huge thanks to @rogre for intruducing me to
Astra Taylor (video on unschooling)
at 18:00 talks specifically about unschoolers recruitments to college at brown - too spineless to rock the boat
is that what homeschooling all about.. getting in the back door to compulsory ed - credentialing
unschooling is a life-long curriculum
the difference between educating and credentialing is profound
what do academic credentials signify anyway
38:00 - work for first graders doubled since 1981
6 mill on ritalin
i would have loved to commune with some peers to study marine biology, discuss number theory, etc.. but that wasn't an option, instead, held up 7 hrs a day,
why do we want to believe that the masses can't be trusted to teach themselves, so militant about other people's kids
genius is as common as dirt, we suppress our genius because we haven't figured out how to manage a population of education men and women - gatto
unschooling fundamentally is driven by a profound trust in the human capacity to be curious, the challenge we face, and it's a difficult one is finding a way to extend this trust outwards beyond the home and into the public sphere where it is so desparately needed
talk ends at 46:36
homeschooling - doing school at home (curriculum, parent plays teacher, etc)
unschooling - not playing school all day - you're playing
home as a nutrient rich environment, they unleashed us, let us explore, very rich place to be, lots to be interested in, indulged passions, but they didn't stand over us, occassionaly there was resistance. fundamental encouraging and facilitating, what do you want to do i'll help you
why it works - the trust is absolute, interests always respected, no matter what they might be, trust has to be really profound
another benefit of unschooling - the act of solitude
what about unschoolers who's parents don't have degrees, etc, educated
the cause of public ed - sharing of resources...
homeschooling - more helicopter, coddling parenting&
;unschooling - more hands off ;unschooling happens all around us - it's just something we don't recognize
uni is an important space - just wish it could be exposed and opened a bit
committed to the idea of an intellectual community that doesn't end at age 20 or 24..
what needs to be accessed for those less privileged - what are the basics:
1) trust in self
2) trust in curiosity
3) a few good libraries
4) inspiring role models
don't really have an answer, just know that school isn't always the best, even for those who have the least
Roberto's post on Astra
her examined life trailer:
here she's interviewing Rebecca Solnit .. who she wrote a book about:
There’s a funny dialectic between knowing what you’re doing and having it surprise you. You’re like a jazz musician; you have to learn really hard how to control the instrument before you start breaking the rules.
esp like this:
We are not a school (although we are often mistaken for one). We’re not even a nice school, or a democratic school, we are rethinking the idea of institutionalizing youth entirely.
other things he intro'd me to:
the purple art institute
where Astra is part of the faculty
youth centers -
online magazine with overview of the workspace at purple thistle
more images
matt hern
on twitter
his site.. books
rogre @monk51295 'Everywhere, All the Time' is like an updated 'Deschooling Our Lives', both collections of writing from Gatto, Holt, Llewellyn… rogre @monk51295 …Tolstoy, Guterson, Farenga, etc. You probably know lots od that, so, I'd probably recommend 'Field Day': http://t.co/5EtythA
rogre @monk51295 These might serve as inspiration as you plan your space:
http://t.co/DTcXdfd
Roberto's school
he advocates a backlash against the 'hamburger' approach to education. He believes that education is essentially about equipping children with the ability to act responsibly in a complex society.
