I had to consider how I had lasted through my 12 years of servitude and continual higher ed since then. The secret is that I never took it seriously. I was so busy educating myself that I had too little time to question my enjoyment of my environment. Never in my scholastic career did I see myself as not being self-owned, not being self-directed.
Tag: schooling
Don’t You Know What Socialism Is?
Economists may insist on a strict definition saying that socialism is where the state controls the means of production. I would respond, what could be more of a means of production than the labor force, 99% of which comes from public schools in modern, industrial states?
Skyler Interviewed for The Homeschooling and Liberty Summit (27m) – Episode 103
Episode 103 features an interview of Skyler by Graeme Anderson for the Homeschooling and Liberty Summit, which occurred throughout the month of February 2018. Topics include: his schooling experience, moving his family to unschooling and peaceful parenting, what these have to do with his political views and the voluntary principle, and more.
An Unschooling Snapshot
“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” ~ Ansel Adams How does unschooling actually work? What does it really look like? How do children learn without being…
Schools, Not Guns, Are The Problem
Allowing government schools to continue to exist is a safety nightmare. First of all, you are putting your kids in the hands of cowards and ethical cripples. They ban the decent people from being armed, which encourages evil losers to treat the school as a shooting gallery. If you work for or in a school, and you don’t fight against the “no guns/weapons” policies you are part of the problem. If you help those policies be enforced you are so much worse.
The Double Whammy of Uselessness
While promoting my new book, I’ve repeatedly argued that foreign language requirements in U.S. schools are absurd and should be abolished. For two distinct reasons.
Jim Returns, Lifelong Learning, & Political Partitions (54m) – Episode 102
Episode 102 welcomes back Jim Carigan to the podcast for a chat with Skyler. Topics include: schooling, firearm ownership, gun control, class warfare, books on tyranny, lifelong learning, IRL philosophy discussion groups, political partitioning, the future of humanity, visiting Ireland, Acadia/cajuns, and more.
The Freedom to Quit
The freedom to quit is an essential aspect of an unschooling lifestyle. Frankly, I think a four-year-old should be able to quit anything, whether he’s unschooled or not. That’s about gentle parenting, not any education philosophy. But for unschooling, the freedom to quit–as long as that freedom does not negatively impact someone else–is a vital part of Self-Directed Education. We should connect our children to resources in their wider world, expose them to new and different opportunities, and be very clear about participation policies when signing up for things so we have the freedom to quit.
School Shootings
The idea that appeals to me the most is to disperse the public schools. Let people, who will, educate themselves. Let’s stop bunching them together in shooting arcades.
Mike’s Journey, Homelessness, & Fatherhood (1h23m) – Episode 101
Episode 101 welcomes Mike Campbell to the podcast for a chat with Skyler. Topics include: how he found himself homeless, moving around the Salt Lake valley living in a tent, future employment, childhood trauma and substance abuse, police and the expanding definition of crime, podcasting basics, moving toward peaceful parenting, forcing kids to lie, the natural curiosity of children, free range kids movement, child abduction and yelling “Fire!” to prevent it, unschooling, spending time in jail, and more.