You work and add knowledge incrementally over time in a steady process. In unschooling, learning can happen anywhere and at anytime. It is an ongoing, natural process - part of the journey we call life. It is not unpleasant or boring anymore than breathing, eating or sleeping are. There is no sense of relief that school is out because learning is always happening.
Students also know that they are responsible for their learning.
If they have an interest, they can go out and pursue the knowledge they need. This is another fundamental difference between a schoolish approach and an unschooling model. In this role, parents are not teachers who always know more than their children, they are often fellow learners making the journey along with their children. As unschooling gains acceptance and its effectiveness is recognized, the dictionaries will have to be corrected to reflect the positive aspects of someone who has been educated by unschooling. You'll have periods where it seems like nothing is happening.