Learning in Creative New Ways: Deschooling

Deschooling is more than just a transition—it’s a lifelong journey of unlearning and reimagining how we approach learning, relationships, and personal growth. If you’ve spent years in traditional schooling, stepping into a new way of thinking about education can feel overwhelming. But it can also be freeing.

Ashley & Yusef on Unschooling

The Challenges – and Possibilities – that Come from Deschooling

That transitional period between leaving school and entering a non-traditional learning environment, such as homeschooling and independent meaningful learning (also known as self-directed education), is the perfect opportunity to begin your deschooling journey. It’s a time for parents and our young people to step away from what we’ve always done—and try new ways of engagement.

This guide will explore what deschooling means, why it matters, and how you can begin embracing it in your learning journey. By the end, you’ll gain practical insights and strategies to support yourself and your young person through this transformative process.

What is Deschooling?

Deschooling is the process of unlearning habits, assumptions, and beliefs shaped by conventional education. Many of us have been conditioned to associate learning with strict schedules, standardized testing, and external validation. These structures can limit curiosity, creativity, and confidence.

Deschooling invites us to break free from these constraints. It’s a personal and non-linear process of questioning old narratives, exploring new ways of learning, and centering growth over external expectations. This shift creates space to support our young people’s interests, needs, and passions—without the pressure of comparison or conformity.

How to Embrace the Deschooling Journey

Deschooling is unique to every individual and family, but here are some steps to guide your experience.

Start with what sparks interest

Conventional schooling often defines learning by grade levels and rigid subjects. Deschooling encourages you to begin with what sparks curiosity. Ask your child: What excites you today? Whether it’s nature, art, or building things, follow their interests and provide resources to explore them.

Create a Flexible Learning Flow

Learning happens everywhere—all of the time. Learning doesn’t have to follow a traditional academic calendar. Pay attention to when your family naturally engages in deep learning—whether that’s late mornings, evenings, or even seasons like summer when there’s more space for exploration. Design a rhythm that works best for your household. If starting the day at noon works better for your family, go for it. If summer provides more opportunities to read, hike, explore, or learn together, let’s do it.

Learn Through Observation

Reading doesn’t always have to mean books. Try watching a movie or TV show with subtitles on to reinforce literacy skills, word recognition, and comprehension. Engaging with content in multiple ways can make learning more immersive and enjoyable.

Overcoming the Challenges of Deschooling

Many of us carry ingrained beliefs about success, achievement, and self-worth that were shaped by grades, test scores, and comparisons. Shifting to a self-directed approach that embraces intrinsic learning allows young people to build confidence, self-awareness, and a lifelong love of learning.

Reflection Questions

We invite you to pause and reflect on your own deschooling journey:

What beliefs from conventional education have been the hardest to unlearn?
How do you learn best?
When you think about your schooling experience, what words or emotions come to mind?
What does learning mean to you?
What does partnership in learning look like?

You’ve got this! Deschooling is not a one-size-fits-all process, and there’s no perfect way to do it. The key is to stay open, curious, and willing to explore new possibilities. Give yourself and your young person the freedom to learn in ways that feel meaningful and aligned with your values.

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