This is the story of a 15 year old boy who built all of the electronics necessary to implement and sustain an FM radio station in his region of Sierra Leone (West Africa). His radio station revolutionized the way his community connected with one another. M.I.T. invited Kelvin to visit for a few weeks to work in their labs, with their students. Please watch the video, then ask yourself a few questions.

What if he weren't a prodigy? What if, instead, he were simply a person who cared about his interests because he saw how they could benefit society, and pursued those interests in the face of inevitable, repetitive setbacks and obstacles. What if we were to stop looking for prodigies, and were to instead start looking for ways to support one another in our interests? What if we then shared those interests with the rest of society? Just imagine what sort of lives children raised in that society would live. I can not provide that for everyone in the world, but I can do my small part to provide that for the people in my life. That is the idea behind unschooling, and why I hold it so dear to my heart.

When a Child/When a Parent

When a child demands, she's called bossy.
When a parent demands, she's called firm.

When a child yells and screams, she's 'out of control'.
When a parent yells and screams, she's exasperated and tired.

When a child doesn't answer, he's called rude.
When a parent doesn't answer, she's called busy.

When a child isn't satisfied, she's called spoiled.
When a parent isn't satisfied, she's called discerning.

When a child is angry, she's 'out of line'.
When a parent is angry, she's justified.

When a child hits, society calls her violent and aggressive.
When a parent hits, society calls it 'discipline'.

--Lu

Schoolchildren can also learn complex subject matters on their own, researchers find

Schoolchildren can also learn complex subject matters on their own, researchers find

Falling Cages, Flying Birds

When I was in traditional school, I felt like I was in a very restricting cage that was plummeting to the ground. I had little to no say in what I did, or how I went about doing it. I felt that if I could only break out of the cage I'd be able to spread my wings, and fly.

Just imagine, if all the time we spend in school were instead spent exploring the world around us, how different would our existence be?

Yes! Let's explore.

Part One: Life

THE BRAIN is wider than the sky,
For, put them side by side,
The one the other will include
With ease, and you beside.

The brain is deeper than the sea, 5
For, hold them, blue to blue,
The one the other will absorb,
As sponges, buckets do.

The brain is just the weight of God,
For, lift them, pound for pound, 10
And they will differ, if they do,
As syllable from sound.

~Emily Dickinson