No Labels

OK ... in homeschooling circles we all get questioned from time to time about how we label our homeschool. Are we traditional? Unschoolers? Christian? Etc... I'm here to say that I am no longer going to be labeling our homeschool.

Previously when asked I would reply with something along the lines of, "We're Catholic homeschoolers with eclectic tendencies with gray areas of unschooling and unit study approach." Wow! What a mouthful!

When I asked the campers how they would label our school I got cross-eyed looks and told by each of them basically, "Um... we're the type of homeschoolers who learn." Yeah. Set me back on my rear. Why did I find the need to label our homeschool when the kids really didn't care about labels and didn't see the need for them.

We are Catholic homeschoolers. Our sine of the curriculum we use for almost every subject is from a Catholic curriculum, Seton. We enjoy it. We learn about the Bible even when we're not in catechism classes and religion is steeped into pretty much every single subject we study. There is nothing wrong with me labeling our homeschool as Catholic. But, I don't need to put that label on us. Do we go around asking each other about our religions and only associating with others of our same religion? Nope. Well, at least no one I know in person does.

We are eclectic because I'll pick and choose unit studies to go along with what we're learning, we may try some living books, and we might take a day off of books completely and just see what the kids learn through every day life. We are a little bit of every type of homeschool label that I usually would tell people we were. But really ... why do we feel the need to label?

I don't see people who send their children to a brick and mortar school asking if other's children are in private schools, public schools, trade schools, etc... They don't ask what methods the teachers use to teach each others children either... They're just happy that the children are learning.

The campers taught me that I should just be happy with what they are learning and not worry about the label so much. 

After all ... who's going to care if they are eclectic Catholic homeschool students with tendencies towards unschooling and unit studies? None of their friends. Not their college professors. Our family members don't understand half of those terms and wouldn't care even if we mentioned them. They're just glad the kids are learning.

So, I'm not labeling us anymore. What type of homeschoolers are we? The type that learn!