Reschooling Posts // May 28 - June 3, 2023
Note: there are a number of new posts up on the School Survival Blog, wiki that talks about the downfalls of formal education and schooling. I didn’t include them all here, but I do recommend going to check them out!
Living in Uncertain Times
June 3, 2023 from Think Again
In my training as a clinical psychologist, I must have missed out the ‘Dealing with a global pandemic’ module. Because when it happened, in March 2020, I was ill-equipped to deal with it. When they said we had to stand 2 metres away from each other, it was weird. When they said we couldn’t travel, it was a shock. Then they closed the schools, and we know we were in uncharted territory.
This Summer Job Description is Driving Me Nuts
June 2, 2023 from Free Range Kids
This certainly not the biggest problem facing America. But on a summer-jobs-for-young-people site (giving parents ideas to give to their kids) one suggestion was to have kids run a “Neighborhood Park Hour.” One hour, mind you. The site explained that kids can make a flyer “and get parents interested in paying for ‘Park Hour’.” So far, so good. Then it adds, regarding those paying parents:
Is my child better off anywhere but home?
June 2, 2023 from Radical Mothering
Deep down in the hidden parts of every home educating parent, is this terrifying thought: Would my child be better off at school, or anywhere else, than home with me? If you have never felt even an inkling of this, or had a trickling thought along these lines - go forth and nail this shit. This post is not for you.
Summertime All Year Long?
June 1, 2023 from Let ‘em Go Barefoot
Summer is probably the most dreamed about, written about, and longed for season in America. For most of America’s children and young adults, summertime means freedom. The school year schedule fades away and the longer, warmer days are replaced with uninterrupted sleep, exploration, visiting with family and friends, vacationing, and learning new information simply because of a desire and curiosity to know, not in order to pass a test or check a box.
My first book for 99p...
June 1, 2023 from Think Again
If you’ve been thinking about buying my first book, Changing Our Minds, now could be your time. It’s 99p on Kindle on Amazon UK for a limited period.
1983 Video Clip of Kids on Bikes: Real Life “Stranger Things”
May 31, 2023 from Free Range Kids
In 1983, childhood was so different, it’s almost hard to fathom. As you’ll see in this giddy vintage video, kids were zooming around playing BIKE TAG without adult supervision (or helmets). Endless nostalgia, however, doesn’t help our cause. I share this with you to simply remind us of what our young are capable of: Bravery, camaraderie, some folly and some risk. All of which add up to…well, it looks a lot like happiness.
Podcast: The Brave Writer Worldview (our not so secret agenda)
May 31, 2023 from Brave Writer
One of the most popular questions we get as a company is to define (or identify) our underlying worldview. Parents who sift through the Internet looking for homeschool programs want to find companies that align enough with their values that they can trust them as tools to educate their children.
Helping Your Impulsive Child
May 31, 2023 from Raising Lifelong Learners
If you are parenting a neurodivergent or twice-exceptional kiddo, you might also be dealing with impulsivity. At its core, impulsivity is a struggle with executive functioning skills. This means, that in addition to what we might typically think of as impulsivity – rash behavior or actions – it can also manifest as difficulty with decision-making or carefully considering a plan of action. We, as homeschooling parents, need to understand where the impulsivity is coming from and what is causing it.
47. Deschooling Fears of Reading
May 30, 2023 from Radical Learning Talks
There is a really clear idea in society of what skills have more value than others for our growing young people, and usually on top you will find reading, writing and math. But what happens when your kid (or even you) aren’t big readers and what are the feelings and fears around that?!
Do Children Fail School? Or Do Schools Fail Children?
May 29, 2023 from Think Again
Our culture is rife with ways to denigrate those who don’t attend school regularly. Truants, lazy, skivers, drop-outs, losers. Their families are called irresponsible, feckless, uncaring, and they’re threatened with fines and even prison. Whenever I talk about it, people pull the discussion back to blaming families. Getting children to school and keeping them there is the job of families, they say, and without that the schools can’t do their job. Don’t blame schools for the failure of parents and children.
Homeschool Daily Practices: Read Aloud Journals
May 28, 2023 from Happiness is Here
One of the main parts of our days at home as an unschooling family is read-aloud time. We currently do this over breakfast most mornings. We start the day with food, good books, and interesting conversations, and that feels good for us! You can read more details about how it looks, as well as some tips for getting started, here.