Long term goals

I feel as if I should write at length about my philosophy of learning, and the most essential goals of education. But, honestly, these days I'm loathe to waste time on waxing poetic or philosophical when I could be using that time to start moving toward my goals and getting things done if I'm feeling productive, or to spending time dawdling about with my daughter or with my banjo if I'm feeling reflective and dreamy.

So, the quick and dirty version: education should prepare you for whatever you want to do next, it should prepare you to be an informed and active citizen of the country and the world, and it should prepare you to take your place in the ongoing cultural conversations of curious, enthusiastic, informed people.

What does that look like, broken down into slightly-more-manageable chunks and made personal?

Whatever I want to do next:
* something in alternative education (possibly another democratic free school, in a few years)
* or something in nutrition or food-related activism (organics? slow food? world hunger?)
* or something in science (possibly going back to school to finish up that engineering degree)
* AND make lots and lots of music, all sorts

An informed and active citizen:
* versed in basic polisci
* versed in basic US history
* versed in basic world history
* versed in rhetoric and logic
* versed in the science and politics behind issues like GMOs, climate change, and other subjects I feel passionate about
* versed in basic econ
* versed in basic comparative religion
* versed in basic sociology/anthro


Ongoing cultural conversations:
* have a basic sense of how things work (scientifically, politically, psychologically...)
* keep up with current events
* continue reading books and attending cultural events which deeply engage me


Oh! And the last requirement -- be capable of being a competent adult, managing a household, including:
* versed in basic home repair
* understand how the car works and be capable of talking about it with repair people
* be capable of making a variety of things from scratch (bread, dressing, sauce, etc.)

Getting Started

I've always been drawn to the idea of life-long learning -- by both temperament and family culture, and reinforced by all the curious, enthusiastic, DIY folks with whom I've surrounded myself. The deeper I've gotten into homeschooling Sarah, the more I've looked forward to finding the time and resources to focus my own homeschooling, creating the sort of long-, mid-, and short-term plans for myself that we've worked together to create for Sarah.

I was intrigued by a new site for self-directed learners as an alternative to college. I signed up for an account, poked around for a few hours, and discovered that it's not at all what I was hoping it would be (that is, a spot to organize and reflect on my own self-assigned projects). Instead, it seems to be intended more as a place for kids in a traditional college age range to talk about the process of how to learn on their own, and to connect with mentors who may or may not charge for the privilege. (and, honestly, I'm not looking for a random online mentor -- I do a damn fine job of mentoring myself, and of figuring out when to reach out for specific advice or assistance -- there's a reason the title of this blog was almost "cranky free schooler"! I wavered between that and "cantankerous free schooler" before going for the subtle West Wing reference.) I was extremely bummed to realize that the site wasn't what I was expecting -- I'd been looking forward to having a spot to spell out my long term plans, break them down by general field/topic, sketch out a overall plan for how to reach each of the goals, lay out a season-by-season "curriculum" for myself (can you tell how much I loved to play school as a kid?) and keep track of how the assignments were going.

I noticed, as I was grumbling to myself, that I had a *really* detailed idea of what I was looking for. So, here I am, creating exactly that space for myself, tailor-made for my own learning and organizational styles.