- Paperback: 435 pages
- Publisher: Lowry House Pub; Rev Exp edition (September 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0962959170
- ISBN-13: 978-0962959172
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 540 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #192,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
You won't find this book on a school library shelf--it's pure teenage anarchy. While many homeschooling authors hem and haw that learning at home isn't for everyone, this manifesto practically tells kids they're losers if they do otherwise. With the exception of a forwarding note to parents, this book is written entirely for teenagers, and the first 75 pages explain why school is a waste of time. Grace Llewellyn insists that people learn better when they are self-motivated and not confined by school walls. Instead of homeschooling, which connotes setting up a school at home, Llewellyn prefers "unschooling," a learning method with no structure or formal curriculum. There are tips here you won't hear from a school guidance counselor. Llewellyn urges kids to take a vacation--at least for a week--after quitting school to purge its influence. "Throw darts at a picture of your school" or "Make a bonfire of old worksheets," she advises. She spends an entire chapter on the gentle art of persuading parents that this is a good idea. Then she gets serious. Llewellyn urges teens to turn off the TV, get outside, and turn to their local libraries, museums, the Internet, and other resources for information. She devotes many chapters to books and suggestions for teaching yourself science, math, social sciences, English, foreign languages, and the arts. She also includes advice on jobs and getting into college, assuring teens that, contrary to what they've been told in school, they won't be flipping burgers for the rest of their days if they drop out.
Llewellyn is a former middle-school English teacher, and she knows her audience well. Her formula for making the transition from traditional school to unschooling is accompanied by quotes on freedom and free thought from radical thinkers such as Steve Biko and Ralph Waldo Emerson. And Llewellyn is not above using slang. She capitalizes words to add emphasis, as in the "Mainstream American Suburbia-Think" she blames most schools for perpetuating. Some of her attempts to appeal to young minds ring a bit corny. She weaves through several chapters an allegory about a baby whose enthusiasm is squashed by a sterile, unnatural environment, and tells readers to "learn to be a human bean and not a mashed potato." But her underlying theme--think for yourself--should appeal to many teenagers. --Jodi Mailander Farrell
Book Description
An estimated 700,000 American children are now taught at home. This book tells teens how to take control of their lives and get a "real life." Young people can reclaim their natural ability to teach themselves and design a personalized education program. Grace Llewellyn explains the entire process, from making the decision to quit school, to discovering the learning opportunities available.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
HOW STRANGE AND self-defeating that a supposedly free country should train its young for life in totalitarianism. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
HOW STRANGE AND self-defeating that a supposedly free country should train its young for life in totalitarianism. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful unschooling manual,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education (Paperback)
I just finished this book after unschooling my children for the past 6 years and neither has attended a school. It has reaffirmed my belief that unschooling CAN work and my kids will not flip burgers all their lives.The book goes through every subject and gives lots of resources for unschooling it. I wish I had found this book sooner and I would have had many less sleepness nights, worrying about unschooling versus "school at home"! I am purchasing a copy to use as a reference manual in our library. Lots of volunteer organizations, internships, business ideas. Just an awesome resource for unschoolers.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Teenage Liberation Handbook (TLH),
By
This review is from: The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education (Paperback)
This book changed my life.When I was thirteen, bored with school, I was given this book. It took me one long hard summer to convince my parents to let me unschool, but I did. I haven't looked back since. When I read this book, my immediate thought is: "I am the luckiest teenager in the world to be given this book." I loved myself, my life, and I was so happy I was leaving. It also made me angry that I hadn't left school earlier, that I'd been tricked by everyone. I know, I know. You're all wondering about social concerns, right? Well I go to school and have lunch with my friends once a week. I also occasionally stay after school with friends and watch football games or sports. I am involved in the school's after school activities and am considering joining our high school's choir. Just because you're leaving school doesn't mean you leave all of it's benefits! You recieve the best parts of both worlds! However, unschooling is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I love it. I've learned so much more than school ever taught me, as much about life as about academics. If I don't do my "work," I don't just get a bad grade and forget about it. It still needs to be done, and I've learned to just do it. In response to what another viewer said (It's harder to look in the library for something to give yourself in education--in school everything is laid out) I agree with that. It's true. I've learned how to look through a library and find that. I've learned to ask the librarians, my parents, and former teaches for suggestions. I've learned how to find things on my own. Also, someone mentioned that Grace "glossed over" things, and I'd like to say that I believe the reason she did that was because each state/country is different about how it deals with unschoolers. I've been unschooling for a year now, and I love it. I've never been happier, and my only regret is that many of my friends go to school and we can't do much together during the day. Unschooling is hard, but it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. TLH should be required reading.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book (one warning though),
By Holly Rose (Texas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education (Paperback)
This book is excellent. I sometimes wish it had a different name because a lot of people can benefit from it other than teenagers. I am a homeschooling mom of young children but I still got a lot out of it. Her philosophy is basically that you don't need a curriculum to learn. I agree with this. I liked her idea that you can still spend 4 hours a day doing "school work" but you do what YOU want to do instead of what someone assigns you. You do self directed learning. I have found that a solid math and grammar program is all you really need. In the end the SAT and GRE only tests you on your verbal/math skills anyway. Why waste time learning all kinds of subjects in the order some adult tells you to? The only subjects worth studying in a regimented manner in my opinion are math and grammar. Aside from that you should follow your interests. Now the author is a bit extreme in her views so I find you have to temper it with your own good judgement. The warning is that she actually endorses experimenting with drugs. Pretty scary but she does. I find this very irresponsible of her. Fortunately I was able to work around that and read the rest of the book. You just have to realize she's a bit of an extremist so you have to just take what you learn from it and let the rest go.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
