Unschooling is entirely child directed, with very little to no structure or educational requirements.

It is NOT the same as eclectic homeschooling, which uses many different methods for homeschooling, including (but not necessarily requiring) published curricula, unit studies, unschooling, on line schooling, group classes, etc.

I have known a few unschoolers who got an excellent education and showed no deficits academically, behaviorally, or socially.

I must admit though, that most of the unschooled children that I have met are far behind in basic subjects, many bordering on ignorant, and are very poorly behaved, so much so that if I am leading an activity I cringe to see them show up.

In a homeschooling group unschoolers often stick out because most other homeschooled kids are academically advanced, socially mature, polite, and well behaved.

I think for some children and families, unschooling works really well, but parents really need to pay attention to whether it really works for their children, and switch homeschooling philosophies/methods if necessary.

I probably like it b/c it fits my view that unschooling would be awesome for people who are natural autodidacts but pretty bad for everyone else…

Also, the socialization thing. As a kid, I seriously would have spent all my time reading, and I did this in the summers, to the point where my mom would sometimes confiscate my books and kick me out of the house, or require that I set up a playdate with a friend before I could read any more. I think I would be a very different person (and not a better person, I don’t think) if I hadn’t been forced to socialize. On a related note, my family moved several times while I was growing up, and I hated it every single time–starting over in a new school, having to make friends all over again–but I kind of appreciate it, now. I think it’s made it easier for me to pack up and move to an unknown city without being too stressed out about it. This is only tangentially related to unschooling, but my point is that things I would not have chosen for myself, as a kid, have had a positive impact on me as an adult.

Another anecdote (albeit about homeschooling, not unschooling): a couple of years ago I was interviewing at CWW, and the candidate was a boy who told us that he had been homeschooled by his parents (“who both have PhDs”). Most interviews that I’ve done have been pretty comfortable conversations, but this kid could not do it. He could not participate in a normal conversation. I think more socialization might have helped him.