the teenage liberation handbook by grace llewellyn

This is a dangerous thing to give to your child, because there is a significant correlation between amount of formal education and almost any outcome you care about, including longevity, divorce and poverty rates. It tries to persuade teenagers to drop out of high school - in order to “get a real life and education” as its subtitle says. 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.This book is radical. Some of her attempts to appeal to young minds ring a bit corny. She capitalizes words to add emphasis, as in the 'Mainstream American Suburbia-Think' she blames most schools for perpetuating. 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. Llewellyn is a former middle-school English teacher, and she knows her audience well. 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. She devotes many chapters to books and suggestions for teaching yourself science, math, social sciences, English, foreign languages, and the arts. 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 spends an entire chapter on the gentle art of persuading parents that this is a good idea.

'Throw darts at a picture of your school' or 'Make a bonfire of old worksheets,' she advises. Llewellyn urges kids to take a vacation-at least for a week-after quitting school to purge its influence. There are tips here you won't hear from a school guidance counselor. Instead of homeschooling, which connotes setting up a school at home, Llewellyn prefers 'unschooling,' a learning method with no structure or formal curriculum.

Grace Llewellyn insists that people learn better when they are self-motivated and not confined by school walls. 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. 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. You won't find this book on a school library shelf-it's pure teenage anarchy.

The teenage liberation handbook by grace llewellyn