The healing journey of a widowed, unschooling badass in Delaware.
I feel the Lockdown creeping back. Today was an escape from the rising tide of cult maskism.
We learned about edible plants, found a baby bird and snapping turtle, celebrated a friend’s birthday and new remote-controlled boat, and excercised our imaginations.
We did it all unafraid and without hiding our faces from the world or each other.
We had a relaxed day at home today and my sons found a crystal growing kit that had been hiding.
The instructions were poorly written, which I see as an opportunity for critical thinking and experimentation.
The kit came with three containers with small rocks, but there were enough ingredients for more variations.
We busted into our assortment of rocks, geodes, and shells to set up a few different experiments.
The kit came with a simple data collection form and we look forward to the different crystals we hope to grow.
Parents have a reasonable concern about how home education will translate their children into adults with marketable skills. Since World War II and the GI Bill, we’ve been programmed to believe that government-accredited institutions are the way into the American workforce. Unfortunately, government organizes all that it does in the same chaotic manner it organizes the armed forces. Schools, from kindergarten to grad school are designed to produce workers accustomed to taking orders.
Technology has now given us more alternate paths to meaningful and productive lives than ever before.
The following resources are invaluable for those who worry about going tens of thousands of dollars in debt to secure a place in the workforce.
I’m a little unclear as to where this information originated, so I’ve included a couple links with similar text.
https://www.opportunitiesforyouth.org/2021/09/07/learn-to-code-and-get-a-job-in-tech
Jobs paying $75.00 per hour and salaries of over $185,000 a year are going unfilled due to a lack of skilled tech workers.
by Philip Green
To all of the young people that follow my Page, I have two imperative bits of advice for you. Listen to me and listen good, please.
Now get out there and Live your Best Life!
Get up out of poverty! Read More Books. Take free online courses. Join YearUp!
EdX.org
Coursera.org
YearUp.org
Scratch, the free Interactive coding tutorial
https://scratch.mit.edu
Learn to code interactively, for free.
Take free courses from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Wharton B-School…free!
Code Academy
Khan Academy
http://www.codecademy.com/
https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming
coursera.org
EdX.org
Udacity.com
Novoed.com
Free Math & Computer Programming Courses
YesWeCode.org
http://www.blackgirlscode.com
Black Hedge Fund Group Code + App Development Resources
Code.org
36 Resources To Help You Teach Kids Programming
http://java.dzone.com/news/36-resources-help-you-teach
MIT App Inventor tutorial to develop mobile apps on Android phones.
http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/hour-of-code.html
Scratch – A simple visual programming language
http://scratch.mit.edu/
Windows Apps
http://developer.android.com/index.html
Apple iOS Developer Program
https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/
Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/
Code Academy
https://www.codecademy.com/
Places Where Women Can Learn to Code
http://learntocodewith.me/posts/13-places-women-learn-code/
2019, Black Hedge Fund Group – The Black Hedge Fund Group
The Facebook post where I found this: https://www.facebook.com/100000974803905/posts/6048281285214305/
I feel like I have so little time for reading. These are some of my favorite podcasts. Exploring Unschooling with Pam Laricchia is full of confidence building conversations and The School Sucks Project gives you the heavier philosophical background of John Taylor Gatto, John Holt, and many others.
Disclosure: The link below is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
A 22-mile round trip cycle journey cracked a new record for the Zerbey Three. Add in that we achieved this goal with my girlfriend and her wonderful daughter and you get an amazing day.
We overcame plenty of early obstacles and a later-than-expected start to lunch, adventure, and ice cream in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.
The trail was mostly flat and offered some of our favorite views, including chipmunks, deer, changing leaves, colorful fungi, and lots of beautiful sky looks.
It was warm enough in Ohiopyle to dip our feet in the Youghiogheny River.
Near the end of our trek, the sun set and we got to see paper lanterns fly into the sky. In the picture they are above and to the right of the building in the center.
A couple days ago I wrote about the release of James Greatorex’s graphic novel, Island Lost.
Now you can go to his site and get your own copy!
Visit James’s Instagram for samples, then go here to get yours:
My jiu-jitsu practice is full of deficiencies, consistency of training being the most glaring.
After a year of excuses, I finally struck a balance in my routine that promises to improve my soccer, yoga, and jiu-jitsu practices.
This week I had two of each discipline. Soccer is likely the most unpredictable and two tough games to draw were the challenge I needed to see if my body could prosper on the fields and mats.
Yoga is the mental, physical, and spiritual reset that seems to make it all possible.
I am confident that returning to the Wim Hof Method breathing technique (still taking lots of cold showers) as a daily routine will further enhance my overall recovery and performance.
I thank God everyday for the energy to do these things. I thank Him for the focus on health and self-improvement that has driven me during a time when the narrative diminishes these goals. I thank God for a body that treats me better as I treat it better.
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The impact of jiu-jitsu on our lives would be impossible to capture in three minutes, but Elevated Studios and Salvatore Productions did an amazing job in expressing how much the discipline can change someone.
In this promotional video, my elder son, Westen, plays a shy kid who has the typical jiu-jitsu experience of getting dominated for an uncomfortable amount of time. Through co-owner/lead instructor Stephen Plyler’s encouragement and the boy’s hard work, the kid grows into a strong, confident practioner.
Elevated has been our jiu-jitsu home for as long as we’ve been home educating, almost seven years. I began training last year and it is thrilling to have my son play the role of guide for me. He has grown into a mentor on the mat and a focused fighter in competition.
Our journey still feels near the start. Westen will be in the adult program with me next year and I will likely start competing alongside him.
If you have any interest in improving your life or the life of your child, take a look at Elevated Studios.
James Greatorex is one fine creator. I met him on the soccer field and he quickly became my sons’ favorite player to trade comic book banter with…check that, he is their favorite HUMAN with which to commiserate on all illustrated narrative matters.
I’ve loosely followed the creation of his own title and I was totally excited to see that it hit the streets today!
Purchasing details have yet to be revealed, but I promise to share links and info here (heck, I’ll deliver you a copy if that’s what it takes) soon.
Fridays afford a lot of fun for us. There are usually many options for home educating families to socialize and explore their world.
On this Friday we grabbed friends for roller skating, burritos (theatrically), fishing, and Shakespeare.
It was a long day, but one full of adventure.
