The day after Hurricane Irene hit we had no electricity (we had no electricity for days, actually, but we shall not speak of that). It turned out that a downed transformer just around the corner was culprit. Other than that, there was minimal damage to our neighborhood, and since school was not yet in session, […]
Unschooling: Embracing What Is
So tonight I found myself in need of the, um, facilities, so I crept off to the master bath, leaving my incredibly competent husband with our kids. My thought – that I might actually have a few uninterrupted moments – quickly proved unrealistic. Within seconds, I found myself engaged in what can perhaps best be […]
Unschooled or Unparented? Is Unschooling Just a Fancy Word for Neglect?
When people are first introduced to the idea of unschooling, they often express a belief that children raised in such a way must end up incorrigible, disrespectful, sloppy, lazy and completely self-centered. They have images of kids running wild, with long, matted hair and blackened teeth. Kids who rule the roost, while their parents either […]
Unschooling: Unmaking Stereotypes
Recently I connected with an old school acquaintance via Facebook. We hadn’t been in touch since graduating high school, and it was cool to catch up and to read his posts. But it was also kind of shocking. Why? Because as I read over his posts, I was amazed to discover the guy was a really good writer -when, […]
Unschooling Thought for the Day: A Transformed Society
Consider what society would look like if 65 million trapped schoolchildren learning to be consumers were suddenly set to actively imagining themselves in independent livelihoods, adding value to the rest of the community; imagining themselves as producers instead of bored consumers. – John Taylor Gatto, from Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher’s Journey through the […]