If you are considering the unschooling path for your child or know someone who is, this is the best book to get you started; in fact, this book was made specifically for you, the parent who is on the fence regarding this philosophy and method of education.

If you have friends and relatives who are not accepting your choice to unschool, this is the book for you and even more so for them.

In this book, Mark Beaumont, MEd, weaves an interesting, helpful, and powerful combination of the history of school, educational research as it pertains to unschooling, and Mark’s very own creation, the Personal Learner Profile, in order to build a scaffold bridging the spaces between the paths of traditional, coercive schooling and that of the unschooler.

Adding to these three primary components of the book, Mark also uses a plethora of links to provide valuable information aimed at building confidence and providing deep understanding of the ways of unschooling as well as helping to train parents how to unschool themselves and how utilize the many benefits that the internet and 21st-century education provides.

The 21st-century paradigm is changing so rapidly that it will be those who are able to adapt to this change who will be the kingmakers of the coming century and beyond. Unschoolers are educated in the optimum way to take on these new challenges and to thrive in these 21st-century conditions. Yesterday's pack mules are today's hunters and gatherers (rote recall vs. free range unschoolers).

Through the utilization of the internet and the many links and resources provided in this book, you will be granted access to a variety of multimedia resources including documentaries, TED Talks, articles, and other tidbits that will enhance your ability to use 21st century tools and to open up these advantages for your child as well.

Mark Beaumont, MEd, has nearly 20 years of classroom experience internationally and in the US; he obtained his master's degree from George Mason University in international curriculum and instruction. He is a fully licensed educator both in the United States and internationally. He has built homeschool and unschool cooperatives in Asia and the United States, and he works diligently advocating the philosophy and methods of unschooling.

Mark not only preach the ways of unschooling, he is currently raising his own child this way. In short, he practices what he preaches.

If you are looking for a way to overcome your fear and to bolster yourself with a deep understanding of the unschooling ways of living and learning, this book is for you.