Unschooling NYC

Maya took a test the other day.   It was a standardized test.  We took it so as to be in compliance with NYC Dept. of Ed regulations and for no other reason.   We don’t really care what the results are.    The results are no reflection on her intelligence, only on her test taking skills.

Because we rarely take tests (one every other year) I forget what a bizarre experience the whole thing is, and then suddenly we’re participating in it, and I find myself shaking my head.  All this fuss over testing; all this money spent, and for what?

Testing … Read more

“I tell my kids that just like me, they have to get up every morning and go to their place of work.  Mine is my job, theirs is school,”  a parent told me once.   “Except they’re lucky.  They get more than two months of vacation from their job and I have to work all year round.”

Yep, those lucky kids!   School:  A “job” they didn’t choose, don’t get paid to do and cannot quit.  (Well, actually they can.  One good resource in that regard is Grace Llewellyn’s “Teenage Liberation Handbook” .)

There was an article in the Sunday Jobs section … Read more

When my kids were younger I took them to quite a few organized classes.   At least, quite a few in comparison with the last three or four years.   They did Art and Gymnastics and Dance and Rock Climbing and Martial Arts and Shakespeare and Cooking and Self-Defense and Swimming and probably some other things I’ve forgotten by now.

The only class that stood the test of time is Art.

We ditched everything else, kind of all at once.   This year our only organized classes included Art for both Maya & Ben and then Spanish for Maya (Ben started it but … Read more

A few days ago on Facebook, I shared the following quote by Grace Llewellyn, author of the “Teenage Liberation Handbook”.

Wendy Priesnitz had posted it on her Facebook page, which is where I found it, and the next day she commented that by posting it she’d probably lost a few ‘friends’ and readers of “Life Learning Magazine”, which she edits and publishes.

I’m sure she is right about that.

Quotes like this one by Llewellyn tend to make people very angry.  I think it’s because deep down they know it to be true, even while insisting that … Read more

Ever since I started talking about alternatives to higher education, first by promoting Michael Ellsberg’s “Education of Millionaires” and more recently Blake Boles’ “Better Than College” (I recommend you read them both for a great one-two punch of self directed education inspiration), I’ve had more than a few conversations revolving around college.

Specifically, those conversations involve people going out of their way to tell me why they loved college, all the great things about college, all the great programs available in colleges if you know where to look, etc.

All of which may be true.

I think a lot of … Read more

“If you are ready to take control of your learning — and save a bundle of money at the same time — this book will provide you with compelling inspiration and practical information.  You couldn’t choose a better guide to creating your own future.”   Wendy Priesnitz, editor of Life Learning Magazine and author of Beyond School: Living as if School Doesn’t Exist

Yes, the waiting is over!   Today is the launch of Blake Boles’ fabulous book, “Better Than College:  How to Build a Successful Life Without a 4 Year Degree”.

I cannot tell you how relieved I am that this … Read more

Every Spring the NYC Home Educator’s Alliance (NYCHEA) holds a “Field Day” at Pier 40 in New York City.  There is a massive outdoor soccer field and it is traditionally tons of fun.   I would normally post about something like this on my personal blog, but lately I’ve seen so many comments on Twitter and Facebook reminding me of just how entrenched stereotypes around homeschoolers still are that I decided to share these photos here instead.

I don’t have an official number, but my guess is that over the course of the day at least 75-100 kids were present, ranging … Read more

If you read my personal blog, you’ll know that I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately while trying to carve out time to do even more.  (Silly things like eating and sleeping keep getting in the way!)   The dilemma is only getting more difficult this week, as I have another new book on my “to read” shelf.   It is Chris Guillebeau’s “The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love & Create a New Future”.

Lest you read the title and think the book is probably not for you, I encourage you to check … Read more

Heard some high school kids today as they walked to the subway, discussing their future and disdaining their present.  Summary?  The future will be perfect.  The present is only an annoyance to be gotten through.

Is this what school teaches kids?

It’s ok – study hard & don’t worry if you hate your life now.  Everything will be fine in the future!

It’s not just in school, though I think that is where this type of thought process begins and then everything else in our culture reinforces it.   Look to the future and forget the now.

The problem is that … Read more

This is a clarification to yesterday’s post, in which I said that while unschooling is not for everyone, anyone can do it.

Is that a contradiction?

I don’t think so.    Anyone who has the desire to unschool can make that choice, regardless of background, temperament, previous beliefs about how children learn, financial situation, marital status, etc.   You won’t be perfect at it.  You’ll make mistakes and there will be days when you question your decision.   But you can do it.

Why is it not for everyone?  Because not everyone is willing.  Not everyone will make the choice.  Some will decide … Read more