Twitter Book Club: Grace Llewellyn (1991) The Teenage Liberation Handbook - Part 2

Part Two—The First Steps


9. Your first unassignments

"there's nothing inherently wrong with the term 'school;' in the beginning it was a Greek word—'scole'—that meant l... http://tl.gd/a4gocpless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Any unschoolers or their parents out there that can speak to this? "Unschooling generally seems to make parents int... http://tl.gd/a4grrdless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj I'm a grown unschooler, and that quote is definitely accurate in my experience!less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyIdzie
Idzie

This makes me think of a clip from a movie preview I saw for the documentary Schooling the World (a documentary, by the way, I would love to see). In the clip families from developing countries reflect on the difference in their lives between before western schooling was introduced to their communities and after. Most of the elders expressed regret of loss of the close nature of their familial relationships.

Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden trailer from lost people films on Vimeo.

Here is another clip from the film:

clip from Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden from lost people films on Vimeo.

11. The Not Necessarily Difficult Legal Issue

"No law is an issue until someone tries to enforce it." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Likewise, a law without a consequence is just a suggestion.

"School activities take most of their shape from rigid schedules, bureaucratic logistics, and limited access to the... http://tl.gd/a56717less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"It does seem rather absurd to require testing as an evaluation of homeschooling—after all, if you're in school and... http://tl.gd/a569peless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Unfortunately, bad confusing writing impresses most bureaucrats more than clear writing does." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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I think a lot of us know this to be true. If you want a grant to get funded, make it as confusing to understand as possible. If you use heavy jargon you are more likely to get people to have confidence that you are and "expert" and have the skills and intellect to make good use of their money. The sad thing is that projects and programs with the most potential are ones that are best described in layman's terms.

"In the U.S. and Canada, some states and districts work put programs where they continue to enroll homeschoolers, g... http://tl.gd/a56qf6less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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I don't think we do enough of this. If you take this point of departure, you could interpret Llewellyn's book as a means not simply to do away with schooling but to remove the negative effects of it's compulsory nature. Attend school on your terms, not someone else's is a power concept.

"Of course homeschooling can't offer a comprehensive education. Neither can school. 'Comprehensive' is a huge word.... http://tl.gd/a56t33less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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12. The importance of The Vacation

"Forget the lies that school taught—forget that learning is separate from your life, that you can't teach yourself,... http://tl.gd/a5rhfpless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Two of the schools I am currently working with are year-round schools. When I came into this assignment I had no strong feeling either way about year-round school. Those who advocate it point to summer learning loss and teacher burnout as reasons for it. However, Llewellyn makes a real good point in this chapter that year-round schooling advocates out to address. Year-round schooling doesn't allow enough time between terms for any deep and meaningful self-guided learning to take place.

I keep thinking back to my own schooling, especially in grades 7-10, and what transpired in the summer breaks. Usually the first week or two I did nothing except play Attari, watch movies, sleep in, and veg. But, after I got board with my vacation, my natural curiosity and drive to learn new things kicked in. That is when the projects began. That is when I began writing my own video games. That is when I made my own missles out of my Estes model rockets and the gun powder from last year's fireworks. That was when I started reading books that I wanted to read, not that I had to read or that someone required me to read. That was when I made my own artwork that was fed by my own desires, not some requirement or in response to some else's assignment prompt. With the current schedule I am on, in my intercession breaks I never get beyond this vacation time. I suspect kids on a year-round schedule never do either. The question becomes, is immersion in informal learning as important as structured learning? Are kids in a year-round school deprived of something very important for their development? Does the same apply for teachers and their staff development?

13. money, bicycles, and other Technical Difficulties

"If you set about your business believing (politely) that anything is possible, you will prove yourself right." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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14. getting a social life without proms

I have 1 major problem with this book I'm reading. Grace Llewellyn seems 2 think it's better 2 give up than work 2 make changes 2 schls.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Seems it would be better to de-institutionalize schools than devote energy to escaping it.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj If un/other-schling, there's no place to "escape" from. Not giving up; choice to direct energy to creation, not "fixing," escapingless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyCarmen Tschofen
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But, this book was written for teenagers, not educators. I wonder how she would address educators. Would she try to convince us to quit too?less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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15. Adults in a new light

"To reach your fullest potential, you need mentors, role models, and teachers." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj love when you unfold a book..... this one is different -less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Replypammoran
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@pammoran yeah, quite different. I was a bit apprehensive about tweeting quotes from it given the demographic of follower I have on Twitter.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@pammoran I find myself thinking of students I knew when I taught at an ALC who dropped out. This book paints them in a new light.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"the Eskimo people, who have no word for 'teacher' or 'wise man' but instead recognize people who play the role of ... http://tl.gd/a6ek2qless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj egads. what are you reading where ppl still use the word "Eskimo"? #unPCless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyAdrienne Michetti
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@amichetti Grace Llewellyn (1991) The Teenage Liberation Handbookless than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj there are many who find the term "Eskimo" to be offensive. #justsayinless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyAdrienne Michetti
amichetti

"Mentors are not easy to find...You can't just advertise in the help-wanted section—anyone who thinks of himself as... http://tl.gd/a6eo3fless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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The way schools approach mentoring is quite contrived. Every school I have worked for has had a new teacher mentoring program. In this program the incoming new teachers are paired with a teacher who has been with the district for many years to serve as their mentor. As Llewellyn points out here, these are not really mentors since a mentor-mentee relationship must develop naturally. It is more like a deep friendship than an assigned position. You can't be assigned a mentor, that relationship must develop naturally. What school mentorship programs really are are "go-to person" programs. School mentors are people you go to who have been assigned to answer your administrivia questions so district administrators don't get overwhelmed with orientation matters.

There is nothing wrong with these programs, except, they are not mentorships. Similar problems happen with student mentorship programs. I just know that somewhere some school district has setup the equivalent of speed-dating for mentor-mentee match-making. Likewise, someone out there has probably setup a computer program that matches you on 7 level of compatibility with your mentor or mentee.

16. starting out—a sense of the possibilities

"After all these years of living with other people's curriculums, you can get a big thrill designing your own perso... http://tl.gd/a6eursless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"No one speaks wisely without having first listened. No one can listen happily if they aren't heard also." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"schools rarely encourage you to direct your writing to a real audience, but actually, writing is essentially a way... http://tl.gd/a6f5mmless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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