Presenters
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If you would be interested in leading a presentation, please click here to submit a topic.
John Taylor Gatto
FEATURED SPEAKERS
We’re excited to have John Taylor Gatto as our keynote opening speaker! John is a widely-respected former teacher of 29 years in the New York City Schools. He won the New York City Teacher of the Year award three times. The whole time he had been an outspoken critic of the school system. His teaching license was suspended twice for insubordination, and he was once covertly terminated while on medical leave. In 1991 he won the state of New York,Teacher of the Year Award. But upon receiving his award before the N.Y. state senate, he resigned, stating in his infamous speech : “…The truth is that schools don’t really teach anything except how to obey orders….”. John has since become an outspoken lecturer and author on the problems of compulsory schooling. FEATURED SPEAKERS Laura Buoni  "How to Unschool a Child Who Suffers from Mental Illness"
Has your son or daughter been diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Phobias, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PST)? Does your child suffer from Depression, Bipolar Disorder, or other mood disorder? Has your child attempted suicide? Does your daughter have eating disorders such as Bulimia and Anorexia? Does your teen drink alcohol, abuse drugs, or have other addictions?
The affect mental illness can have on your children, your home life, and your unschooling lives is profound. Because mental illness carries a stigma of disapproval in our society, people don't talk about it. That can lead to feelings of isolation and hopelessness. Just so you know, most mental illnesses are not caused by negative childhood experiences, poor parenting, or lack of willpower.
Accepting the diagnosis and finding a way to cope with a radical change in plans is overwhelming. . At this workshop we'll shine a light onto the dark recesses of mental illness, and in a safe and supportive way illuminate some strategies you can use to cope with it in the homeschool and unschool environment. Laura is a long time unschooler & mom to 6 grown boys. Heather Burditt & T. J. Phillips  “Our Journey into Unschoolingand the Wonderful Places Its Led Us” TJ and Heather met through their parents in Rutland , VT the town they grew up in; they were 10 and 12 years old. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight but, their parents had a hunch there would be more. That *more* turned out to be a marriage, 3 wonderful boys, and a journey into unschooling that would lead them places they never expected. This will be their third UWWG but, their first time flying to it! TJ and Heather and their 3 boys, Skylar (11), Milo(5), and Phoenix (1.5) have recently relocated from Rutland , VT to Seattle , WA . When Heather first pulled their oldest child from first grade in February of 2006, and then found Unschooling, TJ thought she was *crazy*! Only months later, after seeing the amazing transformation that was happening right before his eyes, he jumped right on board they never looked back! Unschooling has blessed their family with endless joy, incredible experiences, and irreplaceable friendships. TJ has been helping other dads by facilitating SSUD’s meetings. Heather recently spoke about their experiences at the Enjoy Life Unschooling conference in Frederick , MD. Heather also blogs about their experiences and lots of other things at www.swissarmywife.net. Together they will speak about their 4 year (and counting) wonderful journey into unschooling, their relationship, and their children. Debra Bures
"Trusting Our Children and Ourselves"
Debra has been on this path for 16 years, growing and changing with the needs of her family. She and her husband have 2 daughters, one of whom is currently a college student in NYC; the other has graduated and will be on an Australian adventure at the time of the UWWG. Debra is passionate about unschooling and loves to share that passion with others. She has been a homeschool advocate for many years and co-coordinated the Ohio Home Educators' Network.
Zoa Conner  Zoa is living and loving life in Southern Maryland with her sweet husband Walter, son Evan (11) and daughter Maia (6). When her children joined her in this world, they happily learned together for years. She fell into unschooling when she was looking for a way to justify letting her determined son learn just what he wanted while caring for a wee baby. Talking with other unschoolers and attending unschooling conferences blew the door wide open and offered Zoa a view of the wide world of joyous living. Never looking back, she is now sharing the love with you all at UWWG! Zoa blogs about various things at http://zzz-organic.blogspot.com . Someone in her family is interested in physics, yoga, cycling, first person shooter video games, science fiction, gymnastics, local food, swimming, math and puzzles, living close to the Earth, mystery stories, and travel. Guess who likes each thing! Julie Cook  "Positive Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Learning, Creativity, Innovation, and Health / Well-being" Julie is an unschooling mother, and author of Unvaccinated, Homeschooled, and TV-Free: It's Not Just for Fanatics and Zealots. Julie works as a manager in a global technology company and over the past 22 years has worked as a university teacher, learning consultant, accountant, and project manager. She holds a bachelor's degree, 2 master's degrees and is completing her Ph.D. in behavioral psychology. She also owns a life coaching business called No Regrets Life Coaching. Her website is www.noregretslifecoaching.com. Julie will be leading a presentation entitled: Positive Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Learning, Creativity, Innovation, and Health / Well-being. She will discuss intrinsic motivation vs extrinsic motivation and the research backing why intrinsic motivation is greatly preferred. And how todays traditionally schools are churning out people who end up being mainly extrinsically motivated, whereas unschooling may do the exact opposite! Julie will further discuss where we've been in the U.S. and where we are headed (headed into the conceptual age, coming out of the knowledge age), why intrinsically motivated people will "rule the future" and why it is vitally important for the U.S. to figure out how to build a society of intrinsically motivated people. Laura Flynn Endres  "An Unschooler Goes to School" Laura is a former public school teacher turned radical unschooler. She is a staunch unschooling advocate who can't believe her luck in discovering this incredible philosophy while her kids were still young. Laura spoke at last year's UWWG on the Redefining Education Panel and returns this year as a featured speaker. Laura is very involved in her local homeschooling community. She's in charge of publicity for the annual InHome Conference, the Midwest's largest non-sectarian homeschool conference. Laura has also graciously volunteered to be in charge of publicity for our next UWWG! Laura blogs about living and learning at www.piscesgrrrl.blogspot.com, enjoys writing, biking, organic gardening, and chatting up whomever's nearby, and lives on 5 acres of family land in the cornfields of northern Illinois with her husband and two boys, Brady (16) and Jonathan (12). They have been radically unschooling for ten years. Laura will be leading a presentation entitled: An Unschooler Goes to School. The possibility or worry that your child might someday want or need to enter school keeps many families from fully embracing a radical unschooling lifestyle. Even if we fully believe that school is not the way to go for our families, it's such an enormous part of our culture and society, it's difficult to ignore it and its influence completely. After 8 years of radical unschooling (they never even once bought curriculum 'just in case') Laura's oldest son decided to enter school as a freshman. And after Laura finished hyperventilating into a paper bag, she helped him. Their story about an unschooler who went to school is filled with surprising, poignant, eye-opening, and often hilarious moments. Come hear all about it, including a surprise ending. And prepare to be reassured that, yes, unschooling does indeed prepare your children well for an unknown future, even one that might include school. Cindy Gaddis  “Understanding the Right-Brained Child” Cindy is the mother of seven children, ages 9-22, whom she has been living and learning from through homeschooling since 1992 with her husband Weston. Her family has recently settled on 15 acres in a log home in central North Carolina where they are enjoying all that country living offers. She has been published in Home Education Magazine and Growing Without Schooling. Cindy has been moderating an e-mail list for families homeschooling their children with autism (aut-home-fam) since 1999, and another e-mail list for families homeschooling creative right-brained learners (homeschoolingcreatively) since 2005. Cindy continues her extravert ways by sharing her experiences and perspectives as a featured author at the Life Without School blog as well as at her own homeschool journal blog, Applestars. Cindy will be leading a presentation entitled: Understanding the Right-Brained Child. Is your child interested in art/drawing, music/dance, theater/showmanship, computers/video games, building/Legos, puzzles/mazes, math/numbers, cooking/gardening, or fashion/sewing? Have you heard the labels ADD, gifted, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, Asperger Syndrome, LD or other similar differences associated with your child? Have you heard people make comments about your child such as they do not live up their potential or they are smart but lazy? Does your child resist your teaching methods? Your child may be right-brained and/or a visual-spatial learner. From birth, Cindy's first child, a strong right-brained learner, led his family straight to unschooling as the best environment to support his natural process to learning. About ten years ago, Cindy became interested in researching this learning style and has discovered fascinating information that further enlightens her understanding of these amazing creative learners. Come celebrate the gifts of the right-brained learner while understanding why certain subjects may develop "later". Gail & Broc Higgins Gail and Broc will be joining us from Orange Park, Florida for their first UWWG. Heres' a bit about each of them... Gail: When we left Northeast Florida and headed to a weekend unschooling conference in South Carolina seven years ago, I never had any idea of the road I’d find. Our journey has been filled with more joy, fun, and wonderful experiences than I could ever have imagined. Broc, Brenna (now 20) , Logan (now 16) and I joined many other intrepid, somewhat concerned, parents who’d joined other people in Columbia, SC, for the second Live and Learn Conference. Our family had been home schooling, but decided to look for more in our lives. Live and Learn helped to change us. We’ve been changing and growing and learning and loving and living ..... Broc: This conference is going to be a whole lotta fun!! The sense of play -- which I LOVE to be a part of -- intrigued me, and I am honored to be part of it. I can’t wait to surf and swim and see some of you again, and meet others that I have not before. My story as an unschooling father is unique; I came to it with the partnership from my wife of 10 years, Gail, and her children, Brenna and Logan, after just over a year of marriage to Gail. It is through their eyes that I’ve seen and experienced and learned the beauty of an unschooled life, and, in turn, shared that with my own three children. I believe that my experiences as an unschooling parent have helped me to be a better father to all five children.
Ben and Kelly Lovejoy  The Lovejoys live in South Carolina with their unschooled son Duncan (13) and their unschooled traveling son Cameron (21). We are very happy to have Kelly back as a speaker this year and pleased that Ben will be joining us for his first UWWG. Here's a bit about Kelly and Ben...... Ben: Would Ben like to join us and speak at this year's UWWG? "You bet I would!! Having a chance to learn how to surf indoors? Hanging out with a bunch of unschoolers in a place built for fun? Taking advantage of seeing a different part of the country that I've never seen? I am there!!" Ben is luckily and lovingly married to Kelly for over 24 years...unschooling father to two of the most incredible people, Cameron and Duncan, for over nine... fortunate friend to some of the best, most interesting people on the face of the planet... life learner due to the patience, gentle prodding, and challenges placed forth by the unschooling lifestyle... cyclist... lover of independent, super-hero, fantasy, and western films... SSUDs (Secret Society of Unshooling Dads) facilitator and SSUDs Yahoo Group List owner... athlete... traveller... part-time gardener and full-time grass cutter... home partners with Soda Pop (our 11 YO Beagle) and Finn and Esme (our brother/sister dynamic feline duo). Kelly is obsessed. Pretty much all the time. Pretty much about anything. Passions right now include unschooling, peaceful/mindful parenting, gardening, beekeeping, cooking, facebooking, tomatoes, and PONIES! She also wraps herself up in whatever her family is passionate about at the time, which can (has) include(d) cycling, magic, travel, gaming, films, golf, music/drumming, and all things Japanese. She'll talk your ear off about what she's passionate about and will listen intently to what YOU are passionate about---'cause she's always looking for a NEW passion! Dayna Martin  Dayna Martin is a passionate Radical Unschooling advocate who enjoys speaking and writing about her unique and joyful family life and inspiring others on their path. Dayna and her husband, Joe became instant Unschooling celebrities after they appeared as the featured guests on the Dr. Phil Show in 2007, introducing 50 million viewers worldwide to Unschooling and Peaceful Parenting. Her family also appeared on Fox News in Sept. 2008 in a segment with John Taylor Gatto, promoting Radical Unschooling . Dayna also created a YouTube video series about Unschooling and Peaceful Parenting. Dayna is the author of the new book: Radical Unschooling, A Revolution Has Begun, which just came out this year! She's also been published in the book, Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier, Life Learning Magazine, Live Free Learn Free Magazine, New Beginnings Magazine and the German Version of The Unschooling Unmanual. Dayna has been a La Leche League Leader for nine years and is also a Natural Birth Educator, Attachment Parenting Councillor and Birth Doula. She founded The Babywearing Project featured in Mothering Magazine. She also founded a non-profit organization offering parent to parent support for others on the path to Radical Unschooling called, Unschooling United. Dayna is wife to Joe and proud mother of four Always Unschooled children. The Martin family live in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dayna's personal website is http://www.UnschoolingAmerica.com. She can also be found on her blog, http://www.TheSparklingMartins.blogspot.com, where she loves to share about her rockin' life with her family. Cindy Murphree  "Unschooling Around the World" Cindy has been homeschooling her two kids for 3+ years since pulling them out of the International School circuit. They are a Foreign Service family whose lifestyle challenges them with a new country, new culture and new language every two years. With experience in five different countries so far, they have truly embraced the world as their classroom. Cindy will be leading a presentation with Jessie Voigts entitled: Unschooling Around the World. Come and share in their discussion about the unexpected inner growth to be found when looking back at yourself and your culture through the eyes of another. Jessie Voigts  "Unschooling Around the World" Jessie lives on a lake in central Michigan with her husband, Ed, and always unschooled daughter, Lillie (6). Jessie is a nature photographer and has a PhD in International Education. She and her family publish a travel site for global educators, www.WanderingEducators.com , where all 3 of them enjoy writing and creating the site. Their family interests also include traveling, learning, swimming, soccer, basketball, games, piano, music, reading, kayaking, sailing, ice skating, cooking and exploring global traditions and cuisines. Jessie will be putting her photographic talents to good use at our UWWG. She's volunteered again this year, to be our UWWG photographer. Jessie will be leading a presentation with Cindy Murphree entitled: Unschooling Around the World. Come and share in their discussion about the unexpected inner growth to be found when looking back at yourself and your culture through the eyes of another. Demi Wirtz  Unschooling A Single Child... I live in NE Ohio with my husband John and 6 year old daughter Emma (plus 2 cats, a Jack Russell Terrier, a guinea pig, a parakeet, and an aquarium full of fish). I also have two grown children, Daniel 23 and Alison 20, whom have left home to seek there fame and fortune, so to speak. My unschooling journey developed naturally from a deep held believe in attachment/ respectful parenting. Emma encouraged me to take the next step to a fully unschooling lifestyle through her personal learning preferences, she will do it herself, when she is ready and not a moment sooner. I have a blog livingourjoy.blogspot.com. I do not update it as often as I wish because we are REALLY busy living our joy. We love to travel, camp, hike, bike, hit the museums, try new crafts and follow intensely whatever interest sparks one of us! I am grateful for this joy -filled, loving way to live and all the special time it allows us to share as a family. I am extremely thankful for the flexibility unschooling allows our family. Emma is able to nurture very close relationships with her adult siblings. I plan for the single child at home discussion to be a discussion not a presentation. I would hope that families with a one and only, and also families whose child is mostly an only, like mine or other custody arrangements would feel welcome to attend. There seems to be so many homeschoolers who have large families and a lot of discussion on meeting everyone’s needs that I think sometimes having only one at home feels like cheating! It is joyful and so focused, but that can be lonely too, for everyone. How many hours are we one another’s only company, is it too much of a financial commitment to one child (no, but sometimes it feels that way!) Are we getting together enough with others, are these imaginary siblings a sign? You get the idea…the doubts everyone has but can so easily feel like more because of the singularness of it! If you would be interested in leading a presentation, please click here to submit a topic. |
