Twitter Book Club: Grace Llewellyn (1991) The Teenage Liberation Handbook - Part 5

Part Five—The Lives of Unschoolers
39. The guinea pig chapter
No real tweetable quotes in this chapter. It mostly is an anthology of unschooling stories. Nice read and interesting look into the lives of many. Necessary for a book like this.

40. Your allies among the rich and famous
No real tweetable quotes in this chapter either but there is a list Llewellyn gives of famous people who never finished school or never really received much schooling that is interesting and I presume would be eye-opening to many who view schooling as an integral component of societal progress.

41. The life freestyle: Seth Raymond

"The Raymonds belong to a homeschool group with the local school district's stamp of approval; the district pays a ... http://tl.gd/adfubnless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

I wonder how many school districts have arrangements like this today. Seems pressures of NCLB would prevent many districts from taking on such an arrangement with homeschoolers. But, it would be a great way of improving education both for those who homeschool (or unschool) and those who attend school as it would increase the possible resources for both groups.


42. The journal, etc., of Ms. Kim Kopel, Autodidacy

"I don't want to have a teacher pour knowledge into my brain—knowledge that someone else decided I should have." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Finished reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook. There were many times I felt like giving up, quitting, dropping-out but I stuck it out.less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Twitter Book Club: Grace Llewellyn (1991) The Teenage Liberation Handbook - Part 4

Part 4: Touching the World: Finding Good Work

32. Beyond fast food

"We are starved for people who work with not just their hands and their minds, but also with their hearts. Most hum... http://tl.gd/ac6gksless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

Lets repeat this one:

"We are starved for people who work with not just their hands and their minds, but also with their hearts. Most humans, including teenagers, crave the chance to do real work—something that makes a difference in the world—instead of just sitting and taking notes all day."

I think this is so important and it is extremely important for educators to keep in mind as they create learning environments and plan learning activities or lessons for kids. There is no reason school has to be schooly. There is no reason school can't be real work. There is no reason school has to be a laboratory or a simulation of real life. School becomes these things because adults are made to feel held accountable for the quality of the simulations they engineer for kids. Why does it have to be this way?

"Your task now is to use your time beautifully now. Your life isn't something that's going to start happening when ... http://tl.gd/ac6ibgless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

One question I like to ask people who talk about preparing kids for their future is, "What purpose does school serve for a student who is critically ill or for a student who might die in a car accident before they graduate?" For the teacher who believes they are educating students in order to ehnance their lives today this question doesn't pose any kind of dilemma, but for those who believe schooling is an investment in the future the answer to this question is always unsavory.

"No matter who you are and how much money you don't have, if you are an unschooler you can do work (now and all you... http://tl.gd/ac6kndless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

This quote speaks beautifully to the message and mantra of my late college mentor and dear friend James O'Rourke. Jim always told me to do what you love and you will never have to work again. I would like to say that I have done this but I know I have at many times compromised my belief in this ideal in order to maintain a certain quality of living for my family. To live this way often requires sacrifices as does not doing what you love. However, only one of these paths will lead to deep regrets. I know I already have many.


33. Apprenticeships and internships

"reading books can be a bit like an apprenticeship." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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I certainly can attest to this. Twitter Book Club has also somewhat intensified this aspect of reading bringing me closer to some authors.


34. Volunteering

"Two big thrills come with volunteer work: the knowledge that you are helping something you believe in, and a huge ... http://tl.gd/acr2nkless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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35. Jobs

"Don't be limited by the stereotypes that tell us what kinds of jobs teenagers can do. You can do much more than ba... http://tl.gd/acr42hless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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36. Your own business

37. Pigs and honey: farm-related work

"Getting involved with the lives of the plants and animals that we eat fills a big gap in our 'educations,' a gap t... http://tl.gd/acr9b5less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"There is something unsavory about growing red hot chili peppers in order to learn agricultural science. On the oth... http://tl.gd/acrbkbless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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38. Fixing the world: social and political activism

"Working alone gets meaningless fast." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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Twitter Book Club: Grace Llewellyn (1991) The Teenage Liberation Handbook - Part 3

Part Three—The Tailor-Made Educational Extravaganza


17. Your Tailor-Made Intellectual Extravaganza

"Whatever you love, you will love it more truly when you understand its history." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"The unpleasant flip side of living in an information age is that it's hard to know what matters and what doesn't." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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But, Miss Llewellyn, isn't this the reason many people give for the purpose of school?

18. Beyond "field trips": using cultural resources

"In a library, you can learn whatever you want, but no one will try to make you learn anything." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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19. School as a cultural resource

"They knew they could be assertive since they were five families strong, and for each of their kids the district wo... http://tl.gd/a8but5less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

Lets repeat this one because I think it is real important:

"They knew they could be assertive since they were five families strong, and for each of their kids the district would gain $3,000. They presented the following list of requirements to the administrator." Llewellyn

Diane Ravitch, in a recent speech, called parents the sleeping giants in education reform. Somehow I don't think this is quite what she means but this strategy used by different homeschooling organizations in the past could be used to enact massive school changes. Think about it. If you and five other families each had two children who were of school age and all felt strongly about something related to how the school spends money in the name of educating your children collectively you have massive power to make change. These five parents potentially could leverage $50,000-$100,000 of per-pupil revenue the district receives (depending on what the local per pupil rate is). This kind of leverage is huge. Now, if that number of families was bigger, say 40 and each had at least 2 children now we are talking about $400,000-$800,000 of funds for that one school. THIS IS HUGE!

20. the Glorious Generalist

"nothing real is as uniform or predictable as the rows of offices in a tall building." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"As long as your mind is honest, your understanding of the universe will be in flux: an ocean, not a sidewalk." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Most four-year-olds aren't fundamentally bewildered, and it's not for lack of questions and wonder." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Ultimately, education is about our connection to the universe, our place in it. The bigger that connection, the bi... http://tl.gd/a8cfj3less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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21. Unschooling science

"School treats science all wrong. It usually allows no play and is afraid to ask you to do serious work. But real s... http://tl.gd/a91035less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

RT @anderscj: TwitLonger: "School treats science all wrong. It usually allows no play and is afraid to ask you to http://tl.gd/a91035less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyRon Amundson
mnphysicist

"Don't be brainwashed by government education people when they emphasize science and math over other subjects. This... http://tl.gd/a919qjless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

22. Unschooling math

"Many of us don't even know what math is—we confuse it with arithmetic and forget that it's more about logic, and a... http://tl.gd/a9lpb7less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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23. Unschooling The Social Sciences

This chapter is mostly a list of social studies resources. Nothing that really grabs me.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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24. Unschooling "English"

"The best English teacher in the world would hardly say a word, especially to the whole class at once. She would st... http://tl.gd/aaai7cless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Sometimes literary criticism seems utterly ridiculous, a way to make insecure English professors feel as scientifi... http://tl.gd/aaak57less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"We learn by example. Therefore, the best writing teacher for most people is lots of reading." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"I've had several students who spoke articulately, but who panicked and fell apart when they had to write, because ... http://tl.gd/aaaqcmless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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25. Unschooling foreign languages

Nothing of any real surprise here. Llewellyn basically recommends you learn a foreign language by visiting places where other languages are spoken.

26. Unschooling the arts

"Don't divorce art from the rest of your life." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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RT @anderscj "Don't divorce art from the rest of your life." Llewellynless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyBill Sterrett
billsterrett

27. Sports teams and otherwise athletics

Again, nothing really grabbed me here. She more or less just tells her readers to go out and enjoy the great outdoors.

28. The call of the wild

"I see distressing signals that young people are increasingly softer, more cautious, overprotected by parents and a... http://tl.gd/aatpi0less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

I find this distressing too. When I was a kid my friends and I used to run all over the neighborhood. It was expected behavior of us. Today, if a parent let their six, seven, eight, even ten-year-old do this they would be considered negligent. Sad. I wish things were different. I wish I could give my own children the freedom I had. I worry about what they are missing out on by not having this basic affordance.

"If you are a receptive adventurer, you will learn far more from quiet observation than from any contrived academia." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj

29. Worldschooling

29. Other school stuff turned unschool stuff

31. College without school

This may be one of the more important chapters in this book because it not only dispels a lot of myths about unschooling and education but also gives actionable advice for how to go to college (if you end up wanting to go) even without a high school diploma, and perhaps even without a GED.

"It's no longer an exception or an unusuality when unschoolers get into the most elite institutions, hardly even wo... http://tl.gd/aaufufless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"I hope soon to hear from people who are admitted to graduate schools without having completed undergraduate degrees." Llewellynless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Colleges increasingly encourage freshmen to take a year off for work or travel after high school before college. T... http://tl.gd/aaupneless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"Many unschoolers tell me that college is a possibility for their futures, but only if they find themselves specifi... http://tl.gd/aausm6less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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"I am appalled that young people are routinely encouraged to go into significant debt in order to earn a piece of p... http://tl.gd/aauvunless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj how about the fact that a seemingly majority of parents believe that their kids should pay their own way #perpetualdebtless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPad Favorite Retweet ReplyMichael Wacker
mwacker

@mwacker it is becoming the American caste systemless than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
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@anderscj living it... Shame on us!less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPad Favorite Retweet ReplyMichael Wacker
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@mwacker I would love to get my Ed.D or Ph.D in education or have a job those degrees open doors to but I can't afford it.less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Replyanderscj
anderscj