Sandra Dodd

I let Cameron's symposium announcement through, but subsequent
reminders won't be on the list, so if you're interested in it,
definitely sign up for his mailing list. I'm sure it will be a really
great gathering.

I don't like for the Always Learning list to be filled with chit chat
about gatherings or conferences, for several reasons. They're
regional, and expensive, and off topic, mostly. Yes, they can be
helpful, but they're not necessary for unschooling to work. Most
families can't afford them. We paid full price once, for Holly and
Marty to go to North Carolina, and it was a strain for us.

On the other hand, if there were somehow (squint your eyes and twist
your brain to follow this analogy) university courses in unschooling
that would help unschoolers get it, they might be worth taking, and
would cost as much as a conference but be much less fun.

So I want to talk about a symposium I've organized, and why, and why I
wasn't talking about it much sooner. And after this I won't talk
about it on the list, so if you're interested, e-mail me and I'll add
you to my announcements list and start collecting money and
reservations this week.

What I wanted to do has not been done, and isn't likely to happen
again. I wanted Pam Sorooshian, Joyce Fetteroll and myself, in
person, in the same place, with all our husbands and our kids. It's
set up now, and barring emergencies, is happening January 7-9, 2010,
in northern New Mexico. People whose words you've read and whose
kids have been "poster children" for years will be all in one place,
in person. And not to be morbid or anything, but not many people now
unschooling ever heard John Holt speak in person. I didn't, and he
was even in New Mexico after I was interested in education. This
might be one of those things you can look back on in the future and
say "I was there when Joyce, Pam and Sandra were all in one place."

Because I had already signed up to speak at three conferences, and two
were also in the southwestern U.S., I felt wrong about telling people
to save their money to come to Santa Fe. It's within range of San
Diego and Phoenix. I didn't want to seem to conflict with what
people were already offering me compensation (flights and rooms) to do.

I'm ready now, though, and I need forty families who have unschooled
at least five years and who have a teen. If I don't get forty of
those, I'll open it up to families with younger kids or less experience.
Alternately, the conference would be good for parents of younger
children who leave their children at home, or who bring another adult
to stay with the kids and find them things to do in Santa Fe or around
there. Driving is better than flying, or flying to Albuquerque and
renting a car could work well. It's off the path of public
transportation, pretty much. But if you wanted to take the light rail
to Santa Fe (or fly into Santa Fe if you're decadently wealthy) and
use taxis in Santa Fe, that's a possibility. You might want a car to
go up to Ten Thousand Waves (Japanese hot-tub/spa, in the tall pines),
or skiing or snowboarding at Ski Santa Fe, if you're so inclined.

This would be the first and best conference for which an EXCELLENT
arrangement would be for two or three dads, or two or three moms, to
come without families and share a condo. This could be a great
vacation for unschooling parents who have made friends with other
parents they don't get to visit much. And honestly, if the kids got
video games for Christmas, they'll still be mesmerized back home and
one of the parents could sneak off to Santa Fe pretty easily; maybe
both, if there are awesome grandparents or other caretakers the kids
trust to feed them during video game play.

Most conferences emphasize the social aspect, and have workshops to
introduce people to how unschooling works. I want zero beginner
questions, and all very-advanced sharing of unexpected outcomes. I'll
be learning too, if we take all our "Yes it's working; how and why did
it work?" energy and bring it into one place where we can discuss
things in depth.

The site is "Fort Marcy Hotel Suites" but the name is misleading.
It's not a hotel; it's a timeshare condo complex with one main
building. People's doors open to the outside, there are steps, it's
hilly, and could be snowy or icy. We don't have lots of rooms, we
have one big room for presentations and evening meals, and a breakfast
room that could be used for gathering and visiting during the day.
All the activities will be focused and together.

One of the most expensive parts of conferences can be the food and the
cost of the rooms. Our condo rates are very low, but can't be had
unless one is registered for the conference in advance.
Each condo has a full kitchen and so food can be prepared
inexpensively. Dinners will be shared in the conference room--two
catered as part of the conference fee (not fancy catering, but plain
and fun), and one will be a potluck.

Kirby and Marty will take and set up Rock Band and Beatles Rock Band
in their condo, and other kids are welcome to go there and hang out.
There will definitely be a session of the teens and young adults
telling stories and answering questions, and one for dads only, as well.

The condos can be packed full. Two families would fit into a three-
bedroom. A two-bedroom will hold probably four or five people
easily. Any one-bedroom will hold three people, unlike hotel rooms.
The living rooms all have either a couch someone can sleep on, or a
fold-out bed, or both. You could bring a futon from home, too, if you
drive.

We will furnish firewood and kindling, and each condo has either a
fireplace or wood-burning stove. That might not sound good this
week, but in January in northern New Mexico I can tell you for certain
that it's magical.

More information is on this page and blog, and I'm ready to register
attendees. The conference fees are below.

http://sandradodd.com/suss
http://santafeunschoolingsymposium.blogspot.com/
There are photos of various rooms in various of the condos on the
posts there.

$100 One person
$150 Two people in the same family
$180 Three
$200
Each additional, another $20.

If this turns out to be more money than we needed for transportation
of the speakers, firewood, food and printing, families who were the
most valuable to the proceedings will be offered small rebates to help
them get back home.

E-mail me if you know you'd like to come.

Locals who don't need to stay at the condos will pay the same price.
One-day local admissions are half the full-conference price.

Sandra

Sandra Dodd

A registration page:

http://sandradodd.com/suss/registration

Checks are better than PayPal for me, but either's okay.
There are only four three-bedrooms suites in our block, so if you're
wanting one of those you might want to do whatever you're going to do
pretty quickly.
There are 10 one-bedrooms and 25 two-bedrooms.

Sandra

[email protected]

And after this I won't talk
about it on the list, so if you're interested, e-mail me and I'll add
you to my announcements list


I did e-mail you a while back to let you know we were interested in this, but I thought I'd do so again, just in case. And I'd love to be on your announcement list as well. We do not have a teen, even though we have been unschooling for 5 or more years. Our boys are 10 and 5 (by January) and are not willing to stay with someone else while Dave and I come. :~) I certainly understand you wanting to keep it to families with teens, first, so I'll be content with being on the "waiting list". (We could do either a 1 or 2 bedroom, as long as there is room on the floor of the 1 bedroom for a sleeper or 2.)



Thank you,

De Smith


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Sandra Dodd

(SORRY EVERYBODY ELSE)

De, I sent you an e-mail but your mailbox rejected it. "mailbox
full." Please attend to that, or send me a different e-mail if you
have more than one. Thanks, Sandra

Bea

>
> What I wanted to do has not been done, and isn't likely to happen
> again. I wanted Pam Sorooshian, Joyce Fetteroll and myself, in
> person, in the same place, with all our husbands and our kids. It's
> set up now, and barring emergencies, is happening January 7-9, 2010,
> in northern New Mexico. People whose words you've read and whose
> kids have been "poster children" for years will be all in one place,
> in person. And not to be morbid or anything, but not many people now
> unschooling ever heard John Holt speak in person. I didn't, and he
> was even in New Mexico after I was interested in education. This
> might be one of those things you can look back on in the future and
> say "I was there when Joyce, Pam and Sandra were all in one place."
>


Would it be possible for all the talks to be recorded, and available for purchase and download online like the Live and Learn conference talks? I have found listening to those very helpful.


Bea

Sandra Dodd

-=Would it be possible for all the talks to be recorded, and available
for purchase and download online like the Live and Learn conference
talks? I have found listening to those very helpful.-=-

No, not these. These will be two to three hour discussions, rather
than talks. I'm planning two sessions per day so that the schedule
every day is long session, long lunch, long session, dinner together,
group activity. Lots of time to think and be together and talk.

I expect that new-improved ideas will come out of it, but it might
take a while for those crystals to form. And I hope people will be
blogging from the event and soon after so that people can share in it
that way. Maybe I'll ask people to do that. "Please blog your
thoughts, because Bea and others need to know!"

And because the Friday afternoon unschooling chat comes during this
time, maybe someone could be in the chat during the afternoon session
and pass on good quotes to people in the chat. It's possible.

Sandra

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]