banner
The SDE Weekend 3: When Kids Want to go to Conventional School
“I think I want to try out conventional school.” This sentence can be alarming for those of us who are committed to an SDE and unschooling path. But there are many reasons young people might be compelled to try out school. Listen to this panel for an honest discussion about how this has come up in their family, reasons why young people might want to try out school, what the conversation is like when talking about joining school, and ways to navigate the school system when your SDE kid is in it.
Dominique Dje Dje
Dominique Dje Dje: I'll admit, bio's are hard for me. I love fashion and so I am a stylist, particularly of mamas who want to be comfortable AND stylish. I have a passion for home decor so I am a home organizer. I'm obsessed with textiles so I am in the process of learning how to make my own textiles with an homage to my African heritage with a modern twist. I love almost all music and have frequent impromptu dance parties so I'm taking online lessons to become a dj. And lastly but surely not least, I am a mother who co-raises two FREE black children. I've homeschooled/unschooled/self-directed them their entire life, though this terminology and naming it is new to me. If you asked me what my partner and I want for our kids is for them to be free...full stop! The harder part of that is figuring out, together, what that will look and feel like; and we are up for the challenge. I'm also a decent dancer, pretty good cook, stubborn, funny, private, pleasure seeker, controlling, playful, and a complete goof.
Ira X Armstrong
Ira X Armstrong (they/he): BA in Educational Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, Ira has been a teacher of peace, performance arts and freedom for over 30 years; is an infrastructure specialist who helps create harm reduction, healing justice, and outdoor education settings as well as shut down bridges, freeways, and government buildings to stop the machine from running over the people, as needed; and consults with grassroots and political campaigns, ally and accomplice organizations in technology, finance and education in order to create safe spaces for trans, queer, Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, fat, neurodivergent, and poor folks. Ira is a founder at PEACE Out Loud, a queer, Black, Brown, neurodivergent, and poor people led Social Permaculture enterprise in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they are dedicated to Self Determination, Outdoor and Freedom Education, and building Consent Culture. Ira is also part of a coalition of folks building to end rape culture in the next 30 years. He dreams a dream where the salmon have returned to Strawberry Creek.
No photo of Jaylen
Jaylen is a young person who join this panel discussion.
March 15, 2024

Dominique Dje Dje
Dominique Dje Dje: I'll admit, bio's are hard for me. I love fashion and so I am a stylist, particularly of mamas who want to be comfortable AND stylish. I have a passion for home decor so I am a home organizer. I'm obsessed with textiles so I am in the process of learning how to make my own textiles with an homage to my African heritage with a modern twist. I love almost all music and have frequent impromptu dance parties so I'm taking online lessons to become a dj. And lastly but surely not least, I am a mother who co-raises two FREE black children. I've homeschooled/unschooled/self-directed them their entire life, though this terminology and naming it is new to me. If you asked me what my partner and I want for our kids is for them to be free...full stop! The harder part of that is figuring out, together, what that will look and feel like; and we are up for the challenge. I'm also a decent dancer, pretty good cook, stubborn, funny, private, pleasure seeker, controlling, playful, and a complete goof.
Ira X Armstrong
Ira X Armstrong (they/he): BA in Educational Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, Ira has been a teacher of peace, performance arts and freedom for over 30 years; is an infrastructure specialist who helps create harm reduction, healing justice, and outdoor education settings as well as shut down bridges, freeways, and government buildings to stop the machine from running over the people, as needed; and consults with grassroots and political campaigns, ally and accomplice organizations in technology, finance and education in order to create safe spaces for trans, queer, Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, fat, neurodivergent, and poor folks. Ira is a founder at PEACE Out Loud, a queer, Black, Brown, neurodivergent, and poor people led Social Permaculture enterprise in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they are dedicated to Self Determination, Outdoor and Freedom Education, and building Consent Culture. Ira is also part of a coalition of folks building to end rape culture in the next 30 years. He dreams a dream where the salmon have returned to Strawberry Creek.
No photo of Jaylen
Jaylen is a young person who join this panel discussion.
March 15, 2024

If you enjoyed this article and feel called to give back to ASDE, here are ways you can support our work:

  • Donate money
  • Share our content with others! Click one of the buttons above to easily share on Twitter, Facebook, or email.
  • Consider becoming a Contributor for Tipping Points

Tipping Points Magazine amplifies the diverse voices within the Self-Directed Education movement. The views expressed in our content belong solely to the author(s). The Alliance for Self-Directed Education disclaims responsibility for any interpretation or application of the information provided. Engage in dialogue by reaching out to the author(s) directly.

 
Asking the right questions...
What is Self-Directed Education?
 
Building a movement...
About the Alliance for Self-Directed Education
 
Sharing our stories...
Tipping Points Press