A mum of three has shared why she refuses to put her children in school – instead, she teaches them herself at home, even giving them lessons on things such as survival skills and how to butcher chickens.
Former teacher Taylor Moran, 32, does not believe in the traditional schooling system, which she says “killed her spirit”.
Instead of classes and homework, her three children – Hudson, five, Thompson, three, and one-year-old Gus – learn by playing and exploring, a method she calls “unschooling”.
From butchering their own meat to sowing seeds and catching fish, her children’s education is far from the norm, but mum Taylor and dad Nick, wholeheartedly believe in the alternative approach.
And the family have plenty of fans online with 317,000 followers on Instagram and 72,400 followers on TikTok.
“School killed my spirit, delayed my creative function, and took precious time from me – I don’t want my children to have the same regrets,” Taylor, a certified ex-elementary school teacher, from Arkansas, US, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“A few things my children have learned that they would not have in a traditional schooling environment include how to butcher chickens for meat and use a knife safely.
“They’ve also learnt how to incubate eggs and hatch baby chicks, and how to brood and care for them, as well as how to identify poison ivy and treat a rash with herbs, how to plant a garden, sow seeds and how to cut down trees.
“Other skills include how to make sourdough bread and yoghurt from scratch, how to catch and boil wild crawfish.”
But the kids don’t just learn “physical skills” – the parents also teach them how to “think critically”.
Taylor said: “We aren’t specifically withholding or shielding our kids from any particular topics; though I won’t personally be teaching them calculus it doesn’t mean they won’t learn it if they need it.
“We absolutely will be teaching our kids the basic subjects.
“Philosophy is also a big part of our family culture.
“Both Nick and myself majored in philosophy at the University of North Texas, and Hudson currently takes an Outschool class on this topic [an online platform with Zoom-based lessons].
“The class sizes are small, often less than five students per class.
“Reading is huge for us — we have lots of books and the boys love reading out loud.
“Hudson knows his alphabet, knows how to write, and is in the beginning stages of reading.
“As he’s technically just started kindergarten, he’s right on track with his public schooled peers.”
Taylor has also shared what inspired her to raise her kids in such a unique way.
She said: “My teaching career really never took off.
“I was doing my student teaching when I became pregnant with Hudson in 2017.
“I saw the system from the inside and I opted out, both as a career option and as an option for my kids.
“During my student teaching, I remember having conversations with a fifth-grade girl about maths.
“She wasn’t ‘doing well’ in it, and was having to take an extra class during ‘intervention hour’ to catch up – it was heartbreaking because she was at the top of the class when it came to reading and writing.
“The system had her staring at the walls while we drilled her on math problems she didn’t care about.
“She reminded me of my own educational traumas and set me on this path to giving my kids more options — and inspiring others to do the same.
“And with my new worldview as a mother, I knew that I wanted to homeschool.
“Socialising is the number one concern brought up about homeschooling, and rightfully so.
“But being assigned to a desk, walking in a straight line, raising your hand to speak, asking for permission to use the bathroom — is that socialising?
“To me, a kid’s socialisation looks like running around in nature or a park with other kids.
“Socialising happens in life.”
Despite her positive outlook on her alternative parenting approach, Taylor has received some backlash on her TikTok page (@leafandlearn ).
She said: “For the most part, we have found a great community of parents around the world who are on the same wavelength as we are – or are at least curious and open-minded about unschooling.
“At first, I took negative comments personally but then I realised, we have reached a whole new demographic of people.”
Taylor has also shared what a typical day looks like in her family’s life.
She said: “We wake up and eat breakfast, which is farm-fresh eggs, potatoes, and bell peppers.
“After breakfast, we typically do a craft.
“We’ve found that the sooner we get outside, the better our days go.
“I take the kids to the forest playground and set them up with a craft like painting – they paint rocks, pinecones, and sticks.
“I usually just offer the supplies and a suggestion, then let them create what they want.
“I either do yoga or lift weights while they craft.”
Afterward, the family will do a walk or hike, and later Hudson will do his online class.
The day then continues with a nap for the little ones, a family lunch, and a larger activity that they do together – such as building something out of wood, swimming at the creek, identifying plants and flowers, or playing chess.
Taylor added: “Other days we take a field trip and go dig for crystals at one of Arkansas’ many crystal mines or visit the children’s museum in Hot Springs.
“We do not have a strict daily schedule, even the weather changes from day to day, and people do too.”