To school or not to school; that is the question......

What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.  ~George Bernard Shaw


I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.  ~Mark Twain


Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.  ~Albert Einstein



Education aims to give you a boost up the ladder of knowledge.  Too often, it just gives you a cramp on one of its rungs.  ~Martin H. Fischer


I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.  ~Winston Churchill


These quotes sum up my sentiments exactly. I have no use for boxed life. School, food, or religion.  To school or not to school; that is the question. So much time goes into schooling. I have desperately taught my children the ABC's and the 123's. I have read book after book. We did experiments, studied ancient history, grumbled over math, shed tears over writing. I attempted to raise their awareness to spiritual matters, hand work, and the arts. I slaved over lesson plans, grids, and read up on subjects I had no prior knowledge of. I begged, pleaded, and threatened the pupils to learn. I was the one left in the middle of the road holding the bag of emptiness. I was the one feeling defeated and they were repelled and no longer wanted to learn. Not only that the teaching was done in vain because they did not retain an ounce. Lost. All lost. Where did it go? Why did they not retain it? Simple fact is this; they were not ready to learn it. Simple as that. An old Buddhist saying says, "When the student is ready the teacher appears." If the child/student is not ready and willing and wanting then you are fighting and endless battle. I have decided to stop the war and let peace reign. Nay, shall I conduct school as usual. I will begin anew. I will stop the insanity that so many believe is the way. I have seen the light. The darkness of traditional teaching swept away. I will begin my new adventure; Unschooling! 
Aye, tis the way of an un-conventionalist!