Learning is Natural, School is Optional

For as long as there has been compulsory schooling, students have asked, “Do I really have to go to school through 12th grade?  Isn’t there some other way?”

We all know the conventional answer: “No, there is no other way. You just have to make the best of it.”

That answer didn’t satisfy Kenneth Danford and Joshua Hornick. In 1996, they left their public school teaching jobs to help students live, learn, and grow in a different environment. The method is simple, powerful, and relatively easily accessible, but most teens and families need some support to choose this path.

Here is the story of North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens, which has provided this support to hundreds of students over the past two decades.

In this combination memoir/how-to, you will learn that this “other way” is actually an opportunity to get a tremendous head start on young adulthood. Not only do these young people start college early, gain meaningful work experience, and travel or pursue interesting passions, they also have the time and space for self-exploration. They develop intrinsic motivation, self-awareness, and maturity beyond their ages.

This other way to live and learn is not a trick. There is no catch. There is no secret trap.  One simply has to want more out of life than settling for traditional school, and have enough immediate support in one’s family and community to take on this challenge.

It’s one thing to know there is another way. It’s something far more moving and profound to make this other way possible for any interested family. As Ken shares his experience facilitating young people and their families in this pursuit of “unschooling,” you may be surprised and inspired by the information and stories in this book. Empowered by this knowledge, you, too, may even find yourself telling teens in your life, “Hey, there’s another way! I’d like to help you!”