A River Between

After meeting with key faculty at the college I was attending, I turned in my final portfolio of 5 credits, and sent a revised final statement paper to my advisor in the mail. After completing 32 credits of coursework, I have decided to leave the boxes of academia. It was an easy decision after I was shown sample “position papers” adhering to APA standards, and learning that I could only present my colloquium (final presentation) in one lecture hall at the college. A lot of prescription. A lot of “business as usual” that I have taken myself so far away from in the past three years of inquiry and learning. Lots of other reasons also contributed to this decision.

If you are interested in reading my “final integration paper” for my last contract, it details my reasoning and rationale for walking out. I have intentionally taken out any mention of the college’s name. Click on this link or the image above to read my WalkOut statement!

Here’s my cute cute baby, my “swamp thing” as I sometimes call her. Today, like many days, was spent at home working on web sites, napping, and hanging out with Junebug, our dog. She’s 10 months old today, and learning and growing all the time. Life would be so mundane without her in our lives.

Enjoy the pictures of our day at the Saint Olaf College natural areas near their athletic fields, here in Northfield, MN.

I took the time to upload quite a bit of information, photos, art, and reflections from my learning over the past three years. As I want this site to be my living and breathing portfolio of learning, I thought it would be appropriate to categorize these learning journeys in my own way.

I had originally wanted this site to become one for highlighting all of my academic work, but I have since rethought this notion. Because of many frustrations as my association with my university comes to a close, I am reclaiming my learning as I define it. I’ve taken out references to the school I’ve attended and the degree program, so that I can approach learning as an invitation for ALL PEOPLE. My “degree” has become worth less and less to me lately, and my learning remains as the joyous experience that it always has been.

I’ve said this before … As I deepen my notions of “unschooling my life” I understand more and more how degrees and certifications only serve to divide people and to feed into a system that creates this division. If I want portfolios of learning to become more important, I must first develop my own portfolio, and share what I feel could inspire others to undertake their own learning journeys.

I think that I’m developing a new vocabulary for learning as well. Words like “teaching” and “classes” have become “learning exchanges” and “learning journeys.” The word “student” has become “learner” for me now. Stripping away the divisions and hierarchy created by the current “academic” world could prove to be a daunting goal, but I have to say… I’m doing this already when it comes to my own life and learning.

Will you join me?

Enjoy my portfolio of learning! I’d love to hear about yours!

That’s the “grade” I have right now for my last five credits of graduate school. Incomplete.

My journey into this unknown land was intentional. It’s been a very ironic and joyous adventure lately as I learn more about Unschooling, and find beautiful examples of communities that have formed because people “walked out” of traditional academic settings and “walked on” to a more self-directed life. At the very time in my learning journey that I feel so liberated to learn without boundaries, I am receiving many messages from academia, as if a monster wanting to sew me up into a cute package. I can be boxed up - the letters M.A. tattooed to my exterior - a graduation statistic and success story to lure the next eager and awaiting “victim” into its jaws.

I’ve been reading intently a great publication called “Healing Ourselves from the Diploma Disease(PDF).” This is a collaborative work of essays, letters, and writings from Shikshantar: The People’s Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, in Udaipur, India. The book is full of compelling stories and testimonials attesting to the inequalities and injustices that are perpetuated by the culture of schooling. Credentialism, Meritocracy, Specialization, and Degrees have been created to divide people from one another.

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