The hole, the box, solitary confinement. It doesn’t matter what you call it; doing time in the SHU (Security Housing Unit) means you are alone and segregated from the general prison population. In this episode of the EarHustle podcast, we hear from four men who served between 8 and 28 years in the Security Housing ... Read more
The journey can take us in unexpected directions. Sometimes the greatest moments come when we have no destination. Life, after all, is about the journey. Not all who wander are lost. J.R.R. Tolkien
Mass incarceration is becoming an increasingly vital topic in the political atmosphere of the United States, and for good reason. Here are the statistics: Currently the U.S. is the leader for incarceration in the world, with 698 out of every 100,000 residents imprisoned. This equates to 2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal ... Read more
The lives of incarcerated people are denied many of the comforts that brought humanity to their daily lives pre-incarceration, and it is common to find new ways of coping with fellow inmates out of the denial of these comforts by the state. This episode of the EarHustle podcast explores the concept of “looking out”, as ... Read more
Watch below as Akilah S. Richards and Laura Kriegel from the Alliance for Self-Directed Education explain how unschooling, free/democratic schools, learning centers, co-ops and more relate. As we move forward, we should think about what play and exploration looks like – it builds into incredible programs, choices, and a future that leads to liberating children.
It seems a bit crazy that we should have to defend recess and play in schools. However, schools across the United States have been reducing or eliminating recess in favor of increased time spent on subjects covered in standardized testing. Unfortunately, this trend may actually do more harm than good. Exercise, free play and creative ... Read more
Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. This talk and countless discussions related to this topic led one of the authors of this site to start homeschooling her children in 2009. Watch the full video below.
Comedian Michael Jr. goes off the cuff at a live comedy show and uses this improvised moment as a great explanation for knowing your why and exploring one’s purpose in life. It’s not what you do, it’s the why that steers your journey. “When you know your why, your what becomes more impactful because you ... Read more
In the last 500 million years, planet Earth has had to recover from five cataclysmal blows. Experts and scientist says we are now facing the sixth. This infographic explores some of the key causes of Earth’s current mass extinctions.
According to new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it looks increasingly unlikely humankind will meet the targets set out by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and slow the planet’s crash course toward a climate disaster. Earth’s average global temperature is already over 1°C (1.8°F) above the pre-industrial period and the last 5 ... Read more