Lots of people worry about how to create transcripts – especially unschoolers. How do you translate Real Life into some educational language? Especially if you’ve spent the entire time living as if school and all of its trappings don’t matter! First, let me reassure you, school trappings – grades, courses, subjects, GPAs – none of Read More
Category: Teens
An Unschooling Path to College
In thinking about writing this article and pondering an appropriate title, I kept coming back to a song that was written for an Off Broadway show a few years back. The song is called “Die Vampire Die” and it’s about all the people (the vampires) who try to suck the life out of your creative Read More
Teen Years – Is it too late to Unschool?
So many kids have been struggling with school! For some it’s the bullying, the pressure to perform, the over-emphasis on testing, the sleep deprivation – the list is really growing all the time. And they’re miserable there. They’re bored and stressed and they think they simply have to accept this as a fact of Read More
Can Parents and Teens Be Friends?
When people are uncomfortable, they tend to rely on axioms and phrases that may or may not have any validity at all. They comfort themselves with a familiar fairly-universally accepted phrase … then they don’t have to think that hard about it anymore. Raising teenagers can sometimes make parents doubt themselves. They find themselves in a Read More
7 Shocking Facts about Unschooling A Teen
I know. Some of these seem like total blasphemy. That’s because we’ve been sold a bill of goods that simply isn’t true. But these are the facts. And now that you know the truth, how much easier can you and your teenager’s life be? Awesome, right? DIPLOMAS ARE OVERRATED. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need Read More
Learning From the Teens
Learn more about how homeschooled and unschooled teens viewed their experiences. This is the reassurance you’re looking for!
Understanding Your Teen’s Brain… and Behavior
Adolescence can be a tough phase – for the parents and the kids. The transition between childhood and adulthood can go smoothly or can be pretty bumpy, for so many different reasons. It’s not true that all parents of teens will have a rough time, but even the best relationships have one thing in common Read More
6 Steps to Parenting Teens and Young Adults
The internet is full of tips for parenting younger children. Either they expect that you’ve figured it all out by the time they’re teens, or you’ve just put up the white flag of surrender. Unschooling families tend to prioritize the relationships between parents and children, so hopefully this transition to adulthood can go more smoothly. Read More
Parenting Teens: A Hands-On Approach
For years, we’ve heard other parents say, “A house full of teens? Good luck!” And they wander away shaking their head, as if you’ve already lost some battle. True, the teenage years are full of heightened emotions, raging hormones, self-esteem issues, and basically trying to figure out who they are in this world. These are Read More
Heroes in Training
Guest Blogger, Michael Patterson, shares how to weave community service into the lives of children and teens
Unschooling Teens & Sleep
Years ago, your child was up at 6 a.m., peeling eyelids back, ready for you to help him greet the day. But not so with your teen. Maybe you’ve been up puttering around all morning, fixing yourself some lunch when you notice your teen is still snoozing. What the heck is going on here? It Read More
Are You Listening to Me?
Unschoolers spend lots of time together – and for the most part, it’s an exciting fun adventure! Yet sometimes, even the best unschooling mom can get tired or distracted. Consider these scenarios… When I was little… I was one of those children who talked a lot and LOUDLY. I can remember my cousin actually turning Read More