Discuss

Be part of the conversation with round-table discussions. This is an opportunity for more intimate and casual sharing of ideas. Bring your questions or your thoughts and make these conversations lively and inclusive. Be ready to explain your suggestions and be open to new ones. You’ll be surprised how these chats take on a life of their own.

 

SSUDs

The Secret Society of Unschooling Dads will be convening again for a no-holds barred meeting.  Only menfolk are granted access for uninhibited discussion of questions, concerns and jubiliations that belong uniquely to the XY persuasion on the unschooling journey.  Cool conversation, new ideas and friendships are sure to result from this special session.

 

Grandparent Chat     hosted by Nina Hanks & Beth Fuller

This chat will discuss the challenges and advantages of having multiple generations involved in radical unschooling. We shall explore ways to enhance grandparent's relationships with their radically unschooled grandchildren. Let's share ways that we can extend the same trust, compassion and unconditional love to all members of our families, and explore how much we all have to learn from each other. This discussion is for anyone, but especially grandparents, their children and their grandchildren. 

Nina is the mother of Beth Fuller and grandmother to always unschooled Emma. When she is not playing with Emma and Beth, she can be found in the mountains of northern New Mexico caring for her 90 year old father, 2 horses, a burro, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, hundreds of hummingbirds and her many gardens.              

 
 

Strangers in a Strange Land:

Strategies for coping with traditional parenting     hosted by Ronnie Maier and Shonna Morgan

Do you ever feel sad/exhausted/angry/despairing about the traditional parenting that you encounter out in the "real world"? So do we. Let's share ideas for coping with -- and perhaps improving -- the lot of everybody else's kids. Or maybe we'll just vent a lot.  If time or interest allows, we can also talk about coping with our own moments of backsliding. This discussion is geared towards radical-unschooling parents, especially highly sensitive types. 

Ronnie and Shonna are unschooling moms to a total of seven kids, although Shonna gets credit for most of that number. They both live in suburban areas where they perhaps get too many opportunities to observe harmful parenting practices in action. They look forward to hearing your stories and ideas.             
 

 

Green Living and Sustainability     hosted by Tara Wagner
 
Let's get together and talk compost, backyard barnyards, growing our own food, green energy, deliberate simplicity, self-sufficiency, climate change, permaculture and how to do just about anything "green". How does green living and unschooling work for you? What have you tried and didn't enjoy or what would you like to try next? Are you searching for greener choices or would you like help learning to garden? Or maybe you just want to know what the big deal is! Feel free to bring your questions, comments, smiles, favorite books on sustainability or any other resource you'd like to share while we discuss the in's and out's of living "green".
 
This chat is intended for anyone already participating in a green lifestyle or wishing to know more.

Tara lives with her husband, Justin and nine year old son, Zeb in Las Vegas, NV. They're passionate about living lightly on the earth by growing their own food, composting, and making choices that support a sustainable future. Tara also blogs at TheOrganicSister.

 

Our LOUD Life!!     hosted by Jana Smith

I've had many people ask "how do you do it?" or "we'd love to learn more about it". Here's your chance!! Come join our discussion on how we enjoy living life day by day often times in different states than the day before. We love traveling and meeting new people. So meet us!  This fun-filled chat will give you ideas to possibly open new doors to living out your dreams to travel. We are definitely Living Our Ultimate Dream! 

This chat is intended for anyone interested in learning the possibilities of traveling fulltime, ways to make money while living fulltime on the road, family friendly places in all states, meeting other unschoolers along the road of life! Have experience? Come share with others... 

Who Am I?  I'm Jana,and have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to share life with 4 amazing boys! I was an OTR (over the road) truck driver for 21 yrs after my stint in the Navy. Not knowing where we wanted to "settle" we opted for continuing to travel but with an RV and get to the places we couldn't while in the big truck. So now we travel fulltime indefinitely, we make plans even though I like to just go with the flow of life. To me, home is where your loved ones are and where you lay your head. For us we have our loved ones all over the U.S. and with a traditional job I wouldn't be able to visit them as often or as long as we'd like. We love being able to drop by for a visit and be on our way and see all the places we desire. Our life is completely unconventional in all aspects and we love it! One day we could be skiing in the Poconos, and the next we could be sunbathing on a beach, or whitewater rafting down the CO River, and riding ATV's in the canyons of the West, eating a NY style pizza, philly cheese steaks, gumbo, a hearty steak, mexican fiesta all where they are authentic! Some days I feel like our life is no different from others and other days I feel the complete liberating freedom that only this lifestyle awards us! Living Our Ultimate Dream!!             

 

With Warmth, Joy and Gratitude- Nouns becoming Principles     hosted  by Erika B. Perkins

Words have Power.
Principles have Power.
But what do they mean in everyday life?

For example:
I live my life everyday in the Warmth of my Family, with Joy for each Adventure the Universe brings our way and with Gratitude that this is my Life.

 

 

Warmth
Function: noun; Date: 13th century
1 : the quality or state of being warm in temperature 2 : the quality or state of being warm in feeling <a child needing human warmth and family life> 3 : a glowing effect produced by the use of warm colors.

Joy
Function: noun; Date: 13th century
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice
1 a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss3: a source or cause of delight

Gratitude
Function: noun; Date: 1523
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus grateful: the state of being grateful : thankfulness

This chat is intended for anyone and everyone interested in learning the potential of living with Warmth, Joy and Gratutude.  Terrific tête-à-têtes, innovative ideas and sincere solidarity are certain to be formed from this thought provoking Roundtable Discussion. 

Who Am I?  Erika will be presenting "The Mission:  Have Fun.  The Prime Directive:  Harm None" at the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference.  Erika lives in sunny San Diego, California with her extraordinary and ever inquisitive unschooled sons Zackary and Zayden and her husband and partner of 24 years Robert. They also live with seven extremely cool cats (Erika is rehearsing for her role of Crazy Cat Lady) and a couple of Pegasus.  You can read more about Erika on the Presenters Page.

 

Peaceful Partnerships     hosted  by Bradley Holcomb

Let's discuss our primary relationship in life, that with our self, through the perspective of our partnerships. The question: How do we use the principles and philosophy of unschooling to relate to the partners we choose in this life? Before and after the conference, join us in discussing this topic in the Yahoo Group 'Peaceful Partnerships'
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peacefulpartnerships

This chat is intended for anyone willing to examine one's personal responsibility in creating peace in one's partnerships. 

Who Am I?   Bradley is the deschooling father of two young children and partner of Lucretia, my wife of 6 years. 

 

Unschooling Collge-Bound Kids     hosted  by Kime King-Patraw

I hear a lot of questions from parents worried how their children will get into college? Do they need to take tests? How will they manage a "school" setting? I will not have all the answers, but I will be able to tell you where to get the answers. I can give an overview of the school game, accredited schools vs. non-accredited schools; SAT vs ACT vs college placement tests; and some info on online vs traditional college.
I have four adult unschooled children, 3 of them have attend college with over 3.0 gpa's. one is Summa Cum Laude at UNR. All of them have been unschooled.

This chat is intended for anyone who is interested in attending college or has a child or grandchild interested in attending college. 

Who Am I?  I have 7 children, 4 of them are now adult children. I have been involved in creating our homeschool laws in Nevada, I was one of the founders of Nevada Homeschool Network, and remain a consultant. I also was involved in helping to keep the doors open for homeschoolers wishing to attend college in Nevada.

 

 So You're Thinking About Unschooling?     hosted  by Jeff Sabo
 When you're new to unschooling, it can seem so foreign and overwhelming, with a ton of questions and uncertainties. How do I start? How do I learn more? What do the "experts" say, and how can I make that work for my family? In this chat, we'll talk about the basics - what unschooling is about, why people make the choice, and how to work together as a family to get off to a great start. Come with your questions and concerns, and be ready to roll up your sleeves and dig into the details.

Who Am I?  Jeff was raised in the traditional "Doctor Spock" way, was a victim of Connecticut public schools, got a couple of college degrees, and spent 8 years in the Army. But when he got together with his wife, Ginger, they quickly realized that they wanted to live and parent in ways that felt more natural.  Read more about Jeff on the Presenters Page.

 

Radical Thoughts     hosted  by Miranda Demarest

This chat will be an opportunity to discuss, debate and mull over the ideas presented in the talk "Radical Thoughts for Radical Unschoolers".  While it is nice to get a soapbox once in a while, it is much more fun to talk together with people who agree and disagree with us about our ideas.  How else can we learn?  Let's explore our beliefs, broaden our horizens, and deepen our principles together!

Who Am I?  Miranda lives in shining Ithaca, NY with her husband Cary and her two amazing girls, Alex and Emma, who have been unschooled their whole lives.  She found unschooling seven years ago back when her oldest was three and has never looked back.  Read more about Miranda on the Presenters Page.

Roundtable Discussion Submission