In this panel, Unschoolers will discuss their experiences and thoughts on growing up in a world that is often doubting, questioning, mistrusting, and making fun of young people who aren’t sitting in school all day. Navigating doubtful family members, comparing oneself to peers, and getting the most ignorant questions from new acquaintances, unschooling can often feel alienating in a world where school is the default. We’ll talk about how we deal with these issues, and oftentimes, just laugh it off.

Intuition is an inner guidance system which is often conditioned into silence through dominant culture education and approaches to learning. Societal expectations and intergenerational trauma histories also impact our ability to access this life-giving tool. Through this session, you will be invited to reflect on your current relationship to intuition, how it informs your relationship to those around you, and how you want to weave intuition-building skills into your decisions moving forward.

A poem describing the cyclical stages/thoughts we go through after committing to unschooling

RIGGED: Uncovering strengths, friendships, and a teen’s difficult journey to maturity

Members of the Organizing Team for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education answered your questions about anything related to SDE and ASDE! Together, Bria, Domari, Daveed, and Alex have decades of experience working with young people, parenting, facilitating, working with parents and families, and advocating for Self-Directed Education and youth liberation.

We want more for our young people and ourselves. We deserve more. But, how do we actually get it and what is it what we are trying to get? There are no simple answers or linear paths. But, having a framework to lean into as we navigate the process helps. Together we will explore my Decenter to Center Framework as a tool to not just decenter schooling but also create a home culture that centers learning, connection, belonging, and relationship. Progress requires a high vision. Process helps keep us on our path.

Not preplanning every thing about my child’s life and education

Tearing Down a Once-Useful Defense Mechanism – Denial

This is a collection of artwork and written content submitted during the month of May 2023.

In my experience, I’ve found there is not an area that goes unturned while deschooling and unschooling. This can have my critical lens on and in focus most of my waking hours. As a result, it’s become imperative for me to have times throughout the day where I am both awake and restful. As we gather together for this offering, I’ll start by sharing a little about me, followed by ways I carve out space for this practice, moments when rest has found me, and how important a sense of safety is for our bodies to feel okay to rest. There will be time throughout for emerging ideas and questions.

How sunyata, the field of possibility, feels like the shared space of a self-directed learning family.

An acrostic poem about the nature of self-directed learning

This presentation explores the theories of Self-Determination, Cognitive Evaluation, and Intrinsic Motivation as it applies to unschooling and self directed learning. Because of curriculum and time constraints, intrinsic motivation may be difficult to facilitate within the traditional classroom. However, one of the most impressive strengths of unschooling is that the entire process revolves around a child or teen’s intrinsic motivation to learn. Let’s explore the power that intrinsically motivated, self directed learning provides.

How do we unschool our kids when we ourselves have gone to school? The only way to make sure we’re walking the walk is by doing the deschooling work.

Hazel Smack answers some burning questions about her new novel, RIGGED, Tipping Points’ first young adult novel.

A reflection on our transition from consensual, eclectic homeschooling to unschooling

“I have a good story to tell you tonight,” I said to her. “Yay!” She snuggled closer to me, pulling the comforter up. “Ok, this […]

A vignette

We will explore the ways our multicultural experiences, perspectives, and identities can inform and expand our practice of self-directed education. What can we celebrate about our different cultural backgrounds? How can our multiculturalism help us to resist standardization and conformity? How can it challenge existing norms and worldviews? Come ready to share your own thoughts and experiences!

Mind-Heart-Body play for us to explore self, judgement and curiosity as learners and facilitators. No prescriptions, no how to’s, more questions than answers.