Freedom Within Structure by Michele Hastings is an article about blending the freedom of unschooling with the structure of having some specific expectations for your child's education. Mrs. Hastings gives examples from her family's life in the areas of math, language arts, science, and social studies.
I can really relate to this article. Her introductory paragraph begins, "So...you long for structure but your kids have a mind of their own. And although you appreciate the concept of unschooling or interest-initiated learning, you can't relax that much! " She goes on to describe the middle ground between "dictatorship" and the "hands-off approach" that she calls "freedom within structure."
Both this article and the one blogged below were links from a homeschooling e-newsletter, the online version of The Link. I remember getting a trial of the print version and deciding against subscribing. (It's free, so it was either because of the advertising or the general political/philosophical leanings, I don't remember.) I do like the e-newsletter because I can be selective in what I choose to read without having to wade through all of the things that don't interest me.
We may have to look into that. We unschool right now because it's fun and it seems to be working, but I'm not sure we have the laid back attitude required to commit to it long-term.
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