Consider the number, One Trillion.
1,000,000,000,000
How long is One Trillion Seconds… in years?
I’ll save you a little effort, if it’s too much effort. The answer is 31,000 years.
One Trillion seconds is Thirty-One Thousand Years.
Ponder that next time someone tells you the national debt or how far the stars are supposed to be.
I’ve been preaching it for years: It’s time for individuals with the skills and entrepreneurial spirit to just DO IT… and start creating alternative learning businesses, organizations and associations/groups so that anyone can choose to skip compulsory state schooling, and get the education they want for their children.
I was enjoying a new site to me this morning. It’s called Dropout Nation, edited by RiShawn Biddle. In a post from 2011 called The Promise of DIY Schools, RiShawn details how the concept of Do It Yourself (DIY) schools have been a part of our history for quite a long time, especially since the ending of slavery, when public schooling wasn’t immediately available to the children of recently freed slaves.
…Imagine if such DIY ethic was brought into reforming American public education? We’re not necessarily talking about the so-called unschooling movement (which consists of very few kids and their parents), or the more-mainstream homeschooling. This would go beyond that. The idea would be that teachers, parents or others committed to reforming American public education would simply start their own schools, either in their own homes, in storefronts or even in the basements of churches. While the schools would still be subjected to standards and accountability — including testing — to ensure that every child is getting high-quality instruction and curriculum, they would be able to create cultures of genius with little bureaucracy in the way.
I will have some fine points to add to this article, but suffice to say, it’s worth reading.
Another Skipping School post worth reading.
An excellent video of a high school graduation speech by a student that obviously hasn’t been brainwashed by the system. What’s amazing is that she wasn’t stopped.
The second half of the video is of Sir Ken Robinson, on the changing paradigm of education. Well worth the 15 minutes.
You have to hear Laurette Lynn via a few of her podcasts to truly appreciate where she’s coming from and what she wants to instill in you. She wants you to be “educated” not “schooled.
What is it she wants you to learn? Simple: Skipping “School,” even home(schooling) will lead to a more balanced and enlightened life for your children AND your family.
But don’t take my word for it. You can check out Laurette’s unique and engaging lessons live. But you have to act quick. The Unplugged Mom’s ten-week Homeschooling 101 Seminar begins TOMORROW! (July 27th, 20011)
Don’t fret if you miss them, though. She’ll be recording them so you can learn on your own time and at your own pace. Which, when we think about it, is what home education and self-learning are all about, isn’t it?
UPDATE: July 30, 2011 – Ten Week Seminar Series Begins August 3
Laurette will be scheduling weekly live web seminars beginning August 3, 2011, and ending October 5, 2011. The cost is very reasonable and there is a 20% discount for reserving all 10 seminars. Read more and reserve your space here.
Skipping School 