PROGRAM

Friday Night reception 4 - 8 PM

Pick up your registration packets and mingle with the speakers, presenters and guests in the Grand Ballroom. Have some hors d'oevres and beverages while you meet old friends, meet the authors and exhibitors, and introduce yourself and your families to all sorts of new friends.

Magic: The Gathering Tournament. 7 PM.

Open to all ages. An extended Magic the Gathering tournament will be held at the conference on Friday, August 12 at 7:00 PM. Click here for details.

Saturday

7:30 - 9 AM Registration

9 - 10:30 AM General Session Keynote:

Eight Kinds of Smart:  Building on a Child's Assets for Success in School and Life

This keynote shows how Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences can provide a powerful strategic plan through which all childrens' abilities can be highlighted and worked with to improve personal motivation, self-esteem, and academic achievement. Dr. Thomas Armstrong.

11 - 12:30 Breakout Sessions

1) Panel: Uncollege. Adults who were homeschooled and didn't graduate, or attend, college. The challenges and concerns they faced, as well as their successes. Panelists: Sarabeth Matilsky, Eli Gerzon, Ben Lucal, Rowan Harrison, Pamela Harrison. Moderated by Ken Danford.

2) Possibility in the Face of Probability. Children are not stock portfolios and cannot be handled as such, and canonical beliefs about what all kids need to know to grow up right are disastrous. We need to be asking what the children in front of us need to thrive: that is a constantly shifting, fluid question that can only be answered locally, familialy and individually. At the same time pedagogical freedom and political freedom are closely intertwined. The practice of freedom has to be interpreted as a social freedom to, rather than merely an individual freedom from, which is part of how Matt suggests the homelearning and deschooling movements are so important. Matt Hern.

3) Demystifying Math: Beyond Textbooks and Measuring Cups  Demystifying Math has a two-fold goal: 1) to make mathematics accessible, non-threatening, and actually enjoyable for adults, so that 2) they, in turn, can be more effective when engaging in mathematical tasks and conversations with children. Loretta Heuer

4) Working with the Academically Gifted and Gifted/Special Needs at Home. Many parents are daunted by the thought of homeschooling their gifted children, especially if the child has special needs such as learning differences, Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, etc.  In fact, homeschooling these children can be an exciting and liberating experience, giving children the opportunity to soar in areas of strength while not being held back by areas of relative weakness while allowing parents to enjoy their children while learning together. We will discuss frequent parent concerns such as "Do I know enough to homeschool my gifted child?", "I'm not a special ed teacher - how can I cope with my child's special needs?", "How can I meet my child's social needs?"  In addition, we will discuss  the myriad resources available both locally and online. Meredith Warshaw

5) Discussion Group - This discussion is designed to inform attendees about new federal laws that already have been adopted by Congress that affect homeschoolers. Deborah Stevenson, Facilitator

6) Improv Theater -- “Playback.” Come play! First we’ll do warm-up games. You don’t need to have any experience with theater or improvisation. We’ll move, sing, make sculptures with our bodies, and practice listening to each other. Then we’ll try a few forms from “Playback Theater” a form of improvisation used in over 50 countries. Unlike comedy improv, where the point is to be quick and clever, the point of Playback is to understand each other. We’ll tell moments and stories from our lives and then “play them back” for each other using movement, music, and dialogue. Come try it. We aim to make it safe and easy for everyone. Limited to 20, teen through adult. Anne Ellinger.

7) Unschooling Children with Special Needs. Have you wondered if unschooling can meet the needs of the special population? What if your child struggles with even learning how to speak, let alone learning his numbers? What if he doesn't independently learn easily from his environment? What about special services? Let's discuss and share ideas on how unschooling can be an ideal setting that utilizes each child's strengths and learning style. (Special needs in this workshop will specifically address serious mental disabilities such as moderately affected children with autism, Down Syndrome, mental retardation, multiple handicaps, etc.). Cindy Gaddis.

8) The Price of Praise. Do you ever take actions that don't resonate with your own convictions in an attempt to please others? How would you like for your child (and yourself) to be free of such limiting dependency? In this workshop you will aquire the ability to express your enthusiasm for your child authentically and without stirring her direction or contradicting her inner experience, so she can be nobody but herself, confidently.Naomi Aldort

9) Just-in-Time Science "Mommy, why can airplanes fly?" Trying to answer a child's science question can lead an adult quickly into deep science. In this hands-on workshop, you'll test-drive some great resources for beefing up your own science knowledge just in time to help your kids. Karen Cole.

12:30 - 2PM Lunch. Included with your registration.

2 - 3:30PM Breakout Sessions

1) Coping With Fear & Anxiety. Homeschooling, for many of us, is a roller

coaster ride of trust and fear. When our bright-eyed curious child is glowing from the pleasure of a new discovery or accomplishment, we relax, certain, that in choosing to homeschool, we made the right decision. But a week later, when that same child is at loose ends, the kids are all fighting, we've been challenged or criticized by a relative, (or even sometimes for no reason at all), we can fall into the pit of doubt; "Am I doing enough?", "Am I doing too much?", "Is this really what's best for my child?". In this interactive workshop you will learn tools and strategies for reducing anxiety so that you can spend more time trusting and enjoying both your child and "the ride". Andy Migner.

2) Homeschooling: A How-To Workshop. Topics to be covered include an overview of homeschooling, deciding whether or not to homeschool, getting started, methods for teaching, resources for teaching, and homeschooling support. Informational handouts will be available and an opportunity for questions will follow the presentation. The presentation includes general information useful for families with children of all ages, from Massachusetts and beyond. Sophia Sayigh.

3) The Fourth Purpose—A Documentary designed to change the course of American Education. John Taylor Gatto & Roland Legiardi-Laura will host an informal discussion and sample screening of their epic documentary project. Your thoughts, comments and assistance are all welcome. We will show a brief 20-minute sample of the project, discuss its progress to date, and enlist your aid in production and fund-raising for the project. Come prepared for a lively discussion!.

4) The Myth of the ADD /ADHD Child:  Challenging the Growing Medicalization of Attention and Behavior in Our Classrooms.

This workshop challenges the current use of the medical model to explain attention and behavioral differences in children. The first part looks at the problems with the ADD/ADHD paradigm, including criticisms of its assessments and treatments. The second part provides alternative ways of explaining behavior and attention difficulties, including gender differences, social and cultural factors, psychological influences, and styles of learning. The third part presents a number of non-medical strategies that parents and educators can use to help children attend and behave. Dr. Thomas Armstrong.

5) Discussion Group - How a choice to unschool affects the relationships that we have with people. Maureen Carey, Facilitator

6) Panel: Classical Music and Homeschooling. Learning to play together in groups, developing the discipline to master an instrument, enjoying music that is not popular on the radio or TV - what's going on with these folks? Panelists: Oliver Aldort, Deborah and Sebastian Gold, Ezra Lichtman, Hannah MacDonald, Shannon Vale. Moderated by Nicky Hardenbergh.

7) Panel: Homeschoolers of Color. A discussion about the unique challenges and concerns facing people who aren't the same race as the majority of homeschoolers. Panelists: Rosa Brown, Jocelyn Cooper, Ericka Davis-Pitre, Jennifer Wiggins. Moderated by Venus Taylor.

8) Teen Discussion Room - Moderated by Matt Hern

4 - 5:30 PM Breakout Sessions

1) Panel: Learning Disabilities - Issues Professionals Struggle With. Panelists: Dr. Thomas Armstrong, Dr. Richard Falzone, Dr. Robert Kay, Meredith Warshaw, Dr. Ken Jacobson. Moderated by Pat Farenga.

2) Improvisation Workshop. Bring your voice or instrument and get ready to jam. Conducted by Glenn Dickson.

3) Learning Centers for Teens: How they work and how they are sustained. The nuts and bolts of starting and running a teen learning center. Matt Hern and Ken Danford

4) College admissions for homeschoolers. Learn how to navigate the college (and art school) admissions process from a homeschooling parent who literally wrote the book on this subject. (Loretta is the author of The Homeschooler's Guide to Portfolios and Transcripts). Loretta Heuer.

5) Writing Together. In this interactive workshop, longtime homeschooling parent and writing group facilitator Milva McDonald addresses common questions and concerns about writing and homeschooling, offers ideas and suggestions for parents working with their children around writing, and shows how anyone can begin a productive and fun writing group. You will leave this workshop with practical and inspirational ideas about what writing can be in your child's life and your own life. Milva McDonald.

6) Discussion Group - Political Activism and Unschooling. Katherine Abbey, facilitator.

7) The Nuts and Bolts of Documentary Filmmaking. For teenagers, and anyone with a burning passion to make a documentary. Led by documentary filmmaker, Roland Legiardi-Laura, this workshop is for those folks interested in learning how to make a documentary from scratch—We’ll cover what kind of equipment you’ll need, How to make a documentary budget, grant-writing, basic principles of shooting and editing, the principle elements of a documentary, how to distribute, promote and sell a documentary. We’ll be screening some samples of recent successful documentaries. Roland Legiardi-Laura

5:30 - 7:30 Dinner on your own.

7:30 - 9:30 PM Talent show. Adults and children should sign up in advance. I'll post a list of folks who sign up and what they plan to do as it develops. Each performance should be no longer than 5 minutes long. To sign up, email your name, age, and what you want to perform to: talent@learninginourownway.com.

Sunday

7:30 - 9 AM Registration

9 - 10:30 AM. Breakout sessions.

1) Panel: Teens Without Schooling. Teens from Massachusetts discuss what they do instead of going to high school, how they plan to get into college or find work. Panelists: Lauren Farenga, Lianna Nelson, Ethan Mathews, Dan Bouquillon, Vlad Blanton. Moderated by Ken Danford.

2) Panel: Taught Mother Tongue: Ivan Illich on Education. Gene Burkart, Joseph Mokos, and Matt Hern, discuss the influence and insight of a man the Utne Reader described as one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century. Illich wrote Deschooling Society in 1971 and he had a direct influence on John Holt's decision to embrace homeschooling. Moderated by Pat Farenga.

3) The Fourth Purpose—A Documentary designed to change the course of American Education. John Taylor Gatto & Roland Legiardi-Laura will host an informal discussion and sample screening of their epic documentary project. Your thoughts, comments and assistance are all welcome. We will show a brief 20-minute sample of the project, discuss its progress to date, and enlist your aid in production and fund-raising for the project. Come prepared for a lively discussion!

4) Schools that work with, not on, homeschoolers. Progressive educators have a rich legacy of working humanely with youngsters of all ages. They describe it as holistic educating or democratic process or child-led learning, but whatever the words it means working with, not on. It's a frame of mind, a lifestyle, and a very effective way to communicate and enjoy learning all the time. Dr. Patricia Montgomery.

5) Individualizing Learning: Learning Styles and Time Frames. What, your homeschooled children aren't writing novels, solving advanced math problems, or winning spelling bees? Sometimes it seems like "being average" just isn't good enough for homeschoolers. We worry when our children are on different learning schedules than they are in school. Cindy will share with you how her three oldest (now teenaged) children have learned subjects such as reading, writing, math, science, geography, foreign language, history, spelling, and others, using their own learning styles and following their own unique time frames which formed their individualized education. Cindy Gaddis.

6) Panel: Grown Homeschoolers. A panel discussion featuring adults who were homeschooled. Some of them have their own children now – will they homeschool them? Have they found work worth doing as adults? What challenges and concerns did they encounter as adults who were homeschooled? These, and many other questions, will be considered by our discussants. Panelists: Stephanie D’Arcangelo-Dalmer, Eli Gerzon, Jenine Turner, Aidin Carey. Moderated by Sarabeth Matilisky, who is a grown homeschooler herself.

7) Discussion Group - Dad's only. Michael Carey, Facilitator.

10:30 - 12:30PM .

Foyer open outside ballroom for vendors, mingling.

Basketball outside.

Complimentary fruit and cheese will be available in the foyer around 11AM.

11 - 12:30PM

A Tribute to John Holt. This year marks the 20th anniversary of John Holt's death. This special session will feature a video about John’s life and work that was created in 1997 and not seen much since then, plus a rare showing of one of John’s appearances on the Phil Donahue Show to promote "Teach Your Own" in 1981. I’ll also take questions from the audience about about John, and I hope others who attend will share their memories as well. Pat Farenga

12:30 - 2:30 PM. Sunday banquet (meal included with your registration).

Enjoy a final meal with your fellow guests and hear John Gatto deliver his keynote speech, "Weapons of Mass Instruction."

Gatto explores our need to keep intensifying school for children and adults despite strong evidence that many people succeed in today's world by dropping out of school! John examines the social and economic reasons that drive the campaign for more compulosry schooling and he presents true stories about people who have succeeded without schooling.

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS. In addition to the Magic Tournament there will be:

CHILDREN'S PROGRAM

NOTE: We can't keep track of kids coming and going freely from the children's room and program, so we request that a qualified child-care person, age 14 or older, be with your child at all times while they are in the Children's room. If you wish, you can use our babysitting service, which is limited and must be booked in advance. The charge is $5/hour, with a 2 hour minimum. Babysitters are experienced teens or moms who will have no more than three children each to care for every two hours. Contact Babysitter@learninginourownway.com with questions or to reserve your time.

Click here for details about the children's program.

For more information, contact us at:

KidsActivities@learninginourownway.com

TEEN ROOM. For ages 13 +

A lounge area just for teens will be open throughout the conference where they can "chill" with other teens. There will be games and opportunities for people to organize and run their own workshops and seminars. Matt Hern and Ken Danford will also participate throughout the weekend. Roland Legiardi-Laura and Anne Ellinger will conduct workshops on film-making and Playback Theater Improvisation, respectively.