Unschooling Continues to Grow Worldwide

As you can see, I've refreshed this site with a new look and new material, with more to come. I am amazed at the wealth of material and support that exists online and offline for and about homeschooling and other alternatives to school. This abundance is a testament to the ingenuity and abilities of people to create and enjoy ongoing learning and socialization without institutional control and judgement of their actions. It is possible to grow and learn individually and collectively without school dividing us into academic winners and losers. As an article in Psychology Today noted this summer, this is the golden age to be a self-directed learner!

For instance, Dawn Fung from Singapore reached out to me about her group, Homeschool Singapore, and her interest in unschooling. I look forward to learning more about the growth of homeschooling in Asian culture, where it is gaining a foothold.

I also heard from Daniel Parem Berg, the son of Leila Berg, who was one of the education writers in the UK who supported alternatives to conventional schooling early and often. Her writing about education and children included children's books, and she had a great ability for empathy with others.

Indeed, I met Leila in person because she read that John Holt was dying of cancer and she flew over from Britain to spend weeks in Boston caring for John during some of his final weeks with us. She knew that John, being a bachelor with no family nearby, would need help and support and she rose to the occasion. It's such a pleasure to get to know people like Leila, and her son has created a site about her work and books: LeilaBerg.com. Daniel wrote that he is transcribing an interview that Leila conducted with John Holt, A.S. Neill, and others when John was in the UK and I look forward to reading it.

Blake Boles has created a new website, Off-Trail Learning,that is "for young people (ages 14-21) who aren't satisfied with traditional education and want to blaze their own trail..." It features online content and a multitude of free podcasts to inspire and support off-trail learning.

If you are wondering why unschooling works, and how you might make it work for you, check out my new article, The Foundations of Unschooling. It was the keynote speech at the Irish Unschooling Conference this past May and I reworked it for publication here.

Please send me comments and ideas about improving this site, including resources to add to it. I rely on my readers to let me know what is and isn't working here, as I'm too close to the material (and often too busy) to notice broken links, typos, and other matters.