[ReignOfError]

Yeah, right - the ed schools teach teachers to "let go" and "let the child direct his own education."

That's Montessori in a nutshell. "Follow the child." Although, to be fair, the Montessori philosophy is to factor in the kids' interest, pace of learning, etc. into the lesson plan, not to operate without one.

[SauronOfMordor]

I'm a homeschooler of 3 kids. I'm somewhere in between "unschooling" and "public schooling at home"

To an extent I play it by ear. My middle one is into Macromedia Flash animation, so I let her indulge her interest. On the other hand, I also make her do algebra whether she's in the mood or not. Essentially, if they have an interest in something that's reasonably academicly-related, I let them run with it, while also making sure that the basics (reading, writing, math) are addressed