Audio Files from 2012 Maine Unschooling Mini-Conference

Here is a link via dropbox to access the audio files from the 2012 Maine Unschooling Mini-Conference.  Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/43t71w2vqj3t9rc/fttwlsEuzr


Here are the presentation descriptions from 2012 -

Living a Free-Range Life: One Unschooling Family's Story - Baptista-Toolan Family
Unschooling parents Kathryn Baptista and Beth Toolan share their story of parenting, beginning with their first discussion about homeschooling when Julian was only 3 and winding along a path of curiosity, trust, occasional terror, one or two workbooks, and lots of honest conversations and laughter. We'll talk about the first day that Julian did not go to school and how that day changed all of our lives. We'll admit our mistakes (mostly Beth's mistakes) and talk about what we learned from them. We'll talk about moving beyond society's expectations and limits and saying yes instead of no. And we'll share the challenges, joys, and successes of living a free-range life filled with trust, respect, and a hunger to learn. 
I Run Toward Joy - Erika Davis-Pitre
This talk is all about the Joy that unschooling has brought to my family's life.
I will cover many topics in a humorous and fun way, from just starting out basics (Is it supposed to be this fun?), to how to convince your extended family that you are not crazy (Really, your not!) to how you too can "Run in Unschooling Joy!"  Come ready to share a laugh, a smile and some good time with your "people".

A Conversation About Higher Education - Alex Bradstreet
The question of college is one which we discuss as a family at least on a weekly basis. Is is the right choice for me? Will it get me to where I want to be? If I don't know what I want to "be" how will I know what to study in college?  I will describe my history and experience with Higher Education and how this affected my career path and choices, present an overview of changes in Higher Education in recent years, and describe a possible future based on the past 5 years of change. Topics will include discussion of higher education costs, impact of student loan debt, and insights on the changes in job opportunities and careers over the past 30 years.

Unschooling As Feminist Activism - Amy and Olivia Bradstreet
How do progressives justify unschooling in a society that promotes school as The Great Equalizer? Can one still be a feminist and choose home and family? How does unschooling become instrumental in dismantling The Kyriarchy? We'll discuss all these topics (with a little 101 on Feminism and Kyriarchy as needed). Olivia will offer her perspective as an always-unschooled teen growing up feminist and how unschooling impacts that. I'lll discuss how unschooling, for my family, is absolutely an act of feminism, raising a feminist son and daughter (now teens) and how both feminism and unschooling are inherently linked. 

Unschooling Liberty- Kelly Halldorson
After first sharing her own journey to unschooling, Kelly Halldorson, will lead a discussion on freedom, respect and compassion. You’ve made the leap to unschooling, maybe even radical unschooling now how can you shift your perspective and apply those same ideals to other family members? Friends? Neighbors? All of humanity?

Unschooling on The Road - Kelly Halldorson
Are you interested in traveling either fulltime or part-time but don’t know where to begin? Come listen to Kelly Halldorson, the Unschool Bus mom, tell you how her family got started. She’ll answer all the questions…How do you afford it? Is it hard to live in such small quarters? How do you make money? Where do you stay? What do you see and do? And most importantly…How you can make it happen for your family too. 

Unschooling Basics - Laurie Wolfrum

What are some of the principles and priorities of unschooling?  What are the benefits that come from living this kind of lifestyle?  What helps unschooling work and what doesn't?  

Question and Answer Session - This session will be held towards the end of the day so that you can ask any additional questions you might have.   

Creating and Nurturing an Unschool Support Group – Nikki Shields

My family and I are part of the Maine Wholeschoolers, a Gorham-based unschool support group which has been meeting weekly for more than ten years. The kids of the core families have grown up together, and now form the base of a lively social network of teens. In this discussion, I'll give some tips and ideas for starting and maintaining a group, finding like-minded families, handling conflict, and supporting each other. Feel free to bring your questions and feedback about your own experiences with unschool groups.