What unschoolers have in common is their trust of children. They believe that children can lead their own education. They believe that parents are facilitators, not taskmasters. Unschoolers think that kids should learn what they want, in the way they want, where and when they want. To unschoolers, learning is something as natural as breathing.

"As the number of children who are home-schooled grows - an estimated 1.1 million nationwide - some parents like Ms. Walter are opting for what is perhaps the most extreme application of the movement's ideas. They are "unschooling" their children, a philosophy that is broadly defined by its rejection of the basic foundations of conventional education, including not only the schoolhouse but also classes, curriculums and textbooks."

"Most children will always choose television over reading every time, but Yablonski said that "the key there is that you've got to trust your kids to ... find their own interests."

Caitie, that is something I have been interested in finding out as I continue to research this topic. I have read many blogs where multiple parents talk about their children excelling in college after being unschooled, but I am still skeptical. It seems like an intriguing idea that could work, but only if society was willing to adapt to its rules and not close opportunities for those that choose this unique form of education.

Manfred Smith, the president of the Maryland Home Education Association, based in Columbia, Md., said members of his organization once considered themselves unschoolers. "It meant we were not going to replicate a traditional school-like focus on curriculum and text," he said. "We wanted to focus on the needs and interests of our children." But Mr. Smith said his group stopped using the term unschooling when it concluded the word had become tainted. "You have people claiming to be unschoolers, providing minimal or no supervision," he said. "Unschooling can be this great rationalization or outright excuse not to make an effort."