Wild on the Inside

“Do you think we look like unschoolers?” I ask.

“What do unschoolers look like?” asks my daughter Imogen.

“Aren’t they supposed to look rather wild? Or at least different? Unconventional?”

“Well, we don’t look wild.”

“No, we’re rather ordinary looking,” I agree. “No one gives us a second look as we walk down the street.

“And you can’t tell we’re unschoolers by looking at our home.”

“You’re right,” says Imogen. “We don’t live in a campervan or in some wild and adventurous location.”

“Well, I think our bush is rather wild and beautiful, but I know what you mean,” I say.

“And our house isn’t unusual in any way,” I continue. “We didn’t build it ourselves from mud bricks or glass bottles or some other recyclable material. We don’t live off the grid.”

“Our backyard isn’t overflowing with home-growing food. We don’t own a cow or a goat.”

“Yes, no one would guess there’s unschoolers living inside our ordinary looking brick house.”

“And no one at church would guess we’re unschoolers either.”

“No, we don’t follow all the latest trendy ideas. We’re definitely traditional.”

“We look like we’re living a very conventional life.”

“We look just like everyone else.”

I grin, and my eyes twinkle, as I say, “But we’re not like everyone else!”

Imogen’s eyes light up too. “If only people could see inside our heads!”

“All those radical unschooling ideas!”

“All those possibilities!”

“Inside we’re wild!”

So can you lead a seemingly conventional life and still unschool? Can you live an amazing, exciting, unschooling life without anyone suspecting?

Oh yes! You can look ordinary on the outside, and not appear wild at all.

(Unless of course you’d like to have curly hair and haven’t got an electric hair curler. Then you might look rather wild, with your hair twisted into alien lumps.)

But of course, if you don’t want anyone to know you’re unschoolers, you might have to keep quiet, otherwise all those exciting, unconventional ideas could tumble out. And then everyone will know you’re different. (And don’t blog about it either!)

Are you wild on the inside too?