EU032: Choosing School with Alex Polikowsky
Alex Polikowsky is an unschooling mom to Daniel and Gigi. Her family runs a dairy farm in Minnesota, which adds an interesting dimension to their days! I met Alex when I spoke at the Always Learning Live symposium she hosted in Minneapolis a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed the brief glimpse of life on a dairy farm. I asked Alex to join me to chat about her daughter’s choice to go to school last year and what the experience was like.
Quote of the Week
“I am convinced that the best learning takes place when the learner takes charge.” ~ Seymour Papert
Questions for Alex
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family, and how you came to unschooling?
Your daughter Gigi choose to go to school last year. Can you share how that choice came about? What the motivation behind it was?
Did you have any issues registering her? Did she want to do anything beforehand to prepare?
What did she think of the classroom experience her first week? What did she enjoy? And not enjoy?
How did you guys choose to handle the school’s expectations around homework, tests, and grades?
Looking back, how do you see your unschooling principles continuing to support Gigi while she was in school?
You recently mentioned that your son is applying to go to A level of high school in Japan. How did that come about? And what’s he doing to prepare?
Links to Things Mentioned in the Show
Dr Sear’s classic book: The Baby Book
Jan Hunt’s website: The Natural Child Project
Yahoo groups: Always Learning, Unschooling Basics, Always Unschooled (the last two aren’t active, I believe, but the archive is available)
Facebook group: Radical Unschooling Info
Alex’s blog (she no longer posts, but the archive is there) and she’s on Facebook
Episode Transcript
