Introduction to Unschooling

Sandra Dodd
New Mexico Family Educators Homeschool Conference
Friday, March 21, 1997

Notes from the conference schedule:
Introduction to Unschooling
Sometimes less is more. Sorting out how people learn from the way most of us were taught in school is a worthy undertaking for new homeschoolers. Adults routinely learn things on their own at their own speed, and children can too, with help and encouragement.

ONE CORRECTION: I wish I could have a re-do, but this was 1997. I wish I hadn't said that Kirby "taught himself to read." He learned to read. He figured it out. That was about the time I stopped saying "taught himself." If possible, edit this recording in your head to "learned to read" instead of "taught himself." If that doesn't make any sense to you now, I hope it will later.

There was another couple of times I said "teach" when I wouldn't have used that term a year or so later, even.

The handout I was talking about that people were to have filled in (or not) had a couple of questions, as I recall. There were more people than handouts that day, and I couldn't find a copy today. FOUND IT!

Click to enlarge (click again when you get there) and print it out if you want to, or just look and think...


(Click for a transcript if the image is too small to see, or use a full-screen device.)


A quote from this talk, when I was asked how old my kids were:
"They're nine, seven and four."
As this page was created they were twenty-two, twenty and seventeen.

To download your own soundfile: IntroductionToUnschooling

Lauren and Lee Stranahan transferred the cassette tape of this talk in January 2009. It was recorded at the New Mexico Family Educators' Celebration of Natural Learning, March 21 & 22, 1997, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The recording ends when I was talking about deschooling. Sorry about that. Click here for more info on deschooling, then: Deschooling for Parents

Help for new unschoolers: Help

The difference between "teaching" and "learning" is here: What Teaching can Never Be