Radical Unschooling
This is the "office" of Sandra Dodd,
unschooling mother of Kirby, Marty and Holly,
who never went to school.

Refresh the page for a new quote.
Most of these quotes are here, some with reference or context.


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Art
Attitude
Balance
   en français
Being
Beginning
Books
Boredom
Bribery
Change
Checklists
Choices
Chores
Communicating
Confidence
Connect • the • Dots
Control
Curriculum
Dads
Definitions
Deschooling
   en français
Economics
Empowerment
Fallacies
Fighting
Focus
Food Issues
Freedom
Games
Geography
Giftedness
Gilligan
Help
"Have to"?
History
Holt Quotes
How?
How much time?
"If I let him..."
"If only...sooner"
Imagination
John Holt
Joy
   en français
Language Arts
Late nights
Learn vs. Teach
  en français
Learning
Math
Mom Happiness
Movies
Museum-house
Music
Myths
Nest
Noisy Peace
Parenting Peacefully
Parenting Topics
Partners
Phonics
Playing
  en français
Principles
Priorities
Reading
Rebellion
Relatives
Respect
  en español
Rules
Shakespeare
Seeing it
Sleeping
Spanking
Special Needs
Spelling
Spirituality
Spoiled Children
Stages of Unschooling
Stress
Strewing
Subjects
Substance
Teens
Test avoidance
Thinking Sticks
Time
Times Tables
Tiny Monsters
Toddlers
To Be Fascinating
To Get Jokes
Transition
Triviality
TV/Video
Typical Days
Video Games
Violence
   Toy Guns
   Siblings
   Video Games
   TV
   Parents
Wishlist
Wise children
Wonder
Words & power
Writing
"Yes!"

"You could grow up to be President!"
not applicable in the U.K., Canada, NZ or Australia
No WAIT! It is!

Blog
My littler kids, Unexpected Benefits of Unschooling, Blake's/Yoga/Holly
Site News
Schuyler, Spanking, Godzilla, reading, TV, Photos needed, separation, "Perfect Vision,"
Topics
History found in playing cards
Feedback
"I've recently been reading a lot of the postings to the list and your website. And I just wanted to say thank-you for putting yourself, your life and your mind out there for us all to pick at. :)"

LEARNING ALL THE TIME

People learn by playing, thinking and amazing themselves. They learn while they're laughing at something surprising, and they learn while they're wondering "What the heck is this!?"

I have a discussion group called AlwaysLearning, where the principles underlying unschooling are discussed. There are live text chats at least twice a week at SandraDodd.com/room.

CAN IT WORK IN THE REAL WORLD?

If unschooling can't work in the real world, nothing at all can. People will say "How will they learn algebra in the real world?" Is there algebra in the real world? If not, why should it be learned? If so, why should it be separated artificially from its actual uses? "Why?" should always be the question that comes before "What?" and "How?" There is a Sesame Street book called Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum. There is a "things under the sea" room and "things in the sky" room, but still each room is just a room in a museum, no windows, everything out of context. Then he opens a big door marked "everything else in the whole wide world" and goes out into the sunshine. There is unschooling.
I've removed the link I had because used copies on Amazon are listed way too high. Don't pay over $5 for it. More images are here

NOT JUST FOR KIDS!

The way adults tend to learn things is the way people best learn—by asking questions, looking things up, trying things out, and getting help when it's needed. That's the way pre-school kids learn too (maybe minus the looking things up), and it is the way "school-age" kids can/should learn as well. Learning is internal. Teachers are lovely assistants at best, and detrimental at worst. "Teaching" is just presentation of material. It doesn't create learning. Artificial divisions of what is "educational" from what is considered NOT educational, and things which are "for kids" from things which are NOT for kids don't benefit kids or adults. Finding learning in play is like the sun coming out on a dank, dark day. [Playing ]

ARTICLES BY SANDRA

Descriptions and links to essays and articles are here. Some are linked in the list to the left, but others defy short description, and those are probably the best ones!

VIDEO AND SOUND FILES

Videos on unschooling topics, and recorded interviews are here:
SandraDodd.com/listen

LINKS TO OTHERS' WRITINGS

Joyce Fetteroll
Pam Sorooshian
Deb Lewis
Robyn Coburn
Danielle Conger
Mary Gold
Ren Allen
Schuyler Waynforth
JennyCyphers
Kelly Lovejoy
Dan Vilter
Lyle Perry
Pam Laricchia
Kathy Ward
Linda Wyatt
Mae Kowalke
Shell in NZ

UNSCHOOLING ORGANIZATIONS

Regional groups, lists and resources
(by language, nation, state, religious or special focus)




Google
Search WWW Search SandraDodd.com


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Speaking

HSC Conference
August 19 - 22, 2010
Sacramento, California
and Kirby Dodd, too!


Books

The Big Book of Unschooling

Moving a Puddle and other essays by Sandra Dodd


Game/Toy:

Thinking Sticks


Interviews

Unschooling: What It's Really All About, September 30, 2009 interview by Sandi Schwartz (sound file to listen to on that page or to download)

An Interview with Sandra Dodd, by Emily Subler, originally in Home Education Magazine in 1998

Living Unschooling with Sandra Dodd, interview by Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko (PDF file), which is a transcript of most of this Radio Interview.


Recordings

NEWLY AVAILABLE (and free):
Introduction to Unschooling, Sandra Dodd in 1997

free
Relaxed Homeschooler Podcast from September 8, 2008
The show lasted 90 minutes and I talked most of that time! Listen to the whole thing on my blog here.

Mindful Parenting, a 2005 talk with Ren Allen

Relaxed Homeschooler Interview, September 2008 podcast

Peaceful Parenting, a talk given in 2002 with Richard Prystowsky

Improving Unschooling, radio interview by Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko

(coming soon, free:

Big Noisy Peace and Flow)

The Natural Child Project Parenting Site of the Month
February 2007

the review and some comments

This site isn't the only one, but it's still cool to have been named.homeschooling award winner logo