

But I want to try
and involve the girls

in the decision-making process.

Because I know that if
they're not interested in it,

they're not going to do it.

And it's going to be
a waste of my money

and my efforts and my time, so.

I think we tried every kind
of homeschooling there is.

So we started out with
classroom schooling at home.

And we tried, we did
some things with a co-op.

We did some structured
learning with curriculum.

We did some child-initiated
learning.

We just did, really,
the whole spectrum.

And different things fit each
child at different times.

Still uncertain about which
homeschooling path to take.

Rachel and the girls
visit another family,

using a much more
structured approach.

Called Classical Curriculum.

Hi.

Hi, how are you?

Good, how are you?

I'm Rachel.

Shannon.

The first year I did it, I
would fill these schedules out.

This is when we're
going to learn Japanese.

I don't know Japanese.

How am I going to
teach Japanese?

Okay, I'll just whatever.

It was just ridiculous,
really, that we were going

to learn all these things.

And this is how I
was going to do it.

And I had my schedule on my
wall, and it was impossible.

It was absolutely impossible.

Until I heard about this group
called Classical Conversations.

Where mom's come together.

And your kids can play games.

And they can learn songs.

And they can actually
have fun ingesting very

important material.

[ Music & Singing ]

Classical Education is a
method of training the mind.

In a systematic and structured
three-part process known

as The Trivium.

Your girls are right
in that middle zone.

Right where they're
about to transition

into what they call
the dialectic stage.

So they're going
to be talking back.

So you want to start
saying, okay,

you want to learn how to argue.

Let's teach you formal debate.

What's that look like?

That's what I really
love about homeschooling.

Is that I can have
discussions with my class.

And I can talk to them
about what my opinions are

and I can hear from them.

And understand both
sides of arguments,

instead of just being
taught one thing.

Or, you know, it's
just more well-rounded.

The Classical Method
is language intensive,

systematic and rigorous.

Is there a lot
of work every week?

There is so much work.

You, like, I don't know.

Maybe it's just because I'm
-- like, this is for a week.

This is all my Latin.

I think that the
way that they learn,

isn't really the way
I would want to learn.

But I can tell it really
works for their family.

Yes, so this is the math.

I miss a lot.

And I fail a lot.

And I make lots and
lots of mistakes.

But, for the most
part, it works.

I don't even -- I
think if I did nothing,

and failed at everything.

And everything was a
mistake, it would still work.

I don't know what
it is about humans.

They want to learn.

So in this beaker,
I've got copper sulfate,

in solution, dissolved.

And then, this is just
aluminum -- metal.

In stark contrast to
the structured approach

of Classical Curriculum,

is self-directed
learning, or unschooling.

I've been unschooling
my whole life.

And I've got a, you
know, great passion

for chemistry and physics.

I've been able to make a little
chemistry lab where I can fool

around and be serious.

And learn a ton of chemistry,
and do cool experiments.

Unschooling has allowed
me to go at my own pace.

So I've been able to really
go ahead in all the areas

that I'm really interested in.

And also do -- learn
the material itself

in a very different way
than I would in school.

The term unschooling
is often misunderstood.

It was first coined
by John Holt, in 1977.

And came from an
unlikely source.

In 1977, the word
homeschooling wasn't popular.

But it was out there
a little bit.

But he decided that, you
know, he wanted to come

up with the word unschooling.

Because what he -- the type
of learning he was talking

about didn't have to
take place at home.

And it didn't have
to look like school.

And at the same time, there
was an ad campaign by 7 Up.

And they were saying
"We're not a cola.

We're more natural.

We are the uncola."

And I think he was kind
of picking up on that.

So he came up with
the word unschooling.

Basically, unschooling is
using life as the learning tool.

So we're never out of school,
because we're never out of life.

And so, it's just using what
is happening on a daily basis

as an example of how to learn.

Going to the grocery store
becomes, oh, let's, you know,

practice our math skills.

And practice rounding.

Because now we can, the
easier way to figure

out how much money
we're spending.

Or how much money we have.

So that becomes, you
know, a math skill.

I think the difference
between homeschooling

and unschooling, is
unschooling is full-time,

self-directed learning.

So as a teenager, that means
that you are taking the reins.

You are actively
directing your education.

And not just doing
what mom and dad say.

Or what your friends
or your family say.

Basically, what it is,

is allowing your child
the freedom and the joy.

To explore their own passions
and interests in their own way.

Because they're innately
motivated.

I went to public
school up until 5th grade.

And at the end of 5th
grade, I told my parents,

I'm not learning anything.

Something has to be done if I
want to continue my education.

I went ahead and
became an unschooler.

And directed my own education,

all the way up until
the end of high school.

I started a flower
delivery business.

I started a photography business
that I ran for six years.

I traveled abroad, and lived
in France for four months.

And learned French,

and experienced a new
language and culture.

But I still assumed that
college was the path to success,

because my parents went.

My peers were going,
and society expected it.

I left college after
eight months,

because I wasn't
terribly impressed

with the quality
of the academics.

In May 2011, Dale was
selected out of hundreds

of individuals around the
world as a Thiel fellow.

The Thiel Fellowship
brings together some

of the world's most creative
and motivated young people.

And provides them

with a no-strings-attached
grant of $100,000.

To skip college and
focus on their work,

research and self-education.

With the endowment from
the Thiel Foundation,

Dale founded UnCollege.

UnCollege is a social
movement challenging the notion

that college equals success.

It's not anti-college.

I love education just
as much as anybody else.

I simply think that education
isn't limited to school.

Today, at only 22 years
old, he is a published author.

And a much sought
after education speaker

at events around the world.

I don't think
everyone who wants

to unschool will be
successful at it.

Some people can't relax.

Some people are not creative.

Some people are not imaginative.

Some people are so controlling.

That if something happens that
they didn't plan and execute,

they're not having fun anymore.

They're looking at the
world and their children

through school colored glasses.

And they're willing
to do other things,

as long as the result
looks like school.

And they need to turn
their back on that and look

at the world a whole new way.

Trust, of course,
is a big one.

Because you have to trust

that your child will learn
what they need to learn.

That they're capable.

And that really requires a shift

in your own perception
of human nature.

Now, I know some people
watching this will probably be

saying, "Well, yeah you know,
your child may be good at this.

And if that's all he does,
what about his weak points?"

This is not to say that
you ignore the weak points.

But there's a lot of
happiness to be derived

with these children who
are growing up to be

who they are meant to be.

And nobody intervening
and trying to make them

into something that they aren't.

Or even worse, trying
to make them

like everybody else
who is around them.

I just didn't really enjoy
going to school very much.

Some of the stuff they did
didn't really make much sense

to me.

Every day, these people
were bullying me and stuff.

And I wasn't learning much.

Everybody would hang out in
like, little groups of people.

Like, you couldn't hang out
with everybody in your class.

There was just little
groups of like, four people.

And they'd only hang
out with each other.

But like, with homeschooling,
I get to like,

see all of my friends.

And they don't like, exclude
people from certain places.

There's not like,
groups of people

and only certain people
could hang out with them.

This is my calligraphy set.

My mom wrote a poetry book once,

and I illustrated
the pictures in it.

That's one drawing.

Like, some kids in school,
they feel really uptight.

And they can't like,
express their selves.

And do what they want to do.

And I feel like I could, you
know, be around my friends,

and like, act like myself.

I'm more confident that
I could go out there

and do what I feel
passionate to do with my life.

You learn by just
doing, I think.

You know. You don't learn

by having things
check-marked and things.

The way you kind of learn
how to use a camera,

is toy around with
it and figure it out.

I don't really have to hear a
bunch of different teachers,

going into different classrooms.

I'm on my own time.

I'm like okay, now I can
do math, now I can do this.

Just do whatever I need to do.

And I don't got to worry about
cliques or anything like that,

in high school or anything.

It's fun to learn,
without having to learn.

And you can just learn whatever
you want, when you want.

And if you're not
ready for something,

you don't have to do it.

And there's no like,
ranks, grades.

Like, you can do whatever
you want and work on it.

And if somebody asks me, "Hey,

do you want to learn
about this?"

Then I'll usually say yes.

Instead of "You got to do this,

or else you'll not
move up a grade."

Well, one of the great
things about unschooling,

is that it doesn't
prepare children

for a conventional life.

If you want your children to
live an extraordinary life.

An empowered life.

A life based in freedom, and
creativity, and possibility.

Then it's great that they're
not getting the constant message

that says.

You have to jump
through all these hoops

in order to succeed in life.

Because there's so
many ways to succeed.

And with information
so readily accessible,

the path to success and the
employment landscape are

constantly evolving.

But I know I have
the resources.

I know that everybody
has the resources.

Particularly with the
internet these days.

Like, you can get
anything you need.

I feel like I'm pretty
well prepared for anything

that comes along my way.

So many people are stuck
in this traditional model of,

you do well in school.

You get a college education.

And then you're going
to get a good job.

You know, the new economy
has changed all those rules.

I mean, there's so many
opportunities right now

for doing things that
didn't even exist ten,

fifteen, twenty years ago.

I have a lot of education.

I went to school forever.

So what did I get
out of my education?

I got student loans
that are crippling.

And I was under the impression
that if I stayed in school.

I did everything that my
parents told me to do.

That I would be successful.

But that's not the formula.

Although Rachel and
Todd remain committed

to homeschooling.

New financial stressors
are forcing them

to reconsider their methods.

We are going through
financial upheaval.

It's not quite like a crisis.

But we just have a lot going on.

I partner in a video
game studio.

And we lost some contracts.

So we couldn't hit
payroll for just too long.

And we all just, we
acquired some debt and stuff.

But, so I had to
get another job.

But I'm kind of working
both, because I still want

to keep my studio on track.

But it's just been really tough.

After much consideration,
Rachel has signed the girls

up for a local independent
charter school.

The reasons that
we decided to try

out the charter school was
because -- well, it's twofold.

Partly because they
give us funding.

That was the main reason.

They give us money for
materials or classes.

And I do like the idea of having
a little bit of oversight.

I mean, we might explore things
that we wouldn't otherwise.

There's a difference
between charter schools

and independent study
charter schools.

An independent study
charter school is basically a

public school,

funded by state, you
know, state funds.

But it's for families that
want their kids to not be

in the brick and mortar.

To basically learn
at home in their way.

Still following state
guidelines.

Still having to do
the state testing.

But they can do their
own style of learning.

They can have differentiated
instruction

that they might not have
in a regular classroom.

Independent study regulations
in California require

that the student meet

with a credentialed
educational specialist,

or ES, on a regular basis.

My role as an ES is to
monitor children that are

in the charter school.

The independent study
charter school.

To make sure they're
following state standards.

They're learning what
they need to learn.

They're taking the
mandated state testing.

And it's really just to
keep the parents on track.

Over at his office,
Thomas is helping the girls

with their first
science assignment.

I feel a lot more comfortable
now, as they move into like,

this -- a little
bit more structure.

There's a little check
there that I like.

I didn't expect to join
like, a little school.

I expected to just kind of
stay away from all that.

But it's nice, because they
fund classes that we do.

Like, me and Lily are both going
to take guitar and voice now.

And they're paying for it.

And I'm taking French, which
they're paying for as well.

A lot of parents sign

up for charter schools
simply for the funding.

And you know what?

I have no problem with that.

As long as they fill
their end of the bargain,

which is to do the work.

You know, make sure their
kids are following those

state standards.

Participating in
the state testing.

Being respectful to their
ES and to our school rules.

They can have the funding.

Lily is studying like, life
science is what they call it.

It's kind of Biology,
really general Biology.

Ana is, her lesson today is
about just statistical analysis.

Or like, how a scientist
develops an experiment.

After reading
through the textbook,

Thomas and the girls decide

to put their own spin
on the assignment.

And take the learning outside.

We have a cool camera.

We're going to take a laptop
out, and somebody can take like,

screenshots of whatever
bugs we find.

And this thing really
blows stuff up,

so it will be pretty cool.

It kind of fits in
with both of our things.

So I think it will work out,
but it wasn't in the book.

I'm seeing no bugs in here.

I don't think we
chose a very good spot.

Is that a turd or a seed?

That was a seed.

Location number
one is a bust.

Oh, it's cute.

I love Roly-Poly's.

You documenting all this?

And then we saw an
earthworm, and a black bug.

But we didn't capture it.

But I saw it and my dad saw it.

Ana, start gathering
your stuff,

getting it organized by subject.

Okay.

We are having our first
meeting with our ES today.

And I'm really nervous about it.

She has a reputation
for being pretty stiff.

This is a learning plan.

And I have to fill out what
curriculum we're using.

What skills, concepts and
standards we're covering.

The assignments they did.

Any assessments,
follow up notes.

It's a lot of administrative
paperwork.

So, today I'm
showing the ES everything

out of my science section.

This is our project that
we did yesterday with Dad.

These are the exact books
that we turned in last year.

I don't have to use them.

But we're trying them out.

She has to see everything
they've done, graded.

And then she is -- she
has to take a sample

with her from each subject.

Instead of oversight, it
feels more like an overlord

that we're having to answer to.

And we're actually
doing things only

so that we can show
her that we did it.

When she heard about
the science experiment,

she wasn't interested
in what it was at all.

She was just, like, okay,
can I see the lab write up?

And Lily's like, sure.

And so she tries to explain.

And so, she's like, I just need
the lab write up, thank you.

She doesn't really want to
get to know us, I can tell.

I feel like we should have some
sort of relationship with her.

If we're going to stay
with the charter school,

and she's going to stay our ES.

Which I'm hoping she doesn't,

because it's making
it stressful.

She actually taught us how to
jump through the hoops better.

She taught us -- she told us

where to find some online
quizzes that were really easy.

That we could print out to
give her to show her, as work.

It didn't mean that the girls
were going to learn anything.

It was just a matter
of, alright.

Let's print this out, so we
can hand it over to someone.

So they can make sure
that we're learning.

We're all really
obsessed with products

in this consumer
society of ours.

And we're also obsessed with
it in schooling -- product.

What did you do?

How did you perform?

What's your grade?

Show me the test score.

Show me the work that you did.

Whereas in homeschooling,
it doesn't have to be that.

It can be about the process and
the journey of just learning.

Because when we learn
in that way,

everything we learn
is internalized.

And it stays with us
for a really long time.

I think there are
creative teachers.

I think there are
innovative teachers.

And especially in
the public school,

I think they are handcuffed.

Not only are they
dealing with kids

that don't want to be there.

But they're dealing with
school boards and legislators.

And there are a whole lot

of constraints built
into the system.

I wish we could replace
compulsory education

with a smorgasbord of
learning opportunities.

And it could be much more

like the junior college
and college model.

Where the kids get
to pick classes.

And they get to pick teachers.

Because not every teacher
is right for every student.

And not every class
is interesting.

So what would it look like
if children really did have

a choice?

What if they could
pick their own classes?

Just outside Portland,
Oregon is a place

that is turning the
conventional notions

of classroom learning
on its head.

Village Home is
a learning community

for families that homeschool.

And we are a place where we
deliver individualized education

in a community setting.

At first blush, when you walk
in, it looks like some tables

and chairs and kids
sitting in them.

And somebody at the
front teaching.

But it's really not a school.

What is different is
the internal reality

for the children.

They are making a
choice to be there.

And they have been trusted by
their families, by the teachers.

To have a voice in
their own education.

And so, they're owning
that experience in a way

that is very different.

On that first CD, where
it says class equals purple,

ID equals purple.

If you put ID equals
purple there, it will apply

that style right away.

As soon as the page is rendered.

Village Home offers a
huge range of different ages

and different topics and
different subjects of classes.

That you can take to
supplement your learning

that you do at home.

Or, you know, some people
are taking Village full-time.

Really, the backbone of
what we're about is choice.

And we don't think that learning
can happen if somebody is not

at choice in that equation.

All the students
really want to be there,

and they want to learn.

So it really changes
the environment

versus like, public schooling.

Where they're all
just counting the time

until it's lunch or recess.

Here's the question
on number two.

To our family, homeschooling
is more about the fact

that our family is
directing that.

Rather than some school
district, or some state,

or some federal mandate saying.

You know, this is where, when,
and what your child will learn.

Jack is someone who's grown up,

realizing that he has a very big
say in what he's going to learn.

And what he's going
to invest his time in.

And it's very different
from kids

who have been basically told
what they're going to learn.

And maybe they get one elective.

Our teachers have a lot of
free rein to do what they want

to do in the classroom.

And to be themselves
in the classroom.

And that's actually an important
part of the community too.

Is that there's a lot of
trust built into our system.

Introduction will
be something

that we are going
to do as a group.

I don't necessarily want

to be an absolute
authority in the class.

Because I think the kids are
as important to the class

as any other aspect
that I can think of.

And, in fact, I think
that one of the reasons

that I've been successful
as a teacher.

Is because the kids realize that
I'm not the person that's going

to be the authority
in that overt sense.

I'm the guy that's going to let
them have a participatory role

in these conversations.

One of the things about
Village Home, in particular,

that is a real strength.

And this is true in home
education in general.

Is you have mixed-age learning.

And mixed-age learning
is so powerful.

Ready?

Point.

Flex.

The tap and ballet class
is being led by a student

at Village Home who is sixteen.

And she's an accomplished
dancer.

And she wanted to provide
an intro to tap and ballet.

So she proposed a course.

And we put it in the catalog.

And so, the kids can definitely
express their leadership.

By providing learning
opportunities for other kids

in formal ways, and
not just informal ways.

All of the research indicates
that the intrinsic motivation

to learn declines
through adolescence.

And what we're finding

in our setting is actually
the opposite of that.

It's our teens that are asking
for more, and digging deeper,

and exploring new areas.

We should put in
more sample tags.

We want more classes.

We want them longer.

We want to be able
to delve deeper

into the material
and have more fun.

Because this is what
we are interested in.

And our interests, our
learning, becomes our fun.

I think the best
thing we're doing

for the teens is we're not
isolating them from life.

These kids at Village Home and
that are being homeschooled,

are engaging in the real world.

And learning isn't
separated from life.

Hi Amy, it's Rachel.

After six months of
frustration with the system.

Rachel has decided to part ways

with the charter
school, for good.

I want to talk to
you about, you know,

our future in the
charter school.

And kind of what we're thinking.

Being part of the
charter school wasn't part

of the homeschool experience
that I wanted to have.

I still had to meet
the same requirements

that I did at school.

And I still had to write
essays and things like that,

that I had no interest in.

And so, I'm really glad
to be free of that.

Okay, so girls,
I don't know why.

But for some reason,
we have to still meet,

even though we just
quit the school.

We still have to meet
with her one more time.

Turn in samples in
every subject,

and show her our attendance log.

Uh, wait, we have to
do one for every subject?

Every subject.

We thought it would a
really good middle ground

between school and homeschool.

And it turned out to
be just school again.

We were doing a lot of
jumping through hoops.

Having to meet their
requirements.

Which ended up being busy work
and not necessarily educational.

My guess is there was a
pretty low retention rate

on what they did.

Because they weren't doing it

because they were
interested in it.

They were doing it because
someone told them they had

to do it.

We also have to turn in
all of our textbooks.

So we have to gather those up.

I'm a little bit nervous

about quitting the
charter school.

Just because I felt like
it was keeping me on track.

And it was my anchor, I guess.

But I feel good about it,

because it was so
much like school.

Okay, do you want
to give some samples

that you didn't turn in before?

It's hard to feel confident.

There's so many unknowns
in what we're doing.

The path isn't laid out for us.

You know, I feel a little
panic over, you know, now what?

I don't know what
we're going to do now.

Please.

Don't. Lily, I'm serious.

To make matters worse,
Ana and Lily are getting

on each other's nerves.

We're all kind of
driving each other nuts.

I am frustrated with them a lot.

I think that we're just kind
of stuck in the house too much.

Just let me be in
your room with you.

You know, I just
think that we need to get

out of the house more.

And we need more
social interaction.

Rachel finds a few online
homeschool networks specific

to her community.

And finds many opportunities
to get outside

and meet other homeschoolers.

I went to the beach recently
with a homeschooling network.

So I got to meet a
whole bunch of people.

I think that being
at school for all

of that time really
does define who you are.

A lot of girls have to be very
fake, instead of being real.

When I meet other homeschoolers,
they ask things more like,

what are you interested in?

And like, where have you lived?

Where do you want to go?

Ever since I've been
out of school,

I feel like I've been
a lot more myself.

Than I ever have been
in a really long time.

I get to just be myself now.

It blows me away that
after all these years,

there's still the question,

what about socialization?

What happens when they
get out in the real world?

And, you know, you just --
they never left the real world.

I love the question
of how do you socialize.

I think that's my favorite.

Because, I'm like --

Do you have any friends?

Well, I'm talking
to you right now.

And this is kind of how
it works, it's a back

and forth conversation.

Like, how do you
think I socialize?

Like everybody else.

Every homeschooler,
every homeschooled kid,

that's like the first --
either that or academics.

That's always what people ask.

Are you socialized?

What does it mean
to be socialized?

One of the things
I like about my kids,

is that they're able to
socialize with adults.

You know, they're able to talk
to adults like they're people.

Because I talk to my
kids like they're people.

I can always tell when
I'm interacting with a child,

if they have learned
outside the classroom.

Because they look me in the eye.

They're comfortable
talking with me.

They're comfortable
with themselves.

It's so clear.

School is about preparing
kids for the real world.

But then we don't let them
get involved in the real world

for the full time that
they're in these institutions.

Somebody who is
opposed to home education.

The only thing they can pull
out is, well, how do we know

that they're being socialized?

As if getting your lunch money
stolen and getting beaten

up on your way to
class is socialization.

So let's get you set.

Do you need three?

Things are starting
to get a lot better.

We've started connecting

with some local homeschool
groups, which has been great.

Because the girls are
making connections there.

Also, I think I'm
starting to kind of let go

and relax a little bit.

I'm amazed at how
much I'm learning now.

And it's not that I have more
opportunities to learn now.

But I'm taking more
opportunities

to be part of learning.

And to just engage with life in
a more rich and fulfilling way.

What? Can't you
ask me for help?

Many of us start, thinking
that we're homeschooling

because we're going to give this
great education to our children.

But once you get into it,

you realize that it's
much more a lifestyle.

Good morning.

Rise and shine.

It's been twelve months
of this new lifestyle.

Todd, Rachel, Ana and
Lily are finally learning

to relax into it.

And it's changing
the family dynamics.

It's changing
everything about my life.

It reaches into every
part of my life.

It's been really nice to have
a lot more relaxed approach

to our days.

To have them be joyful, and
not, you know, full of stress.

And rushing, and anxiety, and
yelling, and stuff like that.

They've been given
permission to kind

of pursue their own interests.

And they're free to basically go

down any creative
path they want.

I want to show them what
I'm passionate about.

Like, unapologetically.

It's like, you can
take it or leave it.

You don't have to do it.

But, and obviously
art is that for me.

And, you know, as it turns out,

they both do a lot
of visual art.

Okay, so these are the
four main characters.

Let me tell you a little
bit about each one,

so you guys know what to do.

We're working on a little
family friendly puzzle game.

And so, we have a little
cast of characters.

They're kind of cute, you know.

Just come up with some ideas.

There's no wrong answers.

This is the time
called brainstorming.

I have Lily working on
some costume designs

for this Valkyrie, kind

of Viking warrior
girl that we need.

And then Ana is drawing a fairy.

They dig it.

Any chance to create,
they're just thrilled.

Okay, tell me what
you're thinking.

It's exciting, look at that.

Well, I was thinking like,

I was going to make
this more like that.

So she can run in it.

Yeah, that's good.

They have open access to
the art software that I use.

And, in fact, I leave the
art I'm doing professionally

on my screen.

And oftentimes, they'll
just come and work on it.

I'll make sure there's
saved versions,

so they can't screw up anything.

I like her hair being
really long too.

That might be cool, if it
was as long as she is tall.

Longer.

I just let them
fully into my universe,

and we'll see what happens.

I'm learning so
much about my kids.

It's amazing how
much I'm learning

about their personalities,
that I didn't know

when they were in school.

Lily is very determined.

She's always trying to figure
out what things she needs to do

to get from where she is
to where she wants to go.

I've been focusing
on gymnastics a lot.

I wake up and do
pushups and sit-ups.

Gymnastics is really expensive.

So to help pay for it,
I've been making things

and then selling them.

Lily has contacted a
professional seamstress,

who has agreed to help
her with a sewing project.

See how it stretches?

It does not stretch
when it goes like this.

Today I'm getting stuff
to make some jewelry pouches.

They're basically little
pouches that you can cinch

up with pockets and
pouches on the inside.

Do you think this
will be too stretchy?

No, it's fine.

Yeah. Yeah.

In addition to
learning about fabrics,

she gets a very practical
math lesson.

You can do 3.14 times 6,
gives you the circumference.

You need at least
that, and then pull it.

I got all the stuff I
needed for my jewelry pouch.

And I got the cord and stuff.

Now I'm just kind of
looking around and trying

to find some inspiration.

And like, I don't know.

I'm just getting a lot
of ideas for stuff, so.

You know what you should do?

It's just like, you should
become friends with somebody

that works as a costumer.

Or in dancing, or
something like that.

And you attach yourself to
them and be an apprentice.

And that's how you get in.

That's really smart.

Yeah.

That's kind of what I did.

That was pretty inspiring

to see just all sorts
of different fabric.

And seeing how much like,
she knows and everything.

It's very inspiring.

And it makes me realize how
much work I'll have to do.

And like, how much I
have to still learn.

The sea lions can bring
their back flippers forward.

And that allows them
to be able to walk

on all four flippers,
when they're on land.

I really, really
love marine biology.

Especially aquatic mammals.

I like that I have all
this time to be able

to follow my passions.

But I am a very serious
procrastinator.

I just don't really know how
to get where I want to go yet.

I'm trying to figure
it out, but it's hard.

I am really, seriously thinking
about going to high school.

High school is kind of an
easy thing to fall back on.

All my friends from
middle school are going

to the high school in the fall.

And I kind of want to
be there with them.

I want to ask you a
couple of questions about --

make sure you understand
your reasons for going.

Oh, I know.

Yeah. I don't know if I'm
going to stick with it.

But I at least want
to give it a chance.

Well, I wonder
if you can audit it,

like they do with
college classes.

Because if you just want to
be there with your friends,

that's understandable.

That's not the only reason.

So you want to go there and
get into the textbook and --

I want to try it!

Okay, I respect that.

I don't necessarily want

to take the easy path
because it's easy.

But I just don't know what
else to do at this point.

Uh, however, if you do
end up going back to school.

There will be -- I'm not going

to be playing the
role of the nag.

And get your homework done.

And you can't go
here until you --

Okay.

You're owning it.

I'm okay with that.

You're going to own it.

I am absolutely,
100% okay with that.

And you're setting
your own alarm clock,

and you're getting yourself up.

Okay.

You're getting
yourself there.

If she does end up going back,

it's going to be a
fascinating social experiment.

To see what it will be like
for someone who's had tons

of freedom.

To going back into that kind
of confined environment,

where she has very
little freedom.

Should I tell you
some high school stories?

No.

How come?

Because.

I honestly think
there's a little bit of a --

some appeal to her to go back
into a structured setting.

And have someone else make
all those decisions for her.

And take all that
off of herself.

And just have to do what
they tell her to do.

I'm excited to
see how it goes.

But I'm also really
nervous about it.

It's going to be,
well, different.

Both my children wanted

to see what real high
school was like too.

And I remember my son came
home after the third day or so.

And he said, I don't know
how I ever learned anything

without grades.

Because we'd never had
grades before, you know.

And he was really into the
whole school and the grading.

And the papers and
the due dates.

And all of this.

They found it very
interesting and exciting.

And at the end of the semester,
I said, well, do you want to go

to the high school full-time?

And he said, no.

I said Why not?

And he said, because the kids

at the high school have
a really limited frame

of what they're thinking
about, Mom.

They're talking about
what's happening today.

What happened yesterday.

And what's going
to happen tomorrow.

But there's not much
beyond that.

Despite foregoing
high school,

both Jasmin's children
got into one

of the most competitive
universities in the country.

UC Berkeley.

I think our parents did
instill in us this idea

that college was
something that was good.

That we wanted to achieve.

That, I think it
really was an end goal.

But there wasn't
the same pressure.

It was, you want to do
this for your own sake.

Not because we're
telling you to do it.

I just really love learning.

And there hasn't been
a pressure of oh, well,

you have to do this,
to become this.

And so, I wanted to
continue learning.

If there's one
thing that I'm grateful

for in my entire
homeschooling experience.

If there's one thing that
it's given me, it's curiosity.

Colleges are falling all over
themselves to get homeschoolers

and kids from Democratic
schools.

Why? Because it's so
rare for them to get kids

that are still interested
in learning.

While Ana considers
the pros and cons

of going back to school.

Rachel tries to let her
daughter own the decision.

There's definitely part
of me that is going to feel

like I've failed as a
homeschooling mother.

If Ana ends up going
back to high school.

You know, I'm going to worry and
wonder about what I did wrong.

Or what I could have
done differently.

So I've decided just to kind
of step back and allow her

to make this decision.

And I'm going to have to
live with the consequences.

She's going to have to
live with the consequences.

But it will probably be a good
learning experience for her.

The hard part about being
a self-directed learner,

or the parent of a
self-directed learner.

Is separating expectations
from needs.

If you are a teenager,
you are expected

in so many different ways to
not only to just go to school.

But to learn certain
things at a certain time.

And as a parent, you're
supposed to be kind of pushing

that on your teenager.

That's a way that you
can be kind of living

out somebody else's dreams.

And as a self-directed
learner, you have to figure out,

gee, what are my dreams?

What are my priorities,
my goals, my needs?

Is it just what everyone
else is doing?

After several weeks
of weighing her options,

Ana has made her mind
up about high school.

A lot of the things that I'm
really interested in right now.

I realize that I don't
need school for them.

It's taken me a year and a
half to get to where I am.

To figure out what I'm
really passionate about.

And what I like to be doing.

And I feel like if
I went back now,

it would crush all this
momentum that I've gathered.

Hello. Hi, my name is Ana.

And I was curious
about volunteering.

Our entire life,
we've been guided

by teachers, or the principal.

Or by like, school rules.

Or by our mom.

We've been just, like, guided.

Like, this is what you do now.

This is what you do now.

And so, I think me and Lily
were just kind of expecting the,

this is what you do now.

And it never came.

So then recently, we took
it into our own hands.

And it's been great.

Like, I'm in charge
of what I do.

And it's fantastic.

I find sea stars
very fascinating.

So I like to teach
people a lot about them.

A lot of it I already knew.

A lot of it was taught to me.

And a lot of it, I just
researched on my own.

This is a sea star.

And these bumps that it has on
its skin are how it breathes.

And in here in the center,
that's where its stomach is.

I would really love
to become an expert

on whales or deep-water fish.

I would love to be right
there in a boat or right like,

in a submarine, exploring.

I think that being here
has given me a very like --

it's given me a really
good starting point

for my marine biology research.

And if the time comes
that I do want

to volunteer at a
larger aquarium.

Then I feel like
I really am ready.

I have learned like, the basic
skills that I would need.

And, of course, bigger aquariums
are going to have bigger fish.

And more things to know.

But I definitely think that
I would be more prepared now.

Times are changing,
schools are not.

And parents want to know,
well, what can I give my child?

If the salvation of school is
really just an empty promise,

you know, what is it?

And then they realize, me,
my family, my community.

If you're thinking in terms
of what's best for your child.

You definitely have to at
least consider homeschooling.

Because the benefits
are just tremendous.

What I'd like to
see is a world not

where schools are gone.

I'd like to see a
world where there are

so many different
types of schools.

And a lot of different schools,
especially small schools.

That are trying out all
these different little,

innovative practices.

And they're tinkering.

And there's constant reform
and innovation happening.

That pretty much
everyone's needs get met.

And in that world,
there would be a lot

of homeschooling
and unschooling.

And there would be
a lot of school too.

And that's fine.

Because homeschooling
is not for everyone.

When I started, I thought
there was a destination

that we had in mind.

But I've kind of
learned that education

and learning isn't
a destination.

It's a journey that
you're always on.

I'm confident about
where the girls are going.

And so, it's like, how
can they be happy now?

Like, what do they want
to do with their life?

What do they want to accomplish?

My kids are still learning,
they're still evolving.

I'm still learning,
I'm still evolving.

We all are.

And I think that's a really
beautiful way to approach life.

Now, this is harder to
see, because the Fibonacci

in this is scaled really close.

So you have to look close.

We've tripped and stumbled,

and tried a whole bunch
of different things.

But I've learned that's
kind of a universal thing.

Everyone has to find
their own way

and find what works for them.

Each child is
a custom person.

You know, they have --
they're an individual.

Completely unique.

So you've got to
tailor it to your child.

And not just all your children,

each one individually,
specifically.

And then you just draw --

Our life as homeschoolers
isn't perfect.

Our life in the public
school system wasn't perfect.

There are tradeoffs.

And no matter what kind
of lifestyle you choose,

you're going to miss
out on something.

But for us, we find that
we're gaining things that are,

that make the tradeoffs
really worth it.

We have to lead
through example.

What is there 3 million plus
homeschoolers right now?

As that number, you
know, keeps creeping up.

More and more people are
going to know a homeschooler

or an unschooler
in their community.

And no longer will they be
some, you know, mysterious,

stereotype-riddled freak show.

They will be a person who I
know who chooses homeschooling.

And they're just fine.

Homeschooling is probably
the single strongest force

at changing the education
paradigm for everyone.

It's ripe for change.

And whether homeschooling,
unschooling,

or something else is going
to be that big change.

I'm not sure.

I think that's not as important

as keeping homeschooling
free and legal.

And available to any
person, any family,

who wants to step outside
of the traditional system.

I think as long as we
have that in place,

then the revolution is here.

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