Many life-long unschoolers wonder what high school is like; only a few take the plunge.

This week I interview a fascinating young guy who has experienced the worlds of unschooling, public high school, the Ivy League, New York City office life, and Alaskan salmon fishing.

Listeners: Thank for your feedback on my show; it’s been super helpful. Beginning today, I’m releasing episodes every other week, instead of weekly. That will help the podcast feel more sustainable for me.

Patrons: Thank you for your ongoing support!

If you’re thinking about college, currently in college, a college graduate, or simply interested in the debate about college happening in this country—this episode is for you.

On episode #14 of the Real Education Podcast I interview my friend William Deresiewicz, who I discovered in 2011 when I read two of his bombshell articles criticizing the Ivy League. I mentioned him in my book Better Than College and mailed him a review copy, which he both enjoyed and criticized. The following summer we met in Portland and had a nice conversation, and then his new book (Excellent Sheep – read my review) came out and thrust him into the limelight. This month I finally had the chance to interview him for the podcast.

Enjoy the episode. It’s really, really great.

-Blake

For episode #15 of the Real Education Podcast I interview Amy Milstein (founder of UnschoolingNYC), her 15-year-old daughter Maya (pictured), and Maya’s friend Maddy (whom she met at Not Back to School Camp).

I discovered Amy online an stayed with her dynamic family in in New York City in 2012. So many unschooling families live in suburban or small-town environments; it’s refreshing to hear the perspective of a family living in the biggest of the big cities! Teenagers will also enjoy hearing about Maya and Maddy’s experiences at camp. Enjoy.

https://soundcloud.com/blakebo/amy-milstein-maya-milstein-and-maddy-platt-on-unschooling-in-nyc

http://www.blakeboles.com/2015/06/amy-milstein-maya-milstein-and-maddy-platt-on-unschooling-in-nyc/

On episode #16 of the Real Education Podcast I interview a fellow international trip leader who I met in Nepal last year as we were both leading groups around the country. Japhy works for a well-established travel and gap year company—Where There Be Dragons—and has tons of experience as a leader of young adults and a global traveler and adventurer himself. Enjoy!

Thank you for supporting this podcast, patrons!

On episode 17 of the Real Education Podcast I interview my good friend Liam Nilsen, founder of the Endor Initiative, an innovative program for self-directed teens that I helped him get off the ground in Asheville, North Carolina.

We discuss how Endor is different from a school, how the program has evolved with input from participants, the politics of video games in group spaces, and the mysterious origin of the name.

Enjoy!

On episode 19 of the Real Education Podcast I interview my friends Nancy Tilton and Tomis Parker, co-creators of a new and rapidly growing network of small alternative schools that emphasize self-directed learning assisted by organizational principles gleaned from Agile Software Development and other “lean management” techniques.

Nancy found me in Asheville a few years ago, and I met Tomis at the AERO conference in New York. Each is smart, driven, and passionate about education—and they’re recently married! (Congrats, you two.) Enjoy the show.

On episode 19 of the Real Education Podcast I interview Patrick Farenga, the president of HoltGWS and co-author of Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling. Pat is a long-time—perhaps one of the longest-time!—advocates of homeschooling, unschooling, and self-directed learning, and we share a high-energy conversation about the legacy of John Holt (the educator and critic who coined the word "unschooling" and started Growing Without Schooling magazine), how Pat became involved with John Holt, and how self-directed learning connects to the modern world of work. Enjoy the show!

Thank you, Patrons, for helping me cover the costs of production and hosting.