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Dear
Grace Llewellyn...
Readers respond to The
Teenage Liberation Handbook-- teenagers,
adults, parents, educators
from teenagers "I am writing to express my anger with your writing. Perhaps if I had never come upon your book while working at my after-school job as a library page, the idea of freedom would never have come into my mind. If you had not written such inspirational books, I could have settled into my life in my new prestigious boys' school without a hitch, allowed my creativity to be beaten into submission without a fight, and moved on through college, a job, a mortgage, and then died without ever realizing I had another option. But you have written these books. And now I am lost." --Andrew B., Cleveland Heights, Ohio "I just began reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook for the second time. I love it, adore it, cherish it, and I want to thank you for it! I've been unschooling with Clonlara school [an accredited 'umbrella organization' for homeschoolers] for over a year now and it's the best 'high school' experience I've ever had. Before this I had gone to both my local evil public high school and what I thought would be my magic answer to my hatred of school and stupid school kids but love of learning: the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Getting out of traditional school was the most wonderful thing I've ever done for all aspects of my life. And your book started it all! Thank you ever so much! I've lent it to a couple friends since I received it from a family friend--one of them began unschooling with me this October." T.L., Chicago, Illinois "I'm fifteen (soon sixteen), and I hail from Madison, Wisconsin. I'm writing to you about your book, and how much it helped me get a real life. I have been meaning to write you a letter for a long time. Just last year I read your book. At the time I was a little unhappy with the way homeschooling was working out for me, and was contemplating returning to school. Your book totally turned me around! I really figured out a lot about my life. I have heard many success stories from people who have read your book, but first, let me tell you mine."--Kristen Emily Kehl, Anthropologist, Autodidact, and Free-as-a-Bird Adolescent! Madison, Wisconsin "After reading a chapter of your book I burst into tears of anger, sorrow, and frustration. Everything is right on target. My elementary/junior high school was one of the most oppressive. And quite confidently I can say, I have learned nothing except oppression. Whatever I have learned in my short life has been in spite of them not because of them. . . .I just now realize I have woken up from a fourteen year dream . . . Most sincerely from my heart, thanks for helping me take back my life." Hannah B., Minnesota "I love you!. . . .I am fifteen years old, and today, I liberated myself. As far as I know, today was my last official day of compulsory school. I am so happy, I'm ecstatic! I'll just tell you the story before I keep going on about my feelings. . . "--M.L., Aurora, Illinois "I haven't written you a real letter for almost two years. The reason I haven't written is because so many awesome and exciting things have happened in my life--writing and telling you about them would take forever! So instead, I just want to, once again, say thank you so much for . . . opening my eyes to the world of unschooling, for giving me the ticket to freedom. I know that no matter what I do in my life, quitting school will always be my number ONE 'best decision I ever made.'. . . .All the wonderful opportunities I've had and will have, and all the experiences I've had and will have, all would not have happened if I'd stayed in school. . . ."--Adrian Deal, 16, Greensboro, North Carolina "I'm seventeen years of age. This is my second year in homeschooling and I love it. I'm finding creative ways to learn by experimenting with different sorts of books and materials. Your book was excellent. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down! It was wonderful, in my opinion, how you emphasized 'freedom' (one of my favorite words). The way you put other teenagers' letters and statements in the book was neat. . . .The way you described what it would be like to leave school was exactly how it was for me. In the morning, now I can wake up happy instead of frustrated and depressed all the time. It feels almost like being four again, living in the now instead of the tomorrow. . . .You're a great author!"--C.J., Goldendale, Washington " "My heart is so full! So full of excitement, terror, doubt, and possibilities. . . .I'm a nineteen-year-old college freshman. . . .who's just come to the realization that I'm one of the (too) many teenagers in the world who've sat through thirteen years of school squashing our dreams. I never even imagined there was a not only plausible alternative, but an IDEAL alternative. . . .but this isn't a letter of regret or sorrow, it's a letter of hope."--J.T., Madison, Ohio " " " " " " " " from adults
" " " " " " " " " "I am sitting here in my little apartment kitchen, at 1:30 a.m., writing in my journal and rereading your first book for what is probably the twentieth time. . . . Every once in a while, when I can't sleep at fourish in the morning, I skim through your book, always finding some inspirational quote, so I can say, 'Yes, that's it exactly.' And then I can return to sleep, dreaming of all the delicious experiences the world has to offer me. I used to feel sad that I hadn't taken advantage of all the possibilities the high school years had to offer (in terms of time), but now I get excited because I can say, 'Hey, this is fun, and I'm only twenty. I have so much more I can do.' So for all that--inspiration, education, and support, I thank you." Aviva Kushner, Argentina via Swarthmore college " from parents "Reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook gave our fourteen-year-old daughter the last dose of courage she needed to walk out of Waluga Junior High School. . . .one morning last May, vowing never to return! It also forced her father and me to open our hearts and minds to hear her, to become her advocates, and fight for her freedom. . . .Each day, the freedom and difference in our lives without school is an incredible gift. I have watched [our daughter] heal from the social assaults she was exposed to on a daily basis, becoming strong, healthy, happy, and an even more thoughtful and delightful person in every way than she was before."--K.L., Portland, Oregon " " "I finally allowed my son to start 'homeschooling.'. . . . He had been begging me to homeschool him for years. . . . I knew school made him miserable, and I sympathized since school made me miserable too--but I didn't think we had a choice. You see, I'm a single parent and I thought I would need to be home all day to homeschool my children. . . .A few weeks ago the children's librarian gave me The Teenage Liberation Handbook for Kevin and my daughter Jessica to read. . . .I wish I had been given this information when I was a kid. Or even before I spent four irritating years at the community college I just finished at!. . . . I'm so glad that the kids can be free now (I also wish I had set them free years ago) and also that I now have alternatives to my own higher education. . . ..Finally, here are a few of Jessica's reactions to what she's read so far . . . "Mom, I don't think this is an authorized book, because she's saying what I've been thinking but I thought I was only thinking it." Rebecca Mae Loos, Spokane, Washington "I have read TLH and Real Lives. . . .Bravo! They are absolutely wonderful. . .My first thoughts were a combination of 'this is EXACTLY what I thought in high school...and grade school.' But no one agreed with me when I wrote or said it...not even fellow students! The other thought was just another great feeling of affirmation for our 2 homeschooled, unschooled kids." J.J., East Ryegate, Vermont " " "I'm writing to thank you for your wonderful book . . . I have four unschooled daughters--it's easy sometimes to lose confidence and lose my vision--your book gave me that back with new and fresh life and excitement--thank you so much. . . .Your book gave me intense stabs of joy and huge waves of anger and regret and sadness because of all the wasted time. I've spent so many years of my life, probably nearly half--I'm 37--killing time." --P.B., Boulder Creek, Colorado " " " "
from educators"Let me start out by saying how much I enjoyed reading your Teenage Liberation Handbook! To say that it was a breath of fresh air is a drastic understatement. . . it nearly knocked me off my feet (and my career path--I'm a teacher)! I couldn't put it down until I had completely savored every last boat-rocking word. While it made it difficult for me to muster up the motivation to get back in the classroom this year, your book gave me an inspiring perspective that I'm certain will influence the way I look at education from now on." --J.S., Seattle, Washington. "I can tell you this honestly--for each of the 26 years I've been doing public school teaching I would have found this information and these ideas useful. . . The point of view taken, that you're writing to teenagers, gives a lot of good energy to the thing, but given the nature of the world it's a good thing parents, teachers, and general outsiders can learn a lot from your categories and style of attack, too. . . ."--John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year, 1991, and New York City Teacher of the Year, 1989-1991 "Your two books, the TLH and Real Lives have had a big, huge impact on me as an educator. Your experience teaching so mirrored my own. Your blueprint in TLH is one of the best educational resources ever. I have recommended it to numerous people. . . .--D.H., Westminster, Colorado " "I am a thirty-one-year-old music teacher. . .getting my graduate degree. Last night, instead of completing some inane assignments, I read your book. . .It was a timely book to read. I wonder why I have been so dense my whole life. . .Today, instead of inane assignments (again!) I read more of your book, did my laundry, walked my dog out in the mud and snow, and dreamed and planned and gave myself pep talks and weight the pros and cons of dropping out of graduate school. . . ."--Robin Dunn, Parker, Colorado " "Thank-you for such a fabulous and astute book. My husband currently teaches High School math and German (he's getting pretty fed up!) and, while I am credentialed, I have been staying home to homeschool my 8 year old daughter. Your book helped my 14-year-old to make the break from an extremely negative school situation. She is so much more relaxed and happy!. . . P.S. We plan to subvert our nephew/cousin with a copy of your book for Christmas." P.D., Benicia, California " "Thank you for your frank, detailed, and folksy writings about unschooling. . . .. . . .I am an elementary school teacher. . . As I type, I am procrastinating; I should be grading several stacks of papers which, if I had my druthers, would not exist. . . but I digress. . . ..I am writing this letter, in part, to say 'Thank you' again and again. I now look forward to my future as a parent and as a learner with much more enthusiasm and power. I feel free. . . . .Thank you for encouraging me to question things that I never thought to question, because I was 'schooled,' too." T.M., White Plains, New York " " "I recently read your books Real Lives and The Teenage Liberation Handbook and was completely blown away. . . .[Afterward] I went through a period of several weeks feeling rather angry about the fact that I had wasted so much of my life in classrooms and that, at 28 years old, I still hadn't learned how to decide for myself what things I was interested in and what things I wanted to devote my time to. I was living confirmation of the damage done by traditional schooling. After that I began to explore the ideas of "unschooling" and self-directed learning in earnest. . . ..I also have begun to 'unschool myself,' a difficult and thrilling process in itself, but one which I have enjoyed immensely so far." Lance Bledsoe, Ocracoke, North Carolina
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