howtodropoutofschool:

Tumblr is roaring over my new blog “How to Drop out of Highschool”. The education sect is furious- teachers, professional educators and tumblr editors are screaming over my objective.

This post will focus on the three main objections I’ve watched dance on my dash.

1.  The Potential Risk Of Dropping Out
2.  The Need of Unschooling in Highschool
3.  The Blog’s Title

1. “Telling kids that they should drop out of school is setting them up for failure” (Technologation)

I outline in my blog that homeschooler’s  have a statistically higher chance at college acceptance. I outline the legal ways of getting a Highschool diploma from a public school while unschooling.  This claim is ridiculous- even a mild reading in homeschooling will prove the falsities of it.

2. I think we can all agree that the value of an expensive university education is under due scrutiny right now, but in no way do I see the point of arguing for quitting something that is provided to you, for free, while you are a minor. (StephanieMichelleHall)

I’m sick of minors being looked down on- yes, we’re under-age and inexperienced- but the only way we’re going to  gain experience is by leaving the classroom.

We know how we learn- Not our Parents or Teachers or Principles or report cards.  I’m a year younger than a college sophomore. I deserve the same  educational independence.

3. There isn’t one quote to post here- they’re sweeping tumblr. Is my  title too sensational? Yes, absolutely. But it gets my message across, it YELLS my message. My title aptly portrays my platform- it glues attention.

“How To Drop Out Of Highshcool”is bringing the  issue of highschool education to the people who need to hear it most- Highscoolers. This demographic is what sets it apart from other education blogs-  ultimantly it’s informing teens about education- more importantly, it’s teaching them to question education.

And as teachers- how can you argue against that?

Way to go for starting this blog, it’s so cool that this now exists!

Newest post on my unschooling/freedom-based education blog!

shakeitupbebe:

If you’re in Montreal for the summer and are interested in participating in some sweet alternative learnins with some damn cool folks, check out the AltU’s summer course selections.  Not thrilled with the offerings?  Put together your own course!

Currently trying to choose between Positive Liberty in Theory and Practice, Post-Capitalist Futures, and Non-Western Critical Thought.  Which to choose?!  The angst!

This post came about when I was realizing just how many things, events and online groups and other things, that I wanted to let my readers know about. And, well, once you have more than one or two, it seems pretty silly to give each one it’s very own post! So here are some things I really think you should check out.

Summer Montreal Unschoolers Gathering (SMUG) 2012 This event, organized primarily by my wonderful mother Debbie, is now in it’s third year, and I’m sure will be every bit as fun as it was the last two years! For unschoolers (and friends of unschoolers), unlike many overnight (SMUG is a six day event) unschooling events, this is not a conference, but instead a gathering of like minded people with the express purpose of hanging out and having fun (not that unschooling conferences aren’t also a ton of fun)! It also tends to have a very large percentage of young adults in attendance, so if you’re a grown unschooler this might be an especially good event to look into (the first year there were also lots of young families, last year less, and this year I’m hoping there will be a nice mix of ages). So yeah, it’s cool. You should come. Join the Yahoo! group, and list yourself as “going” on the Facebook event! It’s been a little slow in the organizing stage because of a lot of things going on for my mother, but as long as we get enough people wanting to stay in the lodge (we know we have enough people combined camping and lodge to make a good gathering, it’s just that we need a certain number in the lodge to get it all to ourselves), it’s going ahead and it’s gonna be great!

SMUG 2011, photo credit Patrick Morris.
Stuff Worth Sharing Network My sister Emilie just launched a Facebook group yesterday, aimed especially at the unschooling community! As the description says: “This group is about giving, trading, recycling, and generally providing for and receiving from your community! You can offer and ask for items, a place to stay on your travels, help with learning a skill, etc. I hope that this can be a tool to help unschoolers get things, be it help with a project or that rare book they’ve been searching for, that they can’t find locally.” Check it out here.

Freedom-Based Education Events Montreal I started this mailing list (for “sharing freedom-based, radical, and alternative education events happening in and around Montreal”), and then haven’t really done anything with it. Yet I really want to change that, because I really think it’s important! From the description:  “for several years I’ve been as involved as I can be with the freedom-based education community in Montreal.  During that time I’ve often been frustrated at how far-flung and disconnected the various people and groups interested and involved in freedom-based education are, and how hard it often is for people wanting to get involved to know where to start.  So I’ve started this list in an attempt to remedy those issues, to help people get involved and stay involved in the various events and projects going on, to connect with each other, and to help build momentum in this growing movement.” Join the mailing list here!


Anything else you think other readers of this blog might want to know about? Events, groups, etc.? Share them in the comments!

“The best thing about unschooling is freedom! The freedom of your mind: The freedom to read what you want, do what you love, be friends with anyone you want, follow your dreams, and to question anything. The freedom of your own time, to pursue what you want. The freedom of being able to live life in the real world instead of just preparing for it. “

Some really good, some quite frustrating! Still trying to decide if I have the emotional energy to jump in there, or if I’ve used it all up already for today…

this is a really good post! I always feel like I’m in an awkward position when people ask me about unschooling and privilege, because I’m white and my family is very middle class, but I’m also queer, trans*, and disabled/chronically ill.

Thanks, I was really nervous about tackling that subject at all, so I’m really glad to hear that you liked it! :-) Yeah, I also feel like I’m in a really awkward position when asked about that, because I am an incredibly privileged person. White-cis-thin-able-bodied-neuro”typical”-slightly-queer-lower-middle-class person that I am, I always think why are you asking me these questions, I’m not the right person to give good answers!! But since people keep asking, I figured I’d try and say something on the subject.

Though I think I probably should have added a disclaimer about the position of privilege I’m coming from in discussing the subject… Hmm. I’ll have to remember to do that next time!

The Rethinking Everything Conference is one I’ve had my eye on for several years, and came very close to attending as a regular ol’ attendee a couple of years ago when Daniel Quinn (author of Ishmael and Beyond Civilization among other books) was speaking, but ultimately it was just outside my budget. So I was truly thrilled (and honored) to be invited to attend this year as a speaker! I’m greatly looking forward to being part of this conference, now in it’s 16th year, that has the aim of “Exploring our lives in brave new ways, supporting radically empowered birthing, gentle parenting, sustainability, unschooling and self-design, entrepreneuring, super enlightened wellness and sexuality, and lots more.” Click below to see the bios of all the speakers and the talks they’re doing:

You’ll probably notice some familiar names there, like Peter Kowalke of The Unschooling Experiment and unschooling author Dayna Martin, among many other really interesting looking people!

The talks/discussions I’ll be doing/moderating myself are as follows:

What Do Unschoolers Do?

It’s easy to read lots of philosophy and theory, the history and evolution of unschooling. But when you get right down to it, sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly unschooling looks like in actual peoples lives, hard to know what, exactly, unschoolers do? Join this panel discussion to find out about what unschooling looks like in different people’s families and lives.

The Art of Nonconformity

Sometimes not going to school is the only thing we’re doing that’s against the ideals of the dominant culture, but often, unschooling is just the start. When the food you eat, your political views (or lack thereof), your relationships, and the way you’re choosing to live your life all seem to set you apart from the majority of people, it can be both a difficult and rewarding experience navigating through the world. Come to share your experiences and support each other, as we discuss finding community, following our own paths, dealing with negativity from others, and other important things to think about when you’re living an unconventional life!

Misconceptions of Unschooling

Unschooling especially as it’s begun to be a bit better known thanks to recent media attention, is plagued by quite a few myths and misunderstandings about just what it is and how it “works.” In this workshop, we’ll dispel a bunch of common misconceptions, and discuss sharing what unschooling really is with others.

Unschooling is Forever
Now you’re a little bit older, and suddenly the questions are changing. Instead of “don’t you have school today?” it’s now “so what college are you going to?” We know that unschooling means we’re always learning, thus it can naturally continue long past what are conventional compulsory school years for many, though definitely with some new challenges. For those of us who have decided (for the time being, anyway) not to go to college or university, and instead to continue unschooling, it’s a unique time and experience in our lives, both very similar yet different from unschooling in the younger years. How does unschooling evolve as we grow older? How do the expectations and reactions from the culture around us change and impact our experiences? Come to this discussion to share your experiences and support with each other.

I hope some of you will be joining me at Rethinking Everything this year, as I’m sure it’ll be a fun, challenging, and just all around enjoyable gathering of like-minded people!

A post of mine has been reprinted over at Scarleteen!! So Exciting!