by Ken Danford | Apr 16, 2021 | self-directed learning
As a U.S. History teacher, I enjoy following cultural trends and trying to read larger historical patterns into them. This month, I’ve been particularly interested in a Gallup Poll which shows that for the first time in the eighty-year history of that survey, fewer...
by Ken Danford | Apr 11, 2021 | self-directed learning
As I’ve mentioned, one of the highlights of this year has been welcoming Distance Members to North Star this year. In the past, we have only worked with local teens, but because nearly all of our activities have been on Zoom this year, we have decided to experiment...
by Ken Danford | Mar 22, 2021 | self-directed learning
What happens to an unschooler who refuses to wear shoes? (and who attends North Star barefoot in all seasons for several years?) I opened my mailbox yesterday to see Grace Martenson with her industrious smile busy mending shoes as the cover photo of this week’s...
by Ken Danford | Mar 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
My young-adult children are increasing their vigilance of my wife and me regarding our COVID- 19 protective behaviors, demanding that we “don’t blow it now after all we have sacrificed this year to avoid getting COVID-19!” They want us to keep our guard up for another...
by Ken Danford | Feb 15, 2021 | self-directed learning
Among my favorite activities is welcoming and orienting new people to the field of self-directed education, especially young teachers who are disillusioned by the system they had felt inspired to improve. Now, the moment has arrived to join forces with some others who...
by Ken Danford | Feb 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
The solid play of the Cleveland Browns was a highlight of my January, which was otherwise a cold and challenging month for many of us in this pandemic. For the first time since the late 1980s, the team I root for played important games in December and January, and...
by Ken Danford | Jan 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Two of the classes I teach at North Star this year are “Election 2020” and “Race Relations.” This month has felt overwhelming. Where to start? What to say? How can I help teens make sense of what we are seeing every day? There is so much to cover, and so much...
by Ken Danford | Jan 1, 2021 | self-directed learning
Happy 2021! Sometimes we get lucky! Sometimes we make our own luck! North Star is teaming up with The Institute for the Musical Arts and the Shea Theater to bring the world Get Down With Your Hometown, a two-day online musical extravaganza on January 8-9, 2021...
by Ken Danford | Dec 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
This week my daughter Claudia has unceremoniously completed her studies at the University of Vermont, even though we have no graduation gathering to mark the event. She simply turned in her last paper, and that was that. She has written this blog about how she...
