Divine Affirmation: the planets are aligning . . .

[Cindy Henry]

Just two days ago I discovered the Radical Unschoolers Network quite on my own. I have read several blogs now and gotten a glimpse of some of the unschoolers' lives, the very human anxieties and ambivalences concerning the turning loose of children's minds, and I'm thinking: could this really be possible?

Then yesterday came what I consider Providence from the Maker of all Things: My friend and neighbor, Jewel, who is an unschooled teenager and who has been coercing me to re-think home schooling for my boys, gave me a copy of The Teenage Liberation Handbook. She said it was one of the most dangerous books ever written and that it changed her life. She had never told me of this book before. Incredibly, this was the very book I was planning to order on my own, after having read the reviews from bloggers on this network. Jewel did not know I had been investigating unschooling, she only knew I was considering the possibility of pulling James and Donovan out of public school. SO . . . despite my exhaustion from a 4th of July party and despite a raging head cold, I stayed up all night last night and read half the book. I could not put it down once I started it. This book seems to me a divine affirmation, an answer to prayer, and a launch point for my family's own foray into the Unknown known as Unschooling.

I want to thank you all for your honesty and your transparency regarding your experiences. This network seems to be a marvelous tool and I look forward to reading more of your adventures, later perhaps sharing my own.

Only two days ago, I felt fear and trepidation about home schooling again; now I have focus.

Commenting on comments:

Idzie, I looked up anarcho-primitivism on wikipedia. Thank you. Question: without the sociopolitical structures holding our "civilization" in place, how could a brilliant kid like you even come to the conclusion that you are an anarcho-primitive? And: Given the world's population, wouldn't a planetwide plunge into a hunter-gatherer type of society lead to massive starvation? In your opinion, are there any "good" aspects of civilization -- such as advancements in medicine? Mind you, I haven't read everything on your blog and you've probably already outlined your views there. I'm not trying to argue with you, I just want to know what you think. Consider me an interested learner. Also: I'm a poet. -- Cindy

[Idzie]

"Question: without the sociopolitical structures holding our "civilization" in place, how could a brilliant kid like you even come to the conclusion that you are an anarcho-primitive?"

I could come to the conclusion because everything holding up our sociopolitical structure, all the violence and oppression, bothers me more than anything else in this world. All the insanity of our daily lives, all the depression and addiction to mind numbing drugs, be they cocaine or alcohol or television. All the thousands of acres of forests cut down, the earth smothered under pavement and chemical laden lawns, WalMart's and malls and office buildings. And all the while the air becomes more toxic. The water more polluted (100% of waterways, lakes, etc. in the US are now home to toxic chemicals). Our bodies home to yet more toxins (every single woman's breast milk is now contaminated by dioxins). Over 100 species of plants and animals go extinct every single day thanks to this culture. Yes, without this sociopolitical structure I would not be an anarcho-primitivist. But if this structure wasn't so horrible, I wouldn't need to hold the political views I do!

"Given the world's population, wouldn't a planetwide plunge into a hunter-gatherer type of society lead to massive starvation?"

We, as a species, have already exceeded the carrying capacity of this planet, meaning that we've already passed the point where this planet has enough resources to support the amount of humans that now live here for any real length of time (note how large a portion of the human population already lives in extreme poverty). Therefor, a population drop in the future is completely unavoidable. It could be a more or less violent drop in population (a deliberate effort to produce less children while simultaneously cutting down significantly on consumption, for instance, would be a good thing, and not very violent. Mass starvation, on the other hand, would be violent). Basically, the point I'm trying to make is that it's inevitable that there will be a huge population decrease, regardless of what we do, or don't, do. It makes me incredibly angry that those in power, that this culture, has brought us to a point where civilization is going to collapse, quite possibly in a horrific way. As an anarcho-primitivist, I believe people need to really talk about these issues, since if they're addressed proactively there's a much higher likelihood that we can lessen the violence in the future.

"In your opinion, are there any "good" aspects of civilization -- such as advancements in medicine?"

Firstly, when people think of hunter-gatherer lifestyles, they most often believe that they had no health care whatsoever. However, that's a huge misconception. Natural medicine is a wonderful and very powerful form of health care (a huge percentage of pharmaceutical drugs are derived from plants). From what I've read, tribal peoples lived, and live where they have yet to be assimilated or annihilated, robust, healthy, and fairly long lives in very egalitarian societies. But getting back on topic of whether I think there are any "good" things about society. I find that hard to answer that, because good is so very much in the eye of the beholder. There's certainly things that I, personally, like about living in this culture. Hot showers and the internet, for instance. :-P And yes, there are some medical treatments that are not possible without an industrial infrastructure. However, due to this very industrial structure, we also have sky high cancer rates (everyone, pretty much every single person, has had their life affected by cancer), sky high rates of heart disease, and tons of health issues related to all the poisons in our environment. And that's what I see about everything in this civilization, really. For every seemingly "good" thing there's a nasty side affect.

"Mind you, I haven't read everything on your blog and you've probably already outlined your views there. I'm not trying to argue with you, I just want to know what you think. Consider me an interested learner."

I've written a lot about my political views on my blog, but it's probably hard to get a good overview because I've written lots of bits in lots of different posts! It's okay, I have absolutely no problem with answering questions. If I did, I would keep my political, and educational, views a lot quieter! I also simply appreciate it when people want to learn about opinions other than their own. Understanding, even if if doesn't always (often) come with agreement, is a great thing, and something I think is especially important, especially with views that are outside of the norm!

Peace,
Idzie

[Cindy Henry]

Thank you, Sandra. I've perused the site you gave me. Lots of good stuff. I see your name all over the "unschool" sites. You seem to have been doing this for a while. Are your kids out of the nest? If so, I would be interested to know how your unschooled kids are faring in their adulthood. It appears from the book, The Teenage Liberation Handbook, that unschooled kids pretty much turn into well-rounded, thoughtful and interesting adults. Has this been your experience?

[Sandra Dodd]

Here's a collection of things for beginning unschoolers:

SandraDodd.com/help

[Cindy Henry]

Dear bLISs,
My boys, James and Donovan, now 12 and 13, were home schooled up to fourth and fifth grades, respectively. Now they have finished sixth and seventh and I am ready to "take them back." Both boys were miserable in public school. Not at first. The first year was "okay." I expected things to get better, but they just continued to spiral downward. Donovan, the now-13-year-old, was the main reason I decided to quit home schooling. He is a different kind of bird, a late developer, probably would be labeled "learning disabled" if I had ever had him tested in that direction; he simply refused to learn in all the tried and true ways, the ways I had home schooled my older two kids (now adults). I was burned out, but I see now it was because I was trying to do school at home, with all the textbooks and busywork. This was how I had schooled the first two, with success. I figured the public school system could help Donovan -- after all, they are the "experts." All in all, it was a big mistake, and I am not even mentioning the dangerous peer associations.

Both boys are ready to be home schooled again. But this time I want the freedom of unschooling. This philosophy is closer to the grand ideas I had way back in the early 90s when I first began schooling my older two, writing my own unit studies, etc. I was considered a radical in my own home school community. As Megan and Daniel got older, I began to use more and more "textbooks and workbooks" like my friends, until we were just like a little school, only at home. I was continually frustrated. At last I put both in a Christian university-model school near us (they went to school three days a week and were "home schooled" the other two); my daughter graduated from this school but due to this school's lack of a technology department, my son Daniel finished his high school years at the public high school, where he thrived and graduated with honors. So I feel I've run the gamut of educational choices. Unschooling is about the only thing I haven't tried, but after even only a brief introduction to it, it sounds right for my boys.

Once upon a time they were interested in everything. Now they both hate to read and write, and they see little value in learning. Both are rebellious, but I think it's the acting out of their frustration over their "failure." I simply want my boys back.

I've only read half of The Teenage Liberation Handbook but I can see it is a life-changing book. The author assures us that it is, indeed, a beautiful day, rain or shine. And life is good! -- C

[bLISs]

cindy, one more question...sorry, i can't seem to edit my last comment even though its been a minute since i posted it...

are your children unhappy in school? do they want out? if not, how do they feel about being radically unschooled? my daughter doesn't get it, what the difference is, except that she wouldn't be in that building, really, sitting at a desk or drawing with crayons with her "friends"... sounds dull to me! waldorf can be really neat...but still, its steiner's creation...not my daughter's. and even play time is limited. limited in time allowed and limited in what the children "may or may not" do. (pun surely intended, for any of you ex-waldorfers!)

i'm just curious if your kids are resistant to being unschooled because my daughter was...not sure if she still is...at this point i'm not mentioning it much (not bringing her back for 1st grade...). also i know if she goes to school, her younger brother (now 19 mos.) will probably want to follow in his big sisters footsteps...maybe not but most likely, he will want to...

:O) what a beautiful day. rain or shine. i'm loving it.

[bLISs]

cindy...how old are your children? i want so to read that teenage liberation book. my daughter is only 6.5 years old but wants to go onto 'the grades' as she puts it. yikes! scares the bejesus outta me, lemme tell you. i keep saying on these groups i'm a part of that i just want her to be as free as she can be... i grew up w/ a copy of "free to be you and me" & borrowed the album from the library a time or two just to hear it with my ears. funny, the very person who modeled "freedom" for me truly wasn't free in her own self (my mother), yet kept encouraging my own freedom...only totally in the wrong direction. see why i have been so confused and frustrated for so long!? guess that's what happens when the hippie turns into a yuppie and then after yuppiedom has no clue who they are...some mixed up version of both i suppose...

do you know about the "radical unschooling with law of attraction" yahoo group?

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

it is my all time fave group ever...you seem like you might enjoy it there with all of us. :O) hope to see you there, too.