Unschooling in Thailand, one father and one son

AN ALTERNATIVE FATHER
Wisit Wangwinyoo is a firm believer of home schooling

December 4, 2008 article by Supawadee Inthawong, about Wisit Wangwinyoo and his son Isara, who is 18. Isara grew up in Thailand but is studying piano in Russia.

"I believe humans have a great potential in learning, but the school system is destroying such potential. If we instead allow the children to grow naturally, they would not have any fear and will learn to be confident and respectful of themselves," said the home schooling author.

The article is inspiring and leans toward peace and understanding.

Wisit Wingwinyoo has blogs in Thai (and one in English about hosting and unschooling another teen, it seems). http://www.blogger.com/profile/17043239764091248572

catching up on childhood

"My mom didn't let (toy) guns in the house, and I didn't get TV till I
was 18," Modine said. "This is just me catching up."

This was posted on the AlwaysLearning list:

I saw this in our local paper and thought it was very interesting:

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/12_07-11/REG

It's an article about several college campuses where students are
forming large groups for playing a "Zombies vs. Humans" game, using
foam dart guns.

Most of the students are for the game and those who play feel part of
a team or family, of course. But as usual, there's also criticism from
those who deem it as dangerous or inappropriate. I thought this part
near the end was pretty telling:

"Ultimately, there's something poignant about Humans vs. Zombies. When
asked to explain the appeal of the game, players talk about the
friends they've made. The game bridges divides between men and women,
seniors and freshmen, computer scientists and poets.

And on a campus where students refer to each other as "kids," Humans
vs. Zombies is a chance to bring back a childhood that some never even
got to experience. Growing up with structured activities, safe
playgrounds and schools that ban dodgeball, they didn't get the primal
appeal of the chase out of their system.

"My mom didn't let (toy) guns in the house, and I didn't get TV till I
was 18," Modine said. "This is just me catching up."

Deb/prism7513

Article about the psychological benefits of video games

How playing a computer game helped me get through the trauma of 9/11
byNaomi Alderman
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/11/computer-game-addiction-diablo-9-11

Schuyler Waynforth wrote:

I found this paragraph particularly interesting:
"But even the overriding force of physical addiction has come under scrutiny. Experiments like Bruce Alexander's famous "Rat Park" suggest that even addiction to morphine may depend on external circumstances. Rats living in tiny metal cages get addicted to morphine. Rats living in a specially designed housing colony, with room to play, the company of other rats of both sexes and abundant food do not."

The article that it leads to is fantastic. http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2007.12-health-rat-trap/ It argues that the cause of addiction is environment. It isn't the drugs that are keeping people addicted. It is so totally why unschooling shouldn't lead to drug addiction, even if it doesn't keep individuals from exploring drugs.

Schuyler
--
www.waynforth.blogspot.com

Life Learning: Lessons From the Educational Frontier

Hello Sandra,

I thought you and your unschooling contacts would like to know about a new book that will be published just in time for the holiday gift giving season.

Life Learning: Lessons From the Educational Frontier is a collection of 30 essays first published in Life Learning magazine. Details can be found here: http://www.lifemedia.ca/altpress/LL.htm

On all pre-publication orders placed before December 1, we will pay the shipping.

I think that homeschoolers will find this collection to be inspirational and reassuring, as well as a useful tool for helping others understand the unschooling lifestyle.

Please feel free to share this message. Hope all is well with you and yours. Thanks!

Best,
Wendy

Wendy Priesnitz, Editor
Life Media
www.LifeMedia.ca
www.WendyPriesnitz.com

Unschooling in the New York Times

The Anti-Schoolers

By PENELOPE GREEN
Published: October 15, 2008

"A version of this article appeared in print on October 16, 2008, on page D1 of the New York edition."

Live Science article on World of Warcraft and Unschooling

Kelli Traaseth and Jill Parmer were interviewed by Jeremy Hsu for an article for LiveScience.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/081003-school-games.html

Schooled (Indie Film About Alternative Education)

I'm sharing this e-mail in case anyone who didn't get it is interested. To respond to the author, it's a gmail address and the first part is themusiclives4

Hello,

My name is Erin Umstead, a graduate of Fairhaven School in Maryland,
which is based off of the Free and Democratic model of Sudbury Valley.

I'm writing because I think your community
would be interested in knowing
about a film written and directed by Brooks Elms
called "Schooled."
www.SchooledTheFilm.com

It's played at education conferences all over the world
because it challenges viewers to fundamentally re-think
the way they connect with children in the classroom
as well as the living room.

If you agree the film's message seems aligned with
the interests of your community, let me know and
I'll give you the details about how they can see it
at a special discount.

Thank you very much for your time!

All the best
Erin Umstead
Community Connections Team
"Schooled"
www.SchooledTheFilm.com