Everywhere All the Time: A New Deschooling Reader (Ak Press)

Book Overview

"If you are an unschooler, this book will be a joyful affirmation ... if you are still a little unclear about the history and philosophy of deschooling, here is a perfect introduction."--Kerlin Richter, Hip Mama

Debates about education often revolve around standardized testing, taxes and funding, teacher certification--everything except how to best help kids develop learning skills. Everywhere All the Time presents an array of historical and contemporary alternatives to traditional schooling, demonstrating that children's capacity to learn decreases as soon as they enter bureaucratic, institutional facilities.

Census data in the United States alone places the number of home-schooled children at five hundred thousand. Trends point toward an increasing skepticism of the ability of public schools--and private ones, based on similar pedagogy--to give kids what they need to be healthy, self-directed life learners. Major themes in this book include: children's self-directed learning, encouraging community-building and participation from parents in the learning process, critical thinking for active engagement and democratic self-governance, and alleviating the negative psychological effects of traditional schooling methods. It also includes the voices and artwork of alternatively schooled children themselves.

From Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Illich, and Emma Goldman to John Taylor Gatto, John Holt, and Grace Llewellyn, Matt Hern has compiled an impressive cast of educational pioneers to aid parents, kids, and teachers in the quest for effective learning strategies.

Matt Hern lives in Vancouver with his partner and daughters. He directs the Purple Thistle Centre (an alternative-to-school community center), is a founder of Vancouver Car-Free Day, is the author of Deschooling Our Lives and Field Day, and lectures widely. His writings have been published on six continents and in many languages.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1904859836
• ISBN13: 9781904859833
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: AK Press
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

a must-read for alternative thinkers

this is an important resource for any parent or educator who wants to think outside-the-organized-education-box. it's not the end resource, but it points you in the direction of where you might want to research further. very very helpful. even if you don't plan on unschooling or homeschooling, these essays can provide intention around how you treat your child's education process at home.

Well worth reading for anyone who questions the value of modern education

Public education can be a wonderful thing, if it's done right . . . "Everywhere All the Time: A New Deschooling Reader" sets out to offer readers and parents alternatives to the traditional public education system and its problems. Scholarly dissecting modern education and what it does wrong, it does not leave any established alternative, such as private or home-schooling, completely untouched in its criticism. "Everywhere All the Time" is well worth reading for anyone who questions the value of modern education.

A truly inspirational introduction to the deschooling movement!

If you are a parent, child, or progressive youth ally searching for holistic alternatives to the right-wing, bureaucratic, authoritarian school system, look no further, as this is simply one of the most inspiring and informative anthologies on the deschooling movement you will find. Not only does it include many thought-provoking essays by familiar activists and intellectuals like Emma Goldman, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Illich, Grace Llewellyn, and John Taylor Gatto, it also includes some brilliant writings by some lesser known deschooling activists, as well as some fascinating interviews with unschooled children themselves. While many of the perspectives are those of homeschoolers, there are also many writings by folks involved in establishing directly democratic, community-based, egalitarian educational cooperatives called free schools. I especially enjoyed the essay about the Purple Thistle Center, a DIY radical youth center in Canada organized by kids. A truly multicultural anthology, this book provides an international array of viewpoints from alternative-to-school experimenters in England, Israel, Turkey, Thailand, India, Mali, the United States, and Canada. As such, this is really a very beautiful and exciting book, one I would encourage everyone to read. If you're interested in children's liberation, I'd also suggest reading these other excellent books as well: The Modern School Movement by Paul Avrich, My Mother Wears Combat Boots by Jessica Mills, and The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn