Nice to meet you all!

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

We are an unschooling family in Spokane Wa. I think I may be on the wrong side of the state to hang out with other unschoolers, no that's not true I recently met a family that unschools on "ye olde facebook", but we haven't done a face to face yet.
I'm Mom (Charissa)33 He's Dad (Troy)32 and our Son (Phoenix)10.

I am closing my all custom tattoo shop in January to go to school and become a nurse. So it's a big time of transition for me but I find that I am enjoying the idea of less responsibility. For the last 18 years I have spent the majority of my time, Tattooing, managing the gallery, training apprentices, drawing, doing taxes, traveling, filling out paperwork, spore testing autoclaves and the other five million tasks that it requires to be a professional tattoo artist.

I am eager to just be a mom and student, if anyone has any observations or advice for me as a student mom to an unschooler, please, feel free to message me.

Troy is a "stay at home dad" who is proficient at playing many musical instruments and spends a lot of time reading and writing about music for his blog and you can listen to his blip and know how obsessed he is with it. He has a superior sense of humor and likes good movies. We have been very much in love since 1998.

Phoenix spends time however he wants. His current favorites Color- Blue Show- Fetch with Ruff Ruffman Toy- Legos Video game- Scribblenauts. But all this is subject to change. He likes magic tricks, playing board games and raking leaves and jumping into them. He spends a lot of time on the internet. He is growing his hair long and likes to watch Penn and Teller's bullshit *but he doesn't use swear words despite my encouragement:)*
He really likes to make people laugh and is quick to correct people when they say things that are not true.

We are freedom loving atheists. Friends tend to think of us as quirky slackers.
We were invited to be on Wife Swap but declined because that show sucks.

Washington has some messed up laws when it comes to compulsory education. We were lucky to find a great assessment service for natural learners called the family learning organization.

[Laura A]

HI Charissa-
Good to know you are out there. I live in Goldendale (which I think is even worse than where you are at for unschooling). I know there is a tri-cities unschooling group on yahoo. I have two boys, Indigo 5 and Sage 2. I have concerns regarding WA laws so thanks for the tip with The Family Learning Organization. I was a social worker in a past life and now am a stay at home mom. My husband Mike works for himself and is a really bright scientist and makes a living repairing high tech power equiptment. Indigo is very interested in how things work and and Sage is interested in how everything tastes. Really, everything. We have just officially decided to unschool, though I have been reading about it for quite sometime. We moved out here for Portland a few years back and sometimes I wish we were still there, but I like the quite and I like not having to keep up with the Jones.

We aren't religious, but a little unique. I like tattoos and have a few. Congrats to you to continue your own path of knowledge. Keep your head up with Nursing. My BFF lives in WI and she is an LPN and went to community college. She was uber busy that year.

I am not familiar with WA laws for compulsory education. I thought I read you fill out a form and need an assessment every year. Am I missing anything.

Thanks and best of luck to you.

Laura

[Sara]

Greetings,

We're in Duvall. There seem to be many unschoolers and unschooler-friendly families around here. Have you checked out the Eastside Unschoolers Yahoo! list? You might find someone nearer to you on there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eastsideunschoolers/

I also see a Spokane list that maybe you have heard of.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spokanehomeschoolers/

Sara
http://unschoolinglifestyle.com

[Dana Hoffman Ellis]

Hi, Charissa--

Glad you found us! Bummed for the unschooling world to lose a tattoo artist! lol....Last year at Life Is Good unschooilng conference they brought in a tattoo artist--NOT an unschooler! It would be great to have one "in house" so to speak! ;) But hey, I guess the world needs nurses, too ;) lol

We're in Bellingham, but I went to college in Spokane and lived there for 5 years (ugh, hate it!). I have almost 12 yo Otto, 17 yo Lauren, and 17 month old Miranda.

[Robin B.]

Hey, Charissa,

Nice to *meet* you, too! Sounds like you have a great family life together.

I echo Dana's disappointment in losing a tattoo artist! I've finally decided what kind I want and am eager to get it done. You *could* come to Life is Good and do some work on the side - hint, hint...

Here's the link for the conference:

http://lifeisgoodconference.com/

We know an unschooling family in Kennewick quite well - the King-Shawley family. Is Mary your Facebook friend? She's been working and attending school, so maybe she has some thoughts for you.

In addition to FLO, I'd like to recommend an eastern WA assessment service. Mary Ellen Gates, a long-time unschooler owns it. This is the first assessment we've ever done and I thought it was great. Here's her website:

http://goodlifehomeschool.weebly.com/index.html

BTW I *love* the term "quirky slackers!"

Cheers,
Robin in Issaquah

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

Hello Laura,
nice to meet you.
I am on a study break, it's very exciting.

There are a couple of groups that have information and forms for homeschoolers in washington w.h.e.n. and w.h.o. (You probably know)

I will explain what I meant about the law being messed up.
The F.L.O. has helped me a lot here in Spokane there is a public school program called the Enrichment Co-operative(TEC) I enrolled Phoenix when he was 6 with a misunderstanding about the way it all worked. It was a public school and as such compulsory education started as soon as we enrolled Phoenix we all had a very hard time with the program and when my son's attendance dropped due to constant colds and flu he got. The principal* at TEC threatened to report me with the Becca Bill, which is a law that can require parents to pay fines and/or serve jail time for their children's truancy. (There have been cases of the courts demanding no contact orders between teens and their parents when the teens refuse to go to school.) Phoenix attended TEC for six months and quit so I filed the declaration of intent papers and started assessment then instead of when he was 8 as I had originally planned.

In addition to assessment and the declaration of intent form you have to have a minimum of college credits or a qualifying homeschool course to homeschool in WA
F.L.O. has a qualifying course on video.

Becca Bill ~ http://wnla.tripod.com/id68.html

* TEC has a new Principal now
:) Charissa

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

Sara,
Thanks for the leads!
~Charissa

Sara said:

Greetings,

We're in Duvall. There seem to be many unschoolers and unschooler-friendly families around here. Have you checked out the Eastside Unschoolers Yahoo! list? You might find someone nearer to you on there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eastsideunschoolers/

I also see a Spokane list that maybe you have heard of.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spokanehomeschoolers/

Sara
http://unschoolinglifestyle.com

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

Dana, glad to find you!
I can't unlearn tattooing so I will always be a tattoo artist, I just hope to be a nurse educator also:) The world of tattooing has changed so much in the past few years it needs people with medical degrees to work with it to educate artists and legislators in disease transmission prevention technique. I hope to do that at least part time when I am finished with school. Where is the Life is Good conference? I would love to go! Spokane can be very ugh! I was born and raised here and it's best to stay home and make your own fun cause there are churches, malls, and bars, none of which I am into:D

I have friends in Bellingham that love it, I hope to visit them and see! ~Charissa

Dana Hoffman Ellis said:

Hi, Charissa--

Glad you found us! Bummed for the unschooling world to lose a tattoo artist! lol....Last year at Life Is Good unschooilng conference they brought in a tattoo artist--NOT an unschooler! It would be great to have one "in house" so to speak! ;) But hey, I guess the world needs nurses, too ;) lol

We're in Bellingham, but I went to college in Spokane and lived there for 5 years (ugh, hate it!). I have almost 12 yo Otto, 17 yo Lauren, and 17 month old Miranda.

[Charissa Vaunderbroad]

Robin,
I will totally check out the conference It would be exciting to meet other unschoolers in person. Tattooing and traveling is always a challenge but if I can create a safe environment for us all then I am totally down for it.

I will friend request Mary and ask her because if she can balance between school, work and family she's my new Hero.

Thanks~Charissa

Robin B. said:

Hey, Charissa,

Nice to *meet* you, too! Sounds like you have a great family life together.

I echo Dana's disappointment in losing a tattoo artist! I've finally decided what kind I want and am eager to get it done. You *could* come to Life is Good and do some work on the side - hint, hint...

Here's the link for the conference:

http://lifeisgoodconference.com/

We know an unschooling family in Kennewick quite well - the King-Shawley family. Is Mary your Facebook friend? She's been working and attending school, so maybe she has some thoughts for you.

In addition to FLO, I'd like to recommend an eastern WA assessment service. Mary Ellen Gates, a long-time unschooler owns it. This is the first assessment we've ever done and I thought it was great. Here's her website:

http://goodlifehomeschool.weebly.com/index.html

BTW I *love* the term "quirky slackers!"

Cheers,
Robin in Issaquah