Presentations

Main presentations are an hour long and cover a variety of topics. You’re sure to find inspiration listening to our wonderful speakers share their wisdom and journey with unschooling. 

 

The Peace Treaty

given by Rain Fordyce

What would you do to end the resistance in your life?  Come and learn how The Peace Treaty can end the battle and empower your life.  Through this presentation you will discover why you already know what to do, but you struggle to live the life you want. Rain Fordyce will inspire you as she shares her success story about letting go of her old life of daily suffering, creating The Peace Treaty and learning how to live a life of inner freedom. This will be a special two hour interactive session designed to discuss and identify resistance so you can make your unschooling life the best it can be.  You can learn more about The Peace Treaty at http://thepeacetreaty.com. 

In Pursuit of a Passionate Life

given by Jeff Sabo

Growing up, many of us were advised to keep our passions at arm's length and become more practical so we could lead a normal, successful life. For our family, though, unschooling is all about having the freedom to find, celebrate and pursue our passions so our children can think for themselves, make their own assessments of good and bad, and see the world in terms of what makes sense to them. This freedom of choice helps our children learn a lesson in all it's nuances and subtleties, and therefore learn it deeply and permanently - and be able to decide, therefore, where their own boundaries are. But in helping foster the pursuit of passions in our children, we must not put our own passions on the back burner. We need to break the habits formed by our own experiences and model the pursuit of passion for our children - not the passions themselves necessarily, but the joy of having and expressing them. In this presentation we'll discuss the benefit of passions, the role they play in an unschooling family, some common obstacles to identifying and pursuing them, and the importance of modeling them both at home and at work.  

 

How We Roll

given by Beth Fuller

What does it look like? Have you ever read about radical unschooling and wondered what it looks like? Have you ever thought about peaceful partnerships and wanted to see how it works for other people? Do you wonder what life would be like if the grandparents understood and embraced unschooling? I live with my always unschooled child, my partner, my mother and 10 animals. Sometimes our life looks comical, sometimes we lean more towards tragic, but it all leads us to learning and love. I will share snippets of our life that reflect both the wonderful and the most challenging aspects of living a life so far outside of "normal." I have stories to share about the process of extending kindness, compassion, respect and patience to all the people in my family. The process looks very different as I interact with my child, my partner and my mother. Each relationship requires me to push past comfortable and safe boundaries and learn more about myself. It is a journey that constantly requires me to look deep inside myself and discover who I really am. I will share my thoughts, my challenges, some of my loveliest moments and even a few of my darkest times. No family is going to be exactly like mine, but we all have experiences that help us relate to one another and know that we are not alone as we travel this exciting path. I welcome you to come and get a sneak peak into my world. Come see what inspires my laughter, my tears and my dedication to living a life based in freedom, peace and most of all, love. Come see how we roll.

  

"The Mission: Have Fun.  The Prime Directive: Harm None"

Observations and elucidations from a cheeky impertinent Radical Unschooling Mom of a weird and wonderful, eccentric and extraordinary family of Earthlings.

given by Erika B. Perkins

I cannot count the times that I have been told, in one version or another, by random strangers at the park or by some of my closest and dearest friends “wow, it is so lucky you have boys since you are such a Geek, how would you handle daughters or princesses?”  Uh, I don’t know, Leia and Laser Blasters?  Belle and Beast?  Deanna and Dax?

I find our family’s Unschooling journey to be a lot like being a Geek in a Non-Geek world (and I have been geeky since I was a wee one and trust me it has only barely become “cool” in the past few years).  A few individuals have even gone so far as to note, out loud, that I have “doomed” my children to Geekdom, does that also mean I’ve “doomed” them to Unschooling?  I find this assumption so limited and limiting and it pains me that even the most free-thinking can have difficulty seeing past this skewed perception that different is doomed.

I delight in turning assumptions on their head and I love exploring labels and seeing the world from different perspectives (both literally and figuratively – for example lay upside down on the couch with your kids after reading this and play “life on the Planet Ceiling” you will see the world anew). 

It is this capacity to see the world with Hope and Wonder that I would like to share with you.  My aspiration is to contribute to you and your family’s Unschooling Experience by sharing our stories, our adventures (and misadventures!) as a family that is always learning, laughing and living on this glorious pale blue dot that is the third rock from the sun.

So I invite you to join our Mission and Have Fun, but never forget our Prime Directive, which is to Harm None.

 

Radical Thoughts for Radical Unschoolers

given by Miranda Demarest

This talk is less an exploration of Unschooling and more an exploration of how the world looks through the eyes and mind of one Radical Unschooler.  Are you the kind of person who loves to talk about the taboo topics like politics, religion and sex?  Do you like to think about everything, question everything, challenge everything?  Then this talk is for you.  Miranda has always been a thinker, but since becoming a Radical Unschooler, her eyes have been opened to a whole new world.  Come take a peek inside her journey.  Be prepared to be challenged and to come away with some new radical ideas to mull over.

 

Roya Repeating Herself

given by Roya Sorooshian

As an unschooling parent, have you ever wondered if your kids would thank you when they are older? Has the question "will they unschool their kids" ever crossed your mind?  Are you looking forward to being an unschooling grandparent? Do you want to find out what a 24 year old unschooler thinks about her experience? I'm 24 years old, unschooled, and willing to stand in front of you and let you know which parts of my unschooling experiences I am planning on repeating when I have kids. Here's the chance to find out if all of those "field trips" and conferences paid off!


Come prepared with specific questions for me, since in addition to talking about my favorite things about my life, I'd love to be able to talk about issues that are important to you!

 

 

"So, How has Unschooling Worked Out?"

given by Pam Sorooshian

Pam's kids are all adults at 18, 21, and 24. What is it like to have grown unschooled kids? Get unschooling ideas and advice from someone who has been there, done that. Want a confidence boost? There will be time for you to ask any unschooling questions you might have.

 

Unschooling and Math

given by Pam Sorooshian

"We unschool everything but math." That's what some people say. Seems like it is difficult for many people to trust in unschooling when it comes to math. Is concern over math still lingering for you? Pam will give you lots of ideas for how you can and should relax and fully enjoy and embrace unschooling. Even math.

 

Connections

given by Sandra Dodd

Looking at the world, taking it apart, putting it back together. People learn by making connections, by naming things, by seeing what they're like and what they're unlike. This presentation will help you play with thinking, and think about playing.

 

Transformations

given by Sandra Dodd

 Thoughts about being and becoming, intertwined with stories of unschooling. What can you do with your whole self?