The Unschool Files

Welcome friend!

Here you’ll find everything connected with The Unschool Files, a hub of support for Parents + Young People who are unschooling for collective liberation!
We are a worldwide community who are living life without school and in partnership with our children.
♡

theunschoolfiles

Monthly Story Time has rolled out over in our Disc

Monthly Story Time has rolled out over in our Discord Community, and we are reading all the BANNED children’s books!
2nd Wednesday of the month, details in our events tab on Discord
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Our first story time was hosted this month by @bklyn.edu.dom - we heard a beautiful read aloud of And Tango Makes Three
Book by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
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In June we will be hearing I Am Enough
by Grace Byers, and the rest of the months ahead are open to the community to decide!
Join us there for a growing community of events, small groups and discussions
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theunschoolfiles.com

The Unschool Files Community Zine is people powere

The Unschool Files Community Zine is people powered and needs your submissions!
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the zine has quietly been under production, but it’s next issue being published relies on you sending your works of art, essays, photo editorials, poems, recipes, resources for Unschoolers etc. to
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meghan@theunschoolfiles.com
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Issue 5 due out Summer 2023

episode 39 of the pod is an update! lots to share,

episode 39 of the pod is an update! lots to share, and many thanks to all the folks who support my work or partner with me in various ways!
if you’ve found yourself wondering what all i have my hands in and what i’ve been building up for the community or want to get plugged in… have a listen!
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theunschoolfiles.com

if you have been looking for unschooling support a

if you have been looking for unschooling support and want to connect with other Unschoolers virtually, head to my website to join other parents, caregivers and facilitators on Discord!

one Wednesday a month we have a Support Circle (among other offerings)

we have been building community there for the last couple of years and it’s been pretty rad - you can join in virtual offerings or pop into the server anytime and surely someone around the world is up and might answer your questions or offer support or resources. Join us 🫀 it’s free!
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theunschoolfiles.com

Sara and I have been working so hard to launch our

Sara and I have been working so hard to launch our partnership @roam_teentravel!! head over there to find out more, get on our email list and join us for an info gathering / q+a later this month!

in the most recent episode of the podcast, my gues

in the most recent episode of the podcast, my guest Erin @zmomma and i discussed so much around raising teenagers in partnership while unschooling.
many of you loved the tips we threw in on how to connect with your teens, so i decided to share here! these were off the cuff thoughts of ours, but we know there are so many more!
what tips, for parents and caregivers of teens would you add?

the emails of interested families are rolling in a

the emails of interested families are rolling in and @_fen_cottages and I are so dang excited to launch this program!! 😍

this trip will have limited space, but it is only the beginning of ROAM… so drop your info over at theunschoolfiles.com/community/future-plans and you’ll be in the loop!

we will be contacting you all soon to share more via our newsletter, before we open up the application period.

until then, perhaps you can guess our destination this fall? ⬇️

remember i shared a little while back that stuff w

remember i shared a little while back that stuff was coming your way and The Unschool Files was expanding??
I have been so busy this month, partnering with some amazing human beings in this community to bring you some real, tangible and impactful offerings.
i’m not quiiiiite ready to share all the details but there’s some hints i HAD to drop! head to theunschoolfiles.com 🫀

episode 38 of the podcast is live and it’s all a

episode 38 of the podcast is live and it’s all about teens! i chat with Erin Jantz, a Southern California mama of 4 young people ages 9-18. this conversation covers connecting, partnership, and the nuance of life without schooling as our young people emerge toward adulthood!
we even offer 6 huge tips for connecting with your teens!
if you’re a Spotify listener, you can now submit your questions for Erin and I and maybe we can come back together for a q&a!

find all the things i’m up to on my website
Www.theunschoolfiles.com

Support my work by becoming a patron
Www.patreon.com/theunschoolfiles

issue 5 is under production! this one will be a li

issue 5 is under production! this one will be a little different, but it’s due out this summer and now is the time to get your work inside this issue!

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ᴜɴꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴏʀ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ?

maybe it’s a collage or a poem, or link to a YouTube video you made. it could be a photo editorial, essay or something you painted.
everything is welcome! send all submissions to meghan@theunschoolfiles.com

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2022 was a great year for the zine 🙏🏼
we published 4 issues of Unschoolers artwork, featured families, writing, activities, recipes and community resources!
this was a massive undertaking and i am so grateful to all who contributed to the pages, those who patiently waited for mail, to the folks that paid more than they had to so others could get one free of charge, and to Erin and Shawna for personally printing, binding and putting their hands on each and every package while i was in transition to the other side of the world… this couldn’t have happened without you.
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for past issues of the zine, head to theunschoolfiles.com

In episode 37, i had a chat with Sari González an

In episode 37, i had a chat with Sari González and Becka Koritz of @radical_learning on how they are supporting facilitators, parents and families in Puerto Escondido (and beyond) through their small groups, trainings and pop-up immersions for worldschooling and traveling unschoolers. they cover their approach to conflict resolution and you’ll learn a little about how Explora began, ways it has had to embrace the agile model and ways they aligned their radical learning with what Sari and Becka are offering now! (including their big announcement at the end☺️)

i’ve had this one in drafts for a minute..can’

i’ve had this one in drafts for a minute..can’t recall what episode i said this in, but some recent conversations have reminded me of this. in my view dogmatic unschooling can be a beeline to intolerance, bigotry and a lack of awareness (or intentional numbing) to your community and your place and connection in it.
𝗐𝖾 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾𝖽𝗈𝗆 𝗂𝗌 𝖽𝗂𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗅𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌.
when we view ourselves as separate from our community, we not only are perpetuating colonialism but we cut ourselves off from all the possibilities that exist in the connection to the people we share ground with.
we can create new things together, point to the root causes of oppression, heal together and stand in solidarity and rise together!
just have to look up and out to see the hearts of the people and remember we are connected and don’t fall for that fascy shit!

it is with a very sad and heavy heart that i write

it is with a very sad and heavy heart that i write this.
the recent legislation in the Tennessee house of reps (HB1 + HB9) has made it impossible for queer unschooling families to feel safe to travel and to spend a day at Dollywood together this spring.
i reached out to the community and got such a range of responses like “reach out to Dolly!!”, “Come to my city!!” and “organize a drag show of our own” but the very real fear of emboldened and empowered bigotry and hatred is ever present.
i cannot, in good conscious; ask families to join me and spend their money in a place that is actively seeking to erase many of us!
according to the Human Rights Campaign nearly 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias and the last two years have been the deadliest for transgender people. specifically Trans women of the global majority.
this is the right call.
and i’m so sorry we won’t get to hug, dance and ride rides together. but we will, eventually 🫀that’s a promise!
love you all so much!

The Unschool Files community is growing, and new t

The Unschool Files community is growing, and new things are coming, and i’m dying to share. i promise, it’s all coming soon!

for now, i’m taking the assignment from 👑 Bey seriously and i’m coming through for this community with my gifts. 🫀

the zine isn’t just for submissions, but i also

the zine isn’t just for submissions, but i also use pages in between to highlight places in the community where you will find comfort, support, and care through resources and offerings that are free, low cost or have accessible models for unschooling clients.
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in issue 4, i dedicated space for a few podcast conversations that are worth listening to whether you’re new to unschooling or have been on this ride for years!
@pamlaricchia’s parent compilation episode on the challenges we face was like holding a mirror up for many versions of myself over the last decade!

@adelejk’s talk with Essie Richards @lunaragilelearningcentre was especially reminiscent of the early days of realizing the harm school can cause and such a good talk for parents of ND children.

lastly, this recording from @stark.raving.dad is perfect for friends and family members who are just not sure about this no school thing! he’s got such a calm, soothing voice for some huge questions 🙏🏼
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if you’d like to read the latest issue of the zine you can find it on my website or link in bio
if you’d like to be featured in the zine or know of something that the community should hear about reach out to me! xx meghan

in episode 36 i’m speaking with Lane @liz.lemona

in episode 36 i’m speaking with Lane @liz.lemonade, a mother of two self-led daughters from a snow globe town on the upper peninsula of Michigan ❄️they discuss how unschooling has been a doorway to look at life differently and even unschooling requires deschooling!

• support my work and help me save for recording equipment and be the first to get unschooling swag! www.patreon.com/theunschoolfiles

it’s all about relationship✨ 🌳🫀 a little

it’s all about relationship✨ 🌳🫀
a little reminder from Nikolai’s youngest of @liberatorium and @raisingreaders

that’s it. that’s the post.

that’s it. that’s the post.

as i spend less and less time here with the gram,

as i spend less and less time here with the gram, i have been laying bricks one at a time over at theunschoolfiles.com read below about one of several things coming!👇🏼

i am the type of person who feels deeply tied to the service of humanity. and so in that service i am always looking for ways to connect people - it’s how discord became an element of this community!
i was really inspired by @sonia.Khost’s words at the @alliance4sde weekend earlier this year - she was hosting a room and simply said “the space is yours”
and with that i made it my guiding compass for how to run this virtual community.
i put the scaffolding up, and the members take it from there. a self-governed space that only runs as well as the members who participate in it want it to!

we’ve been going now, nearly 2 years 🎉 with many topics of discussion and a growing desire for events such as book club.
the community calendar lives over on my website where server members can reference it and make plans to attend offerings within the community! or perhaps find a day they’d like to offer something!
it’s got reaaallll ‘if you build it they will come’ energy 😉

if you’re looking for community, send me a message or find the discord link on my website! ✌🏼🫀 xxmeg

issue 4 (which currently has no physical copies av

issue 4 (which currently has no physical copies available) is available for digital viewing and download! drop me a DM or head to my website theunschoolfiles.com to claim a copy 🙏🏼
here are a few pages of the zine for preview, including a cozy recipe from a young person in Canada to warm your heart and soul this season 🫀
you’ll have to get a copy to finish reading @makeba_celeste’s family feature and the essay by @naomicfisher
xx meghan

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