''Growing Without Schooling'' (''GWS'') was a

homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

focused primarily on

unschooling Unschooling is an informal learning that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosit ...

and

deschooling Deschooling is a term invented by Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich. Today, the word is mainly used by homeschoolers, especially unschoolers, to refer to the transition process that children and parents go through when they leave the school system ...

. It was founded in 1977 by educator John Holt,Scheffer, Susannah. "Doing something very different: Growing without schooling." in Hern, M. (Ed.). (2008). ''Everywhere all the time: A new deschooling reader''. AK Press. and was published in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Reportedly the first such publication in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, it was read worldwide, and helped to catalyze the early growth and development of the homeschooling movement. Publication ceased in 2001 after 143 issues.

Content and philosophy

The newsletter included letters with questions and advice about homeschooling, interviews with participants in homeschooling, directories of resources, news items, and analysis. One common feature addressed challenges homeschooling families face, such as legal hurdles, skeptical grandparents, the need for parents to relearn material, and balancing homeschooling with other work for parents. Space was also devoted to connecting people with people in similar positions, such as observant

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

homeschooling families,

single parents A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wi ...

interested in homeschooling, and parents of children with

intellectual disabilities Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

.Growing Without School issues 4, 5, 6, 77, 117, 143 Many articles criticized schools. These criticisms expressed concerns that schools stifle student

motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

and

creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed lit ...

, interfere with learning, mistreat students with disabilities, maintain class hierarchy, and monopolize resources that would be better invested in

libraries A library is a collection of Document, materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or electronic media, digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a ...

museums A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

and

community centers Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...

Leadership

Following Holt's death in 1985, Holt Associates took over the newsletter. Susannah Sheffer and Patrick Farenga served as editor and publisher respectively. Meredith Collins later served as editor.

Legacy

One of the first documentaries about homeschooling, ''Grown Without Schooling'', was named in homage to the magazine and profiled several of the grown homeschoolers who had written for it. Its producer,

Peter Kowalke Peter Kowalke (born February 6, 1979) is an American unschooling advocate best known for his work on grown homeschoolers and the lasting influence of homeschooling. He was one of the first authors to explore the lasting influence that homeschooli ...

, also wrote occasionally for the magazine. ''Everywhere All the Time: A New Deschooling Reader'', edited by Matt Hern and published in 2008, includes a chapter on ''Growing without Schooling''.

References

External links

''Growing Without Schooling'' back issues

{{Homeschooling 1977 establishments in Massachusetts 2001 disestablishments in Massachusetts Defunct magazines published in the United States Education magazines Homeschooling in the United States Magazines established in 1977 Magazines disestablished in 2001 Magazines published in Boston Newsletters Works about homeschooling and unschooling