I went to public school K-12, got straight A’s, was the typical teacher’s pet, loved learning and generally enjoyed school. I grew up in a caring Christian home, went to church every Sunday, volunteered, went on mission’s trips, and won awards in bible quizzing. I went on to get a BA and an MA in Biblical Literature from Oral Roberts University, and Regent University, respectively.
I did everything public school and the church asked of me. And then I got married, graduated, started a family and began living life in the real world.
I’m grateful for my experiences growing up, they sheltered me from so much baggage that many young people start life with. But they also left me woefully unprepared for so many of the most important aspects of real life.
In 2009 I began a long 8 year season of having 4 kids and working part time in websites and marketing to pay back student loans. During that time I began searching for what I was missing. I basically read book after book about nutrition, parenting, psychology, religion, exercise, time management, personal development, business and finance.
What I found was an amazing world of affordable information provided by experts in their fields. And what this revealed for me was an incredibly beautiful and nuanced understanding of the world that I didn’t get during my extensive school career.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Are you on a similar journey? Do you feel somehow that we were made for more, that this life we’ve settled for is not everything we wanted, and yet not sure what’s wrong or what to do next?
The journey starts on the inside, it’s one of self-discovery. You begin by relearning your relationship with yourself, then with the world.
I’m on a mission to continue this journey, and to unschool, to re-school, really to un-condition and re-teach myself about the significant realities of our world that are so necessary for a successful, happy life, yet either neglected or misrepresented in the schooling process. And as I go on this journey, I believe the natural result will be to educate my children in a new way, one that does not use traditional curriculum but also doesn’t completely reject curriculum either.
We need to take ownership of our own education, embrace the incredible resources that we have through books and the internet, and forge a new path forward.
This is my road less traveled and I’m inviting you to join me on it.
Alicia Eichmann