Okay, I'll bite. Deep breathe.

For a family where control and arbitrary limits have always been used it can seem terrifying because releasing the pressure there would be like letting go on a catepault. Nobody is ever advised to dive into unschooling from that position, it must be a gradual release. And in a family where there have always been an absence of control and arbitrary limits it is a very slow and gradual process too in which a child explores and tests the world around them. One where they have the very active guidance and support of loving parents and usually also a community of others. Everything is centered around connections and relationships.

The story is going to be sensational, it's 60minutes. Nothing about unschooling is letting children run wild or having them do whatever they want. I don't know any unschooling family where violence is tolerated for example. It is that there are no arbitrary limits, there are principles with meaning and purpose, there is personal autonomy but respect for the fact we are all members of a family, of a community too. No person is more or less important, all needs are considered and to the best of the available ability met.

Authoritative parenting has the parents in charge, permissive is the child in charge. Unschooling is neither of those, it is a partnership, there are no winners or losers because there is no child vs parent power plays. They navigate the world together, on the same side. This is why the relationship is so important because the mutual trust and respect is what allows this to happen.

That's the parenting side of unschooling (often termed radical unschooling). The learning is much simpler to explain. Think of the 5 years before school and all the things a child learns by exploring the world around them and the things and people in it, it's just a continuation of that. Children learn within contexts that are meaningful to them, they are motivated internally by need or curiosity and they are supported by being introduced and exposed to lots of varied and interesting concepts, things, places and people (which is often referred to as strewing) and assisted in whatever capacity is required. I like to think of it as a child being led to water but they aren't forced to drink (or drown which can be the case when a child is expected to learn things they are not ready to), they drink when they are thirsty. People are by nature very thirsty

It is honestly really difficult to describe what unschooling is easily to those outside of it because it is a mindset shift, it is a lifestyle. If anybody is genuinely curious I can give you a window into my family by showing you what our days might look like and answering any questions. If people just want to judge and pull apart something, then I suggest one begins in their own backyard as it will be far more useful and beneficial to them and their family then wasting time attacking something that really does not impact them at all, I am not interested in debating with those who are not in a place to gain anything from the discussion.

Unschooling is completely legal in all Australian states and territories.