It was in Catholic school that I found, and started to fall in love with unschooling. At the time I was a depressed 15 year old, who needed an adult mentor outside of school. I had some wonderful teachers, but they could only be teachers. At this point in my life I needed a friend. To be completely honest, I don't think I understood that a mentor was what I was looking for when I started trying to make friends online. I met enough adults online that I am grateful to have not been taken advantage of in any way.
Eventually, I created this blog. At the time I called it "The Life of Pi" and blogged about random happenings in my unusually normal life. In my attempts to network online, I began speaking to Pisces. She reluctantly would reply to my emails and comments. We lived roughly 2000 miles away, and even further apart culturally. It still haunts me how awkward that was, but I needed an adult to talk to, and I guess my 15 year old mind needed an internet stranger.
Pisces introduced me to unschooling. I began to research unschooling obsessively-at times to the point of neglecting my homework. As time went on, I became more and more disillusioned with the concept of the institutionalized form of education I was receiving. During my senior year I decided to "fight the system" by writing a paper about unschooling for my creative writing class. My teacher would have rather I written about being dyslexic in the school system, but it was my paper, not his. So I wrote about unschooling. Pisces, who by this time was less reluctant to talk to me, asked if she could use my paper in a speech she was giving at the LIFE is Good Unschooling Conference. I agreed, hesitantly.
During the conference, she messaged me to say that her speech had been a hit-and that people wanted me to come to the conference and meet them. I didn't know what to do. I had not told my parents much about unschooling, nor had I made it clear that I was talking to this strange internet woman. But I knew I wanted to go and meet people. I decided to contact another adult friend, and ask her if I could help clean her horse's stall and go to the conference. She laughed, and agreed.
Walking into the hotel lobby and making eye contact with Pisces was one of the most awkward things I have ever had to do in my life.
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| Meeting Pisces at LIFE is Good 2010 |
A few days later, my mother asked me about the "strange photos of me with a bunch of women" she had seen on Facebook. I think that was when my mom realized just how important unschooling was to me.
The next year I started taking classes at a community college near where LIFE is Good was held. My studies focused around finishing an Associate's Degree, and Science. Also, I began volunteering as a Lunch Buddy at the local elementary school. I was able to continue to go to LIFE is Good while at my community college.
Now I am at a university studying Chemistry, and Computer Science. I continue to contemplate human development and education regularly. In the autumn of 2013 I was fortunate to be invited to work for my university's youth programs as a science instructor for a bi-weekly after school program. I continued to work with them for two quarters, but because of new people applying who have had more experience working with education, I am no longer employed with them. I'm ok with that because the two people who replaced me are doing a wonderful job, and I have been able to continue to volunteer within the program.
My post-college plans involve possibly doing a Peace Corps tour, and finding work either as a computer scientist, or in helping international corporations become more sustainable. They also involve the normal clichés: getting married and adopting children. I hope that I can raise my family in a sustainable home with a garden.
