Speaking Engagements

Speaking Topics

The Legacy of John Holt

An overview of John Holt's life and work and how his personal journey from school reformer to unschooler can inform our own journeys from schooling to unschooling. A 90-minute presentation, featuring some video footage of Holt, with questions and answers throughout.

Teach Your Own (Presentation or Seminar  )

A one-hour presentation about how to get started with unschooling, including questions and answers. The three-hour seminar uses best practices, case histories, personal stories, and exercises to give you the confidence to support your child's self-directed learning. This seminar also covers what parents can do to aid and report self-directed learning, also known as unschooling, to school officials and others.

Learning All the Time

If you don't want to organize an event and just want to have an informal group discussion with me, consider this. I will spend 90 minutes with you and your friends discussing how children learn and grow without conventional schooling, and any related topics. I've discussed the work of John Holt, Ivan Illich, parenting challenges, learning issues, children's rights, and other topics in small groups so we can dive deep into a question, or broadly survey the landscape for trends and ideas.

I can address many other topics, too, so call me with your ideas.

If you're interested in having me speak to your group, school, or association please contact me to inquire about rates and availability.

Here is a selection of groups, schools, and associations I've addressed

  • American Library Association, New Orleans, LA

  • Alternative Education Resource Organization, NY

  • Bridgewater State College, MA

  • Clonlara School, MI

  • Connecticut Library Association

  • Education Paperback Association, FL

  • Ethical Humanist Society, NY

  • The Exhausted School - Carnegie Hall, NY

  • Foundation for Educational Renewal, VT

  • Fitchburg State College, MA

  • Florida Parent Educator Association

  • Goddard College, VT

  • Harvard University, MA

  • Home Education Network of Ireland

  • Homeschoolers of California (HSC)

  • InHome's Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

  • Learning at Home, London, England

  • The Learning In Our Own Way Conference, MA

  • The LINK Homeschool conference, CA

  • Modern Language Association, PA

  • Massachusetts Library Association

  • National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools, MI

  • The National Homeschool Association, Washington, DC

  • The Nutmeg Scholars, CT

  • North Carolinians for Home Education

  • Nova Spes, Rome, Italy

  • Ohio Valley Library Association

  • Oregon Home Education Network

  • Pennsylvania State University

  • Playworks, MA

  • Plymouth Parent Network, MA

  • Radical Unschoolers, NH

  • Rethinking Education, Dallas, TX

  • Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering, OH

  • Washington Homeschool Organization, Seattle, WA

Alliance for Self-Directed Education
Sep
28

Alliance for Self-Directed Education

Pat will give a short talk about his journey with Teach Your Own and how the book has changed his life and society’s vision of education in its three editions over four decades. From the Back to Basics school reforms in the 1980s to the major changes being caused now by the pandemic, Teach Your Own has served as an escape hatch to a broad, relaxed vision of education for many families over the years.

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