Answers or Assumptions?
A dyslexia diagnosis sends parents looking for answers. Often, the people with the answers are also the people with a program to sell. A common assumption is that children need to do well in school in order to do well in life. Another assumption is that the only way to succeed in school is by reading well according to grade-level testing. To achieve this, it seems evident that a dyslexic child will need a highly structured program to remediate the reading problem. I’d be on board with these assumptions if, in fact, highly structured dyslexia programs produced happy, confident readers. They usually don’t. It’s time to question the assumptions! Let’s consider unschooling.
What is Unschooling?
Unschooling does not mean ignoring the child’s education! It does mean the opposite of a classroom or a structured program of tutoring such as Orton/Gillingham. Parents who unschool commit to following the passions of the child. They provide resources to pursue interests and they introduce new possibilities. The parents expose the child to a variety of activities and watch to see what sparks joy and curiosity. They help the child learn or achieve in these areas of interest. Unschooling is child-directed learning. Parents serve as consultants and co-learners.
Unschooling for Confidence and Self-Worth
The child’s interests and gifts lead the way in unschooling. Children who master something because they love it develop a self-concept that says, “I can do hard things really well when I work at it.” On the other hand, if each day is spent doing what the child is least able to do, the child with dyslexia internalizes the idea that he or she is defective and unable to succeed at the only thing valued by the adults — reading. As a reading tutor, my toughest job is overcoming the negative self-image children absorb from constant failure.
Pressure Doesn’t Produce Learning
Learning depends on the desire to know, not on classroom structure or grades. As Alfie Kohn explains, grades and rigid structure can destroy learning. In my experience, this is especially true for dyslexic children.
Can Unschooling Work for a Dyslexic Child?
As a dyslexia tutor, I’ve worked with children from many kinds of schools; public, private, parochial, charter, classical homeschool, and unschooled. While almost all children responded well and learned when given appropriate tools, the unschoolers were the most eager learners. I think this is because they didn’t come unless they expressed a desire to learn to read and asked a parent for help. My experience indicates that unschooling is a great choice for a dyslexic student if the parent is relaxed and willing to let the child lead while providing resources as each new interest unfolds.
by Yvonna Graham, M.Ed.
www.dyslexiakit.net
@GrahamYvonna
Audiobooks often provide a wonderful resource for unschooling. Get free classic audiobooks at Librivox. Find newer titles at Audible for $15/mo. And don’t forget the public library!