This month we will talk about how our schools can operate as places of liberation and healing . Our primary reading to support this discussion is Akilah Richard’s book, Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work - Author's Website
No one is immune to the byproducts of compulsory schooling and standardized testing. And while reform may be a worthy cause for some, it is not enough for countless others still trying to navigate the tyranny of what schooling has always been. Raising Free People argues that we need to build and work within systems truly designed for any human to learn, grow, socialize, and thrive, regardless of age, ability, background, or access to money.
Families and conscious organizations across the world are healing generations of school wounds by pivoting into self-directed, intentional community-building, and Raising Free People shows you exactly how unschooling can help facilitate this process.
Is it enough to have freedom and responsibility inside the walls of our schools and centers or should we be asking what and who is this freedom for?
What challenges and privileges are we not seeing? Are we too much of a protective bubble?
Join us for stories, strategies, and conversation.
Raising Free People is widely available in print, digital, and audio through libraries and independent booksellers.
No time to read the book? Here are some suggested short cuts.
Ready for a deep dive? Here are some options for going deeper in Fun and Play.
Williams-Johnson, M., & Fields-Smith, C. (2022). Homeschooling among Black families as a form of parental involvement: A focus on parental role construction, efficacy, and emotions. Educational Psychologist, 57(4), 252–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2129648
Puga, L. (2019). “Homeschooling Is Our Protest:” Educational Liberation for African American Homeschooling Families in Philadelphia, PA. Peabody Journal of Education, 94(3), 281–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2019.1617579
Smith, K. M. (2024). Using Adultism in Conceptualizing Oppression of Children and Youth: More Than a Buzzword? (Vol. 22, Issue 1). Caddo Press. http://hdl.handle.net/10197/26621
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