Aini (Malawi)

My Own Words

“Unschooling is basically where you learn at home instead of at school. There are two types of schooling at home. There’s regular homeschooling and there’s unschooling. In home schooling you do exactly like you do at school, but at home. But unschooling is where you are free to learn whatever and whenever you want. You’re free all the time. I do unschooling.

When I was about 6 or 7 years old we were living in Belgium. I wanted to go to school, so I did, but then realized I didn’t like it. I was at school for about one week and then I ran away. Also, my younger brother tried to go to school, but every time he went he would start crying and the teachers would have to call my mom to come pick him up. The thing that I didn’t like the most is that you have to sit in a chair at a table for four hours sometimes. It was really boring. 

My favourite part of unschooling is being free. I can play whenever I want. I can learn whenever I want. Sometimes if my mom has time we will do an exercise book together. I would pick a topic and we would work through the book together. If I want to learn about something, or if my mom is busy, I get a workbook and teach myself. I choose what I want to learn. I used to go on the internet and use an app where you can learn through games, but I found it too boring so now I just use exercise books or paper. My favourite things to learn are math and baking. 

I would say that unschooling is more fun than regular school because I have more time. But I would also say that if you are unschooled it’s harder to have friends. One family that lives nearby has kids my age, but they go to regular school. Every time my mom asks if they can come over to play they always have too much homework. 

I think maybe I might keep on unschooling until I get older but I’m not really sure. When I’m an adult I want to have my own horse stables and teach children to be nice to animals. Some stables are mean to the horses and they are just in it to make money. I want to have a stable to show children and adults that it’s better to be nice to an animals than to be cruel.”

Aini (10)

Zomba, Malawi