RIP School Survival Forums
August 2001 - June 2017

The School Survival Forums are permanently retired. If you need help with quitting school, unsupportive parents or anything else, there is a list of resources on the Help Page.

If you want to write about your experiences in school, you can write on our blog.

To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

The forums are mostly read-only and are in a maintenance/testing phase, before being permanently archived. Please use this time to get the contact details of people you'd like to keep in touch with. My contact details are here.

Please do not make a mirror copy of the forums in their current state - things will still change, and some people have requested to be able to edit or delete some of their personal info.


Search Results
Post Author Forum Replies Views Posted [asc]
  Thread: new site & group
Post: new site & group

http://getfreedropout.tk & http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getfreedropout
flcao Youth Rights 1 1,584 09-17-2005, 11:15 AM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: have you tried

clicking on the "Essays" link? http://paulgraham.com/hp.html
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-12-2005, 11:57 AM
  Thread: existance is nothing
Post: make it so it has meaning?

make it so it has meaning?
flcao General Talk 8 1,774 09-04-2005, 10:15 PM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: the url is in the 1st post

the url is in the 1st post
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-01-2005, 11:01 AM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: part 4

Now If it takes years to articulate great questions, what do you do now, at sixteen? Work toward finding one. Great questions don't appear suddenly. They gradually congeal in your head. And what make...
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-01-2005, 10:30 AM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: part 3

Corruption It's dangerous to design your life around getting into college, because the people you have to impress to get into college are not a very discerning audience. At most colleges, it's not th...
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-01-2005, 09:43 AM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: part 2

Upwind I think the solution is to work in the other direction. Instead of working back from a goal, work forward from promising situations. This is what most successful people actually do anyway. In...
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-01-2005, 09:43 AM
  Thread: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)
Post: What You'll Wish You'd Known (part 1)

from HACKERS & PAINTERS by Paul Graham http://paulgraham.com (I wrote this talk for a high school. I never actually gave it, because the school authorities vetoed the plan to invite me.) When I ...
flcao Youth Rights 8 4,264 09-01-2005, 09:42 AM
  Thread: SAT self education paragraph
Post: SAT self education paragraph

In the past people learned fast-paced in many subjects we don't learn now, which is pointed out in biographies and this excerpt from a book by Montaigne. "Consider the child, for example. Today we be...
flcao Youth Rights 8 3,641 09-01-2005, 09:39 AM
  Thread: Survey: Students Not Taught Basic Finance
Post: Survey: Students Not Taught Basic Finance

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2005 (Associated Press) -- More states are requiring students to learn about managing money, but personal finance remains a fringe topic in schools and a major source of federal c...
flcao Youth Rights 4 2,588 09-01-2005, 09:38 AM
  Thread: SAT excerpt on Native American anarchy
Post: SAT excerpt on Native American anarchy

"More often, however, as in the case of the Iroquois people, a council of sachems, or legislators, ruled, and any person called the "head" of the tribe usually occupied a largely honorary position of ...
flcao Youth Rights 0 1,331 09-01-2005, 09:37 AM
  Thread: SAT excerpt on globalization on knowledge
Post: SAT excerpt on globalization on knowledge

Reminds me of a quote from Buckminster Fuller?? "A human should (be able/know how??) to... Specialization is for insects." 1994 article, biologist discusses research expedition to Indonesia (New Gui...
flcao Youth Rights 0 1,479 09-01-2005, 09:36 AM
  Thread: SAT excerpt: socialization and European schooling
Post: SAT excerpt: socialization and European schooling

novel excerpt from a book by Gregor von Rezzori "Skushno is a Russian word that is difficult to translate. It means more than dreary boredom; a spiritual void that sucks you in like a bague but inten...
flcao Youth Rights 0 1,538 09-01-2005, 08:36 AM
  Thread: Time Magazine: Let's Have a Student Uprising
Post: Time Magazine: Let's Have a Student Uprising

To improve our schools, put children incharge of their own learning Book excerpt from Crash Course Chris Whittle "The thing that most distinguishes schools of the future from schools of today is th...
flcao Youth Rights 1 2,058 08-27-2005, 09:28 AM
  Thread: Where Are You People From?
Post: i know a there's groups teens in Netherlands who a...

i know a there's groups teens in Netherlands who also are looking for alternatives to school, there's one girl in malaysia who supports this as well, both promote unschooling and unschooling families ...
flcao General Talk 56 12,408 06-16-2005, 01:53 AM
  Thread: Has anyone here read Ishmael?
Post: Has anyone here read Ishmael?

I skimmed SoulRiser's essay "Freedom" and it reminded me of the book, as well as anti-work/job sites which discuss it.
flcao General Talk 2 912 04-18-2005, 02:56 AM
  Thread: getting more new members
Post: getting more new members

Perhaps this board should try finding more school haters online wherever they go, such as chats, groups, lists, blogs, other forums/boards... etc.
flcao General Talk 24 4,425 04-18-2005, 02:50 AM
  Thread: AltLearnMapNetwork
Post: AltLearnMapNetwork

Update: unschoolersinternational & worldwideunschoolers are nonexistent - this yahoo group is the only ongoing effort to let awareness come about on natural learning now p.s. I redesigning my w...
flcao Youth Rights 0 1,848 04-18-2005, 02:48 AM
  Thread: Nominate good sites
Post: what about

unschooling rings/blogs/sites/groups/chats/lists/wikis/boards/forums...etc.
flcao Youth Rights 19 7,688 04-11-2005, 02:28 AM
  Thread: The Learning Revolution
Post: The Learning Revolution

http://www.thelearningweb.net/page011summ.html talks about how learning should be catered to each individual, innovation in other schools, and what this site brings up on changing schools EDIT: made ...
flcao Youth Rights 0 2,201 03-18-2005, 03:32 AM
  Thread: Education Revolution conference
Post: Education Revolution conference

AERO (Alternative Education Resource Organization) is holding a conference on ALL innovative/alternative styles of learning. If anyone wants to attend or speak there; visit http://educationrevolution....
flcao Youth Rights 2 2,524 03-15-2005, 01:08 AM
  Thread: Escape the public schools
Post: flyer

I found a flyer on your site w/ the Teenage Liberation it. Perhaps people can use this for getting news out about possibilities outside school.
flcao General Talk 1 1,465 02-16-2005, 05:01 AM
  Thread: conferences/camps alternative education
Post: groups for adults, teens and kids here

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/liveandlearnkidsandteens http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiveandLearnConference http://www.geocities.com/moonwindstarsky...olingbooks scroll down for more teens/kids/grad...
flcao General Talk 1 1,013 02-08-2005, 10:01 AM
  Thread: your link directory
Post: I updated

just so you all know
flcao General Talk 1 1,451 02-08-2005, 09:58 AM
  Thread: your link directory
Post: your link directory

just so you know, worldwideunschoolers group no longer exists the ones that are active are http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AltLearnMapNetwork for Alternative Learning Organization and http://groups.yah...
flcao General Talk 1 1,451 02-08-2005, 09:37 AM
  Thread: Youth Rights and Youth Noise boards
Post: New forums, group

free speech forum of The Liberator http://www.liberator.net/cgi-bin/bb/cut ... y=&others= http://groups-beta.google.com/group/YouthIssues YouthIssues at google http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free_You...
flcao Youth Rights 7 10,098 02-07-2005, 07:58 AM
  Thread: conferences/camps alternative education
Post: conferences/camps alternative education

http://liveandlearnconference.org Live and Learn unschooling conference http://educationrevolution.org AERO international conference for alternatives to schools (there's more than one kind, check w/ ...
flcao General Talk 1 1,013 02-07-2005, 05:37 AM
  Thread: Alternatives
Post: Alternatives

Such as Sudbury Valley, Free, Democratic, or other Holistic schools? What about converting schools into unschooling facilities with teachers as mentors? (I wonder if accelerated learning methods, suc...
flcao Youth Rights 1 2,260 02-07-2005, 03:27 AM
  Thread: Youth Rights and Youth Noise boards
Post: Youth Rights and Youth Noise boards

also talk about education http://www.youthrights.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=41 Youth Rights http://boards.youthnoise.com/eve/ub...frm/f/455299255 Youth Noise
flcao Youth Rights 7 10,098 02-07-2005, 03:26 AM
  Thread: New Horizons for Learning
Post: New Horizons for Learning

This is a good place to start changes :yes: http://www.newhorizons.org
flcao Youth Rights 0 2,290 11-17-2004, 02:19 PM
  Thread: Education 2050
Post: Education 2050

article http://www.newhorizons.org/future/dickinson_imagine.htm
flcao Youth Rights 0 2,319 11-17-2004, 02:10 PM
  Thread: Education for the Third Millennium:
Post: Education for the Third Millennium:

Looking Back From 2050 http://www.newhorizons.org/future/hendersonh.htm
flcao Youth Rights 0 2,364 11-17-2004, 02:09 PM
  Thread: Leaving School
Post: I agree

our teachers know somewhat - because of the schools they went 2 (some of them went to private or harder schools) our school is one of the top 4% in USA (BS, i don't feel it much except for the BS grad...
flcao General Talk 9 2,189 05-15-2004, 07:40 AM
  Thread: Leaving School
Post: No, I haven't

I knew this since I was little, knowing how my parents grew up. Their bkgrnd affects it alot. But there is more than ONE WAY.
flcao General Talk 9 2,189 05-14-2004, 01:15 PM
  Thread: Leaving School
Post: My grades aren't that great

parents, "YOU BETTER NOT FLUNK OUT - GO TO SCHOOL! GET INTO GOOD COLLEGE!!!" even after listening for a short while to "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" on tape; they didn't want to change the way they viewed mone...
flcao General Talk 9 2,189 05-14-2004, 05:10 AM
  Thread: Leaving School
Post: some advice

Guest Wrote:I am in High School in the 10th grade,about to be moving on to 11th, and I need some advice on how to tell my parents that I am quitting to take an alternate method of education called "un...
flcao General Talk 9 2,189 05-13-2004, 08:10 AM
  Thread: y i want quit
Post: usless information doesn't deal w/ life

ack! eng research paper - reminds me of the huge 8th and 10th grade multi-DISCIPLINARY projects help.............................. :no:
flcao General Talk 29 7,132 05-10-2004, 11:51 AM
  Thread: unschooling (freedom to learn)
Post: origin of compulsory education

there's links on http://www.geocities.com/moonwindstarsky/lifestyle which examine the who, what, where, when, why and how's of education
flcao General Talk 6 1,639 05-08-2004, 11:44 PM
  Thread: adequate education
Post: adequate education

I read a book "Rich dad, Poor dad", (sounds out 'a place i know), where the author asks the question generally about good educations, "Maybe it's a good education, but is it adequate?" - this got me...
flcao General Talk 17 2,753 05-08-2004, 11:41 PM
  Thread: sites against gov/school & alt news
Post: sites against gov/school & alt news

http://www.geocities.com/moonwindstarsky/lifestyle i know - i know, i'll stop promoting my website
flcao Youth Rights 14 6,851 05-08-2004, 12:29 PM
  Thread: new discovery
Post: what's rats?

what does it do?
flcao General Talk 12 3,147 05-08-2004, 12:22 PM
  Thread: ARTICLE: How to organize a student revolution!
Post: to SLA: what's the site?

to SLA: what's the site?
flcao Youth Rights 14 5,838 05-08-2004, 12:20 PM
  Thread: Underground Newspaper
Post: John Taylor Gatto has one, it's somewhere on my si...

John Taylor Gatto has one, it's somewhere on my site and more in http://www.geocities.com/moonwindstarsky/lifestyle
flcao Youth Rights 19 9,378 05-08-2004, 12:12 PM
  Thread: UNSCHOOLING
Post: actually i was trying the experiment on [url=http:...

actually i was trying the experiment on http://www.gracellewelyn.com but i didn't tell my parents because once i read TLH then i knew i wanted to go that way - if i did i'd get yelled at again; scold...
flcao Youth Rights 12 6,071 05-08-2004, 12:07 PM
  Thread: UNSCHOOLING
Post: i more afraid mainly because of parents

i more afraid mainly because of parents
flcao Youth Rights 12 6,071 05-07-2004, 11:40 AM
  Thread: UNSCHOOLING
Post: i'm scared of doing that and failing in life - par...

i'm scared of doing that and failing in life - parents, family, friends, people's attitudes
flcao Youth Rights 12 6,071 05-07-2004, 08:44 AM
  Thread: y i want quit
Post: i actually have 1 classmate in eng 11 that said sc...

i actually have 1 classmate in eng 11 that said school is such a waste of time; we would all learn so much more outside of it - who wants to drop out w/ me i would the teacher said : ur wrong and u ...
flcao General Talk 29 7,132 05-07-2004, 08:43 AM
  Thread: new discovery
Post: sites

http://directory.google.com/Top/Referen ... e_Schools/ http://directory.google.com/Top/Referenc...rnational/ maybe
flcao General Talk 12 3,147 05-07-2004, 08:39 AM
  Thread: y i want quit
Post: movements

personally, since education is usually the 1st to be cut in funds school should be overthrown and unschooling should spread imho:smilewinkgrin:;)
flcao General Talk 29 7,132 05-05-2004, 08:50 AM
  Thread: unschooling (freedom to learn)
Post: unschooling (freedom to learn)

i think it's one of many terms for trust in freedom to learn what one wants, in one's own way, when one wants, who to learn w/ and where one wants
flcao General Talk 6 1,639 04-30-2004, 12:31 PM

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