Category Archives: Education

Trevor Eissler “Montessori Madness!” (Video, 6 min.)

This is a short video by Trevor Eissler, Montessori schooling advocate, on the benefits of Montessori schools. Topics include:

  • Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation
  • Grades
  • Comparisons between Motessori and Public Schools
  • Maintaining a child’s spark of curiosity

The Montessori model is a wonderful, child-friendly approach to education that emphasizes independence, child-led educational freedom, and respect a child’s natural psychological development. You can find out more about Motenssori schools in your area at FindAMontessori.com.

The 3 Aims of Public Education (Podcast, 36 min.)

Introducing the three aims of public education:
Blind obedience, assimilation, and the surrender of self-ownership.

School Sucks Podcast: Episode 006: Conformity & Compliance (36 min.)

About School Sucks Project:

School Sucks Project is a podcast, You Tube channel, and on-line community dedicated to redefining education. We promote home-education, critical thinking, peaceful parenting, personal growth and nonviolent communication strategies.

What education is: a lifelong process of seeking and integrating new knowledge, an intrinsically motivated journey that serves the needs of the individual learner
What education isn’t: compulsory, institutionalized schooling

Radical Unschooling Teens Discuss: Chores, Piercings & Prom (Video, 16min.)

Dayna Martin interviews unschooled teens, Devin Martin and Rileigh Forslund. The three discuss how some common issues are approached in the Radical Unschooling model. Topics include:

  • Do the teens help out with cleaning even though they have no assigned chores?
  • How did Dayna respond to Devin’s desire to get a piercing? Did he get it as an act of teenage rebellion?
  • Unschooler individuality and acceptance of others
  • Are there cliques in groups of unschoolers?
  • What do the lives of kids in school look like to Devin and Rileigh?

Teens Answer Common Questions About Unschooling (Video, 10 min.)

Dayna Martin interviews unschooled teens, Devin Martin and Rileigh Forslund and discusses common questions about Unschooling. Topics include:

  • How do unschooled children learn to socialize without school? (And what’s wrong with socialization in schools?)
  • Do unschooled kids watch TV and play video games all day? If not, what do they do with their days?
  • How do unschoolers learn traditional academic skills like Reading, Writing, and Math?

The War on Kids (Documentary, 95 min.)

A cautionary tale for parents considering enrolling their children in public schools.

(From Wikipedia) The War on Kids is a 2009 documentary film about the American school system. The film takes a look at public school education in America and concludes that schools are not only failing to educate, but are increasingly authoritarian institutions more akin to prisons that are eroding the foundations of American democracy. Students are robbed of basic freedoms primarily due to irrational fears; they are searched, arbitrarily punished and force-fed dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. The educational mission of the public school system has been reduced from one of learning and preparation for adult citizenship to one of control and containment.

You can purchase The War on Kids DVD Online at thewaronkids.com ($20) or stream it online ($9).

You may also be able to find the documentary on YouTube for free.

The documentary was directed by Cevin Soling, an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, musician, music producer and artist.

Philosopher and full-time parent Stefan Molyneux interviewed Cevin about the documentary. You can view the entire interview here:

Cevin was also interviewed about the documentary on the popular TV show, The Colbert Report.

Cevin Soling interviewed on The Colbert Report

To learn about alternatives to enrolling your child in public school, view other posts in the Education category.

Radical Unschooling – A Revolution Has Begun (Book)

Radical Unschooling (Book)

Radical Unschooling – A Revolution Has Begun. This book covers not only unschooling — the practice of child-lead education without school — but also parenting topics from an attachment parenting perspective, including many of the age-old challenges of parenting such as bedtimes, food, chores, etc.

In my heart of hearts, I’ve always been a Radical Unschooler. There is no doubt in my mind that families and our global community would be far healthier if this approach were embraced.
– Dr. Christiane Northrup, MD, Author of “The Secret Pleasures of Menopause” and “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom”

Full of brilliant common sense! Mrs. Martin takes us behind the curtain to see in rich detail what alternative education really looks like when it bestows upon its subjects the freedom to choose. Every parent who feels compelled to give their kids into the care of total strangers should read this book.
– John Taylor Gatto, Author of “Dumbing Us Down” and “Weapons of Mass Instruction”

Buy Radical Unschooling Online at Amazon

Sample excerpt from the book:

Chores (p27-28)

Our kids do not have “chores.” They do, however, joyfully help out around the house. Devin likes to vacuum, and Datoka and Ivy like to dust, clean windows, and sweep the kitchen. Our kids clean because it makes sense to do so. They enjoy being part of this aspect of our family living. I never make them clean their rooms. I take responsibility to keep their rooms clean because I know that if I provide them with models of clean, organized space, they will get used to having it that way and keep up with it as they get older.