Real Lives: Eleven Teenagers Who Don't Go To School
by Grace Llewellyn (Editor)by 11 teens, edited by Grace Llewellyn
What could you do if you didn't go to school? What could your kids do if they didn't go to school? What could our world be like if more of us grew up without school—without being constantly commanded, controlled, evaluated, silenced, and compared to other people? In the words of these 11 unschooled teenagers, you will begin to glimpse some of the possible answers to these exhilarating questions. This new 11 Year Anniversary Edition includes updates from all the original writers/teenagers, plus a new preface from the Editor.
Introduction
In 1993, eleven homeschooled teenagers described their lives in rich detail, and Real Lives quickly became a homeschooling classic. Erin's favorite teacher was her horse Nick, blind in one eye. Kyla flew to South America in September of what would have been her senior year--alone, except for her mountain bike. Jeremiah and his sister Serena published a newsletter on peace issues. Patrick, who hoped someday to design video games, had spent the past few years compiling portfolios of his writing and artwork. Rebecca worked at homeless shelters and, through Habitat for Humanity, built houses for people in need. Anne tended honeybees and plucked a bluegrass banjo. Ayanna kept pace with 50 pen-pals--mostly in Africa--while Kevin talked with people all over the world on his ham radio. Amanda performed with a violin quintet and worked through the mail with her writing mentor. Vallie answered questions at a marine science center; Tabitha answered the phone at a crisis line, and helped midwives at births.
Now those eleven homeschoolers have grown up and engaged the territory of adulthood, college, and career--and the new edition of Real Lives includes updates from all of them. From gaining admission to an Ivy League institution without taking the SAT to crafting a simple life centered on writing and gardening, they tell where life has taken them and where they have taken life, and offer hindsight and advice for others choosing to learn outside of school.
Great reading for teenagers (schooled or unschooled), homeschoolers of any age, educators who want to broaden their understanding of how people learn, and anyone who is curious about what homeschooled kids think of homeschooling--and what those same "kids" think eleven years later. Lots of black/white action photos!
"A wonderful book, a revolutionary book, a book to set people free." - John Taylor Gatto
Where to get the book
Amazon
Written by: Grace Llewellyn (Editor)
11 December 2005
| Posted by: chris (christopherchiesa AT yahoo DOT com ) 8 October 2007 | Comments: I don't want to be home schooled but i think unschooling sounds like my kind of education. I read the first few pages on amazon and it was actually really good. it may sound odd at first but it makes sense. Unschooling I think would take a certain type of person, but most people who visit this site are that kind of people. We should all become unschooled, we wouldn't be bored plus wed learn about important stuff |
| Posted by: Ayliana 5 February 2007 | Comments: College Student, While I agree about that many students today lack the motivation to learn on thier own, I also know the cause of it. If you read John Taylor Gatto's book "Dumbing us down" He mentions time and time again that schools k*ll a students motivation to learn by making it a painfull, long and tedius project. It's not that hard to teach yourself. Thats what studying does. Not only that, the social and economic barriers that used to prevent people from being autodidactic aren't as hard to deal with anymore. Anyone can walk into a public library and request a card to check out books. Most people have some access to the internet, allowing them access to subjects of interest. Newspapers are cheap, anyone with a W2 form and an SSN can file for a student loan for college, and it costs nothing to stand on the street corner and start a conversation with someone. And finally public schools do not offer better guidence into the subjects being learned. The US has been behind other countries in math and science education for years now. History textbooks are biased and sometimes full of lies, and literacy has actually gone down according to a federal study, in not only high school but college graduates. These kids may not be going to school, but they sure as hell aren't missing much. |
| Posted by: college student 16 November 2006 | Comments: btw education is liberation. and the story of the 11 homeschool children sounds like a strech. in some sense i don't blame them the US educational system is becoming obsolete. we need educational reform that will help students perform well and believe that the government and our society is preventing students recieving the best education that can be offered. kids have the ability to learn, they may not use all of what was learned in school but they can leave knowing more about the world than they did before. all they need is a positive role model to help them, alternatives such as "unschooling" will only give them excuses to not go to school. |
| Posted by: college student 16 November 2006 | Comments: yea i think it's great to live in a society of free thinking, however i think "unschooling" means a lot of self motivation from the individual. public schools offer more guidance for children to succeed in the subject being learned. basically, "unschooling" suggests that students would have to teach themselves. how many of us can teach ourselves subjects like thermal dynamics in chemistry, trigonometry in geometry, or the great works of shakespeare? the problem with "unschooling" is that not many people have a driven motivation to achieve. take into consideration economical and social implications that prevent students from learning |
| Posted by: One Eye 6 April 2006 | Comments: Homeschooling sounds cool but it also sounds like ther are still to many holdbacks. Unschooling sounds like my kind of thing. Dont get me wrong I love learning but I want to learn about what I like not what the government thinks I should! |
| Posted by: Chloe 23 March 2006 | Comments: i really want to be homeschooled as i think i will learn so much more. the problem is convincing my parents. i hope they do let me because school is like a prison to me and i dont learn nothing. |
