I am very pleased to announce The Homeschooling and Liberty Summit, which begins February 1st, and continues through the end of the month. It is an absolute honor to be involved in something of this magnitude, along with so many giants in the liberty and unschooling world. Ron Paul, Peter Gray, Pat Farenga, Pam Laricchia, Tom Woods, Thaddeus Russell, Scott Noelle, Skyler Collins, and the list goes on!
Search Results for: peter gray
Self-Directed Education and the Freedom to Choose
Boston College psychology professor, and Alliance for Self-Directed Education founder, Dr. Peter Gray, writes that the freedom to quit is the most basic human freedom. He asserts: “In general, children are the most brutalized of people, not because they are small and weak, but because they don’t have the same freedoms to quit that adults have.”
Pandemic “Learning Loss” Actually Reveals More About Schooling Than Learning
There are mounting concerns over profound learning loss due to prolonged school closures and remote learning. New data released last week by the US Department of Education reveal that fourth-grade reading and math scores dropped sharply over the past two years. Fingers are waving regarding who is to blame, but the alleged “learning loss” now being exposed is more reflective of the nature of forced schooling rather than how children actually learn.
One Prominent Libertarian Explains Why Unschooling Is the Best Way to Educate Kids
“It seems obvious to me from my own education that one learns things mostly when you’re interested in learning them and not mostly when somebody sits you down and makes you learn them,” said David D. Friedman in our conversation on unschooling in the latest episode of the LiberatED Podcast.
ARK3 Returns, Trauma and Rage, PTSD, & Violent Parenting (1h3m) – Episode 428
Episode 428 welcomes back Alex R. Knight III to chat with Skyler on the following topics: finally making the connection between his former alcoholism and trauma he experienced in childhood and adolescence; accepting failure as okay, and not as shameful; post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by both of them; family disfunction and divorce; the roots of authoritarianism in violent (physically and psychologically/emotionally) parenting; laws against spanking; the effects of prolonged brain exposure to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline; stress in infancy, such as “cry-it-out”; evolutionary reasons why kids protest bedtime; Skyler’s family bedroom; and more.
Lucky Success, Video Gaming, Respecting Elders, & Company Loyalty (29m) – Episode 393
Episode 393 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/unpopularopinion: Mountain-Bid-4962 writes, “Luck plays a bigger part of success than society wants to admit it does”; ellecon writes, “As a parent, I think gaming is educational and is a great way for a kid/teen to spend their time.”; sstylesh writes, “Respecting your elders just because their older than you doesn’t make sense”; and timleykis101 writes, “Company loyalty is a joke”.
Social Isolation Is Damaging an Entire Generation of Kids
This resignation to ongoing government lockdowns, endless social distancing, mandatory mask orders, and travel restrictions—even as the virus wanes in the US—is damaging to our social and economic health, and may be particularly problematic for children who are separated from their peers.
Coronavirus Reminds Us What Education Without Schooling Can Look Like
We have collectively become so programmed to believe that education and schooling are synonymous that we can’t imagine learning without schooling and become frazzled and fearful when schools are shuttered. If nothing else, perhaps this worldwide health scare will remind us that schooling isn’t inevitable and education does not need to be confined to a conventional classroom.
Evolution in the Age of Lying
Yesterday I picked up my two youngest granddaughters after school. We talked over frosty shakes, slushes, and sodas at a local drive-in. At some point, it occurred to me to say, “It must be tough for a young person to grow up in a world that is so full of lying,” as though this might be some wisdom available only to an ancient man. I was most happy to hear, in unison, “We know! Right?”
The ADHD Overdiagnosis Epidemic Is a Schooling Problem, Not a Child One
While ADHD may be a real and debilitating ailment for some, the startling upsurge in school-age children being labeled with and medicated for this disorder suggests that something else could be to blame. More research points to schooling, particularly early schooling, as a primary culprit in the ADHD diagnosis epidemic.