Beyond School

Living as if School Doesn't Exist

by Wendy Priesnitz

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This is homeschooling pioneer Wendy Priesnitz's fourth book about life learning (also known as unschooling, radical unschooling, whole life unschooling, or self-education). Beyond School is a collection of seventeen essays about how families and individuals can live and learn without coercion or struggle, and with trust, respect, dignity...as if school doesn't exist. Together, they create an impassioned but well reasoned case for a different way of helping children and young people learn about today's world while becoming equipped to live in tomorrow's world.

"Our outdated assumptions about how children learn are crippling both our young people and our collective well-being. Only by challenging these assumptions will we be able to replace a system that is not relevant to the lives of today's young people. We must give up on the hierarchical, coercive, industrial model of education whether it looks like a public school, a charter school, a private school or a home school because it impedes learning and enslaves children. Then we need to create opportunities and infrastructures that respect children, help them learn, and equip them to meet the immense economic, social and environmental challenges of this century."    Wendy Priesnitz

About the Author: Wendy Priesnitz is a homeschooling and self-directed learning pioneer. She and her husband helped their two daughters learn at home when it was almost unheard of, beginning in the mid-1970s. In 1979, she founded one of the earliest homeschooling support organizations in North America and continues to share her experience and long-term, progressive perspective with families around the world. She has authored twelve other books, including School Free, a bestselling homeschooling start-up guide, and has edited and contributed to many others. She is an award winning journalist and editor of four magazines; including Life Learning Magazine; Child's Play Magazine; Natural Child Magazine and Natural Life Magazine. She has been a public school teacher; home business trainer; broadcaster and politician serving as the leader of the Green Party of Canada.