Issue 1: The Unschool Files Z I N E

issue 1 Feb 2022

this zine is a labor of love. the contents have been︎

collected + curated by meghan, the host of The Unschool Files Podcast︎ ︎ if you have acquired this outside of the subscription,︎ please venmo at least $1 to @iamsilenth︎ ︎ OR ︎ a mutual aid fund of your choice and send ︎ a screen shot to meghan@theunschoolfiles.com︎

Lili Age 10 East Saint Paul, MN

Community Recipe Box

From the Kitchen of Shawna in Iowa unschooling two kids ages 8 and 6

My name is Penelope and I unschool with my brother.

I move around a lot so I don’t really have a set home, but now I’m in Deer Isle, Maine, U.S.A.

I’m interested in history, baking, math, climbing and drawing! The drawings I drew for this newspaper are made with marker and on mix-media paper and are mostly scenes from daily life from my imagination. I try to add lots of detail and most of my drawings have people doing things.

I’m usually listening to podcasts or audio books when I draw to help me think.

I’m usually listening to podcasts or audio books when I draw to help me think.

The rain is falling down The sun is coming out and the love surrounding me is amazing But I am bored I never do anything And I'm scared of everything I’m nervous this will take a while to figure out but we can do it together

Rae, Age 10 from Austin, TX Unschooled all her life wrote this poem several months into the global pandemic

Rediscovering Passions Kel Unschooling parent of 2, ages 12 +5 Ontario Canada

Being an unschooling parent comes with it's fair share of surprises. I don't think there's a single one of us out there who could have anticipated how much unschooling directly alters the course of life.

What's more - the emotional unpacking that comes with being an unschooling parent can often be heavy but rewarding as we come to understandings about our own childhoods.

When we start to open up to how free our kids can be and how uplifting we can be as their parents, many of us look back at our own time growing up with sadness because that freedom and support just wasn't there.

And it's no fault of our parents - we live in a culture that tells adults how to raise children and that way is not one that supports unschooling principles.

As I've unpacked the missteps of my own youth, I've reconnected with passions and interests that were long since squashed by the school system or even just deemed un-profitable by our current capitalist climate.

If I wasn't really good at something, or it wasn't something that could lead to a career, it was tossed by the wayside for more practical applications of my time: studying, career focused hobbies, etc.

Even those hobbies that I had that were considered acceptable were funneled into a career or side hustle.

But it's never too late!

In my 40th trip around the sun, I've finally made time and space for the purely unprofitable passions that would never ever in a million years get me a job.

I love writing. It's an outlet for me that I gave up on years ago because I convinced myself that my writing sucked. I no longer write with purpose other than to explore thoughts and solidify feelings that float around my brain.

I have no intention of profiting from what I write.

unschooling affords my kids the space and encouragement to explore their own interests without being thwarted by the need to be socially accepted or, even worse, profitable.

I hope that, in diving into my own interests, I can create an atmosphere of anything-goes that they'll pick up on.

I'm never going to have a career I hope no one ever convinces as a writer in any capacity. them that they have to be good at And that's okay. Heck, I don't something to enjoy it or practice it even really care if my writing is or adore it. consumed by others but it is nice when other people And I hope that other unschooling resonate with my thoughts parents can make space for their and feelings. own childhood passions After years in the school system writing for others, writing for assignments, writing for essays, it's so nice to throw away that formal structure and just share what's on my mind.

because this work that we are doing is healing work and in overcoming these wounds, we can find the freedom that was long since denied

Every Friday night, my mom and I go to Food Not Bombs in an outdoor park downtown. There's a guy named Johnny who blasts music too loud, so one of the first things we have to do when we get there is ask him to stop so we can hear. A bunch of volunteers show up with tables and food -lots and lots of food!

It's all vegetarian or vegan.

There's usually already a line of people waiting to eat when we get there. Some of them help us unload and set up the tables and stuff.

FOOD IS A RIGHT

NOT A PRIVILEGE

We always wear masks and gloves.

I always hope they have the good gloves that are easy to get on. I think they're latex.

I'm usually at the front of the line, serving rice.

A lady named Denee (who always brings rice and beans) helps get plates and to-go containers for people, and then hands them to me. She’s really cool.

The people go down the line getting whatever food they want.

At the end, there are books and pamphlets and toiletries and stuff.

Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming depending on how many people are there, but it's always fun.

My friend Angela is usually there, too.

After everyone is served, we eat, chat, and I like to sit around and draw. I've gotten to know some of the people who come to eat and they're nice.

One of them is always interested in seeing what I'm drawing. We stay for about an hour, sometimes hanging out a little longer than that, and then we go home and come back the next week. ​

Anyone can just show up at Food Not Bombs and get a meal.

It's completely free and you don't have to sign up or anything. You can see if there's a chapter near you at

foodnotbombs.net Cai, Age 12 from Florida

Nicky, Prince and Zoey Unschooling on the road We have been learning at home since 2019 when Zo would’ve been enrolling into kindergarten. I stopped teaching earlier that year after seven years and couldn’t wait to make a “classroom” at home and do what I thought homeschooling looked like.

After buying too many workbooks and researching countless curriculums, I began to read some books on unschooling and was immediately intrigued. I loved the concept that each family would uniquely make their children’s interests the driving force for their day. We played many games to teach and reinforce skills, Zoey learned how to read and do basic math but we really focused on fun.

We enrolled her in ballet, jiu jitsu, and piano lessons and we were having a great time with out routine.

And then the world shut down.

All our activities were canceled.

Piano had already become too far of a drive so we had already canceled that…

Ballet with a mask on wasn’t something Zoey wanted.

Virtual jiu jitsu lessons weren’t the same.

We were stuck at home like everyone else and began thinking about all the things we wanted out of life.

December of 2020, after 6 months of renovating a $900 camper we decided to hit the road The naysayers said Zoey wasn’t in a stable home and some were worried about her social development.

We already knew life without school had her thriving and truly enjoying her childhood and that was all that mattered.

For six months we lived and traveled full time across 8 states, met countless friends, visited amazing museums, explored a few national parks, and learned so much more than we ever could in a classroom. During our 7th month, we got the opportunity to get a 40 foot bus and upgrade our space from 168 sq ft to a whopping 320 sq ft. We were sold. We flipped the bus in two weeks (absolutely NOT recommended but we’re always a work in progress over here!) and we’ve lived full time in it ever since.

It’s been a wild ride but we are loving it.

Eventually we’ll live in a house again, with more of a routine schedule: but for now... flexibility and fun are our driving forces for education.

We opt for skills over standards, passions over societal pressure, and we know we’ll be lifelong learners.

#intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust #intersectionalorbust

How to Empower a Child 1. Respect me.

Honor my voice and include me in decisions regarding my activities, my environment, and my day-to-day life.

2. Listen to me.

Allow me an endless means of emotional expression and keep the lines of communication between us nonjudgmental and always, always open.

3. Encourage me.

Help me to explore my interests through my own natural, bursting senses of curiosity and creativity. Provide me the tools, time, and space to dig into those passions.

3. Trust me.

Offer me the opportunity to set my own goals, and lend me your watchful patience as I fulfill them at my own unique pace.

5. Free me.

Be my partner, guide, and mentor, rather than leader. Reveal to me the value in everyday responsibility. Let me lead the way as I grow toward a more confident and independent me.

I believe whole heartedly that an education should fit the specs of a child, not the reverse. I am not just one of many mothers, but a pupil of countless educators who have left a failed system to bring hope to a better way, and bring that power back to the family- but most importantly the child.

Empowered children radiate life. They scour it for truth and joy. They think critically. They shift patterns and inspire. They become explorers, creators, mentors, entrepreneurs, game changers, advocates.. whole individuals.

Kelsey from Texas

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please send all submissions to be considered for the next issue of the z i n e to meghan@theunschoolfiles.com