Unschooling America with Dayna Martin

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"Dayna, I just wanted to commend you on your wonderful series on YouTube! I hope you will change the hearts of our society."

~Amy

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We are also unschoolers, you are so right about when a child is ready to learn they will, when my son was 7 i started homeschooling him. we bought the books and sat hours at the kitchen table! then i read about unschooling and decided that maybe that was for us. my son likes learning things on his own, he is now 16, built a new computer last year, has his driving permit, taught himself how to play guitar and he practices his guitar many hours a day, it is truly his passion. he has been reading since about age 5. he has never cared much for math but a few weeks ago, on his own he dug out his algebra books and decided to study them! love your videos and they have made me feel so much better!!

~Thanks! Kim

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"Dayna, You totally rock! I've listened to Scott Noelle's interview with you so many times. It's so uplifting! I was thrilled to find this site and your video blog. My kids are barely four, and almost two, so we're pretty new to unschooling (though we've always lived pretty radically, lol). It's so fantastic to have so much information in an easy youtube format."
~Thanks! :) Traci

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Hi Dayna! I wanted to thank you for sharing such wondering information and for being so uplifting! You are such an inspiration! I've added your website to my Favorites!

~Thank you!!, Amanda

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Hi Dayna! I don't know if you remember me or not..we spoke on the phone in July. My name is Michelle and you helped me to understand some things about my son Justin who we had just pulled out of PS.

Anyway I just had to let you know that we have come around quite a bit since then. I have been actively reading your message board and watching your videos. In the meantime, my fiance has been having his doubts about unschooling. He was getting nervous because Justin isn't "doing anything" except playing video games, sleeping in and watching some TV. He thought it was time for Justin to start doing some school work, getting up early..Yada yada yada...

I went to your website and started to play some of your You Tube videos. All I can say Dayna is that you totally ROCK!!! We sat together on this computer for almost 3 hours talking and watching. He now understands what I was not able to put into words. He really got alot out of the things you said. I told him that I was so happy that he understood unschooling and that now I have someone to talk to that won't think I'm crazy lol. He said he never thought I was crazy just that he was getting nervous. That one post has led to so many positive things here. So I just had to say Thank You. You have helped our family tremendously!!!

~Michelle

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Hello Dayna!!! I love your u-tube videos! Keep up the great work! The universe needs you as an informant!

~Love and light, Autumn

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Dayna, I've been immersing myself in your youtube works, website and yahoo group for about a week now, and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your joy - I am so happy that you are living so happily, and are willing to talk about it! Your joy is very inspiring! I am trying REALLY HARD to let go of my homeschool hangups and just be - my girls (and I!) deserve it! I love the question in your youtube video about "is this legal" - if only people realized how much IS legal, and how much freedom we actually DO have...and make the most of it! I'm starting now, but it has taken four years of homeschooling the hard way to get here... wish I'd seen your stuff way back then! ( I have 9 & 6 year old daughters, by the way) Congratulations on the new little one, and on your truly amazing life - your joy just flows out of you - it's so beautiful to see someone like you! Thanks again (and again, and again...)

~Penny (in VT, not too far from you!)

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Dayna, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your videos, they're awesome hon, you're awesome. I have been home educating my 16yr old daughter for about four yrs now, at first we did the whole school at home thing, but it wasnt' working. I had read about unschooling, and that seemed to be what she was doing, learning what she wanted at her own pace, so that's what we've been doing. I love having my daughter at home with me,she's truly an amazing child. I love you! You are my hero, keep it up, you're doing a great job!!

~ Melanie

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"Hi Dayna ~ I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much I enjoyed seeing your youtube video of the Phil show. I normally would avoid his show like the plague...:lol. I thought you were well spoken and articulate. I'm glad you took the opportunity to be on the show and do a little educating about radical unschooling. I thought you handled what must have been a challenging environment very well. I unschool my 6 children and love it. We border very closely on radical....perhaps we even are, at least as much as is possible with six. Your website looks great. Your mentoring idea is a good idea!"

~Greenlee

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"Dayna, I want to thank you for putting your commentaries on youtube about unschooling. What a great and also accesible way to discuss the matter. I am sure you are reaching many young people that way and I will be happily sending it along to the grandparents who perhaps would not take the time to read a book on the topic but would gain some perspective from you. I'm enjoying it immensely and blogging about it to spread the word!"

~Kim www.relaxedhomeskool.com

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"To my surprise I turned on the television today and happened to change channels and while changing channels I heard the word unschooling. Of course I watched it. Dayna, you did GREAT!!!! It did seem he came down on you several times but you stood your ground and you did it so courteously and with so much pride (it showed in your face). I feel that you accomplished sooooo much for all of us that unschool, at least the word is out."

~Thanks!! Patricia

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"Dayna, I want to thank you for your inspirational videos on radical unschooling!"

~Paula

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I loved finding your videos a month or so back and since then recommend them all the time. Just last week a friend of mine that I haven't seen for many years got in touch with me again. He couldn't grasp unschooling so after many long, enthusiastic emails from me I sent him to YouTube to watch you. He gets it! He was enthralled by your talks!

~Karen

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"Dayna, I am awed that you went on the Dr. Phil Show and shared your family's joy and energy with whatever receptive folks may be out there, watching Dr. Phil. You will probably never know how many people watch and, rather than think we're all wrong, think maybe there is some other way to raise their kids. Or maybe it will be the child of some adult who thinks Dr Phil is a wonder-guru will see thru it and find unschooling for her own kids! Thanks for going on the show -- know that the discerning watchers in the TV audience can't help but see your family shine."

~Sylvia

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"Dayna, I just happened upon your stuff on youtube and ended up watching all of your clips. I just have to say, WOW! I think it is so cool that you are doing the unschooling and that you have come out and put it on the web so people can learn more about it. Okay, what does this have to do with me? Well, at this point, nothing technically. I do not have any children at the moment, but hope to someday. However, I have some really close friends who do homeschooling (and I think they do better at it than a lot of other people I have known). So, I have really been exposed to this type of thing and in the last few years have pretty much decided that if at all possible, I would also homeschool my children. Well, now I am thinking UNschooling may be even better! I heard of it once before, but there was really no explanation for in, so really didn't know what the difference was between the two. Thank you SOOOO much for coming on and explaining it in such detail. I really love the idea of what it is you are trying to do (or actually doing for that matter!)

I really like the idea of not being so 'authoritarian', etc. It is really hard to get away from that, because that is how I was raised, especially by my father. It was pretty much his way or the highway. I remember having all kinds of cool ideas and they were are just squelched right away. I love the idea of following up on your children's interests and helping them to learn about them. I guess really I have the advantage over some people because I have found out about this before I even have my children, so hopefully I can apply these ideals from the beginning and not have to start all over.

I also had a comment on what you were saying about school not being like the real world -- this is why so many people are in for such a HUGE shock when school is over and they enter the REAL world. It seems like so many people I have known have gone almost off the deep end when they go off to college or whatever, because they just don't really understand how the real world works. Money handling seems to be one of the biggest things, but it covers a lot of other areas too.

God bless you and your family and thank you again so much for getting this information out there. I look forward to hearing from you and maybe I will sign up for your mentoring services when my children come!"

~Sincerely, Susan Knight

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"Thanks for the information Dayna. I forwarded your blog address to my local homeschooling association. I have been watching a few of the YouTube shows and I really like the one on authentic parenting. I recently took an NVC course and one of the things that is the most difficult for me is that the language I learned is very uncomfortable for me. Translating that language into something I am comfortable with never occurred to me. I have been trying to "practice" the NVC speak a lot and still not become very comfortable with it. I think that next month I will join your chat at mommychats. Thanks so much for the information."

~Stephany

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"I finally had a chance to watch Dr. Phil today and I wanted to say that you, Dayna, and your family are excellent ambassadors for unschooling. I was glad that Dr. Phil seemed respectful and seemed to listen, and didn't try to turn unschoolers into fools. He had the usual objections, sure, but overall I think unschoolers were portrayed well."

~Janet

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"I just wanted to compliment Dayna and her family, you did a wonderful job and would make any unschooler or homeschooler proud. Kudos to all of your family."
~Jim

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"Please let me introduce myself. I am from Canada. What started out originally as "homeschooling" and then "eclectic style" and then "unschooling" has been a process for us, over a 4 year period. I've learned so much mostly from a few unschooling posters on another e-mail group I am on, but also from the natural course and direction our lives were taking.

Dayna and Joe you did a marvelous job presenting yourself. You stayed strong and articulate and I learned a great deal from you.

I don't watch much television, and the "Great School Debate" was the first Dr. Phil show I ever watched. Since I tend to know how these types of shows are presented, when we watched it, we did with an eye for how the show was clearly edited for bias or agenda. We also were armed with the experience that this show speaks to a mainstream audience and attempts to speak on their level and pander to popular belief.

Your voice for respectful parenting and natural learning as a process of life was a tremendous example, and inspiration to me personally, and I have not stopped talking about it with my husband since we saw you on the show. Our children were watching the show too, and were very interested.

~I just wanted to say THANK YOU!"

Ariannah Armstrong

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Hey Dayna, I finally got to see the Dr. Phil Show . You were fantastic!!! You covered every single point that I would love for everyone to know about unschooling. It couldn't have been said any better! You and your husband's composure and thought were incredible!

Thank you so much for representing the unschooling community in such a positive, intelligent way!"

~Marla

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"I love your site, I especially love your YouTube movies. So much so that I have posted your website address to an unschooling group here in Brisbane Australia.You are a natural and eloquent speaker and hearing in words how I feel about unschooling is wonderful."

~Thank you! Karen

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"The Dr Phil school debate show has just aired here in New Zealand at lunchtime today. It's a very passionate topic isn't it. The general consensus seems to be that "child-led learning is fine, so long as you make sure they do everything in the curriculum". I'm yet to stand high on a pedestal and shout "my children have no set bedtimes and don't have to do things they don't want to do!!!!!" but I'm a coward ... :) We are in the midst of an "anti-smacking" law change at the moment, so tempers are running very high on that. It is scary how many people want the right to control and physically reprimand their children. Some going so far as to say "I gave birth to them so they are mine to discipline as I choose...".

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're certainly an international celebrity! "

~Denise in New Zealand