Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun [Paperback]

Dayna Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2009

Radical Unschooling is a progressive parenting philosophy, which includes children learning at home. It is different from homeschooling in that children are not forced to follow curriculum lessons and tests. Radical Unschooling philosophy focuses on trust of a child's innate ability to learn without coercion and invites children to explore their passions. The parent's role is to facilitate their interests and curiosity.

Radical Unschooling - the book - focuses also on the evolutionary aspect of parenting and human consciousness. We are parenting and educating our children today to succeed in a joyful, productive life by following their passions, not someone else's agenda.

The main presentations are
- School is only one of many choices for our children in our technologically advanced world.
- Forced learning isn't effective and causes more damage than formerly thought.
- Respecting a child's choice and autonomy is an evolution of understanding and birth right of every human.
- Learning and life are not separate. Learning is pleasurable if it is not forced on us.
- Separating life into subjects isn't necessary or natural.
- Humans learn from all that they do and experience in life, not just what our culture deems ''educational.''
- The main focus of parenting today is obedience and meeting the needs of the parent. This has to change if we want our children to live in a peaceful world.

Moreover, Radical Unschooling is just radical enough to herald a wake up call to our culture because of the truth the philosophy speaks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Full of brilliant common sense! Mrs. Martin takes us behind the curtain to see in rich detail what alternative education really looks like when it bestows upon its subjects the freedom to choose. Every parent who feels compelled to give their kids into the care of total strangers should read this book. --John Taylor Gatto, Author: Dumbing Us Down And Weapons of Mass Instruction

About the Author

Dayna Martin is a passionate radical unschooling advocate who enjoys speaking about her unique and joyful family life. Dr Phil invited Dayna and Joe Martin to be his featured guests on the Dr. Phil Show in 2007. They introduced 50 million global viewers to radical unschooling and respectful, peaceful parenting. The whole Martin family appeared on Fox News in Sept. 2008, promoting Radical Unschooling in a segment with John Taylor Gatto, three-time NYC Teacher of the Year.

Dayna is an inspiring speaker and writer who promotes freedom and peace through loving kindness and acceptance. Dayna is wife to Joe and proud mother of four unschooled children. The Martin family lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and enjoys traveling the country in their motor home speaking at conferences about Radical Unschooling and inspiring everyone they meet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Tasora Books; 1st edition (June 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934690120
• ISBN-13: 978-1934690123
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 148 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written, Unclear Audience, Never Gets Beyond Cheerleading, October 14, 2009

By 

J. Carranza (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun (Paperback)

First of all, I am in agreement with radical unschooling philosophies for parenting and education. I appreciate what Dayna Martin is trying to do. But I desperately wish she was more effective. I cannot figure out who her audience is. She presents herself as an unschooling evangelist, but she doesn't explain things nearly enough for people new to the concept. Nor does she explore nuance in enough depth for people already familiar with the philosophies.

The book is poorly written, and neither anecdotal nor research-based. It is a long stream of "Radical Unschooling is great! You should do it!" I get that she's an inspirational speaker, but I want some substance behind my inspiration. At one point she says "Ninety percent of the kids in the world today are saying, I am not securely attached. I need something. I need something." And that's the end of the chapter. She doesn't back up the statistic or even explain how she might hypothesize such a thing. She may be right, but a thoughtful reader wants more than invented statistics.

I hate to give a terrible review to someone doing so much to advocate radical unschooling. But this is a really terrible book. People seeking information on the topic should consult the countless blogs that offer a great deal more insight and in-depth discussion than this book does. And people already enmeshed in the cause should give their money to Martin's Unschooling United organization, instead of wasting it on this book.

Edited to Add: Within minutes of posting this review, the author's husband found me via Facebook and left me a vicious, harassing message.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, but not an Unschooling Manual if that is what you want, July 18, 2009

By 

Average Computer User (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun (Paperback)

You might be disappointed if you are looking for more of the nuts and bolts of how to unschool. I recommend buying The Unschooling Handbook if that is what you want. This book is more about the philosophy of Unschooling. And, in reality, the book really extends the boundaries of the definition of unschooling beyond just "educating" your children in a certain manner. It is a whole life philosophy of living. I've read all the classic unschooling books, so I didn't think I would gain much more, but I sure did. The book really focuses on your relationship with your children, and your spouse. I gained valuable insight into how I treat my spouse. And, I gained more valuable insight into how I treat my beautiful children. This book is definitely designed for someone who already understands a little bit about what unschooling is already, and less for someone who has lots of questions. For someone with lots of questions I recommend the book by Rue Kream. But, this book is worth buying if you are at all interested in unschooling.

31 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, I'm sorry to say, March 17, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun (Paperback)

I should not need much convincing on the subject, since I share the author's views. But the book was so poorly written, it was difficult to get through page after page (and there are not that many of them). I know that the author has interesting views on the topic and I believe she is interesting to listen to on video, but none of that was transferred to the pages of this book. I would recommend that Dayna Martin, should she ever be interested in putting out another book, use a professional writer to work with her. Unfortunately the level at which it was written makes it impossible to take the book--and therefore the subject--seriously. It's that bad.... and a complete waste of money. Warning****If any unschooling families are considering buying this book so that they can share it to convince others of the saneness of their path--please don't--it may backfire.