I first met Alec Traaseth and his family when he was maybe twelve or thirteen, at an unschooling conference. I’ve enjoyed little glimpses of his life over the years through social media and I was so happy when he agreed to come on the podcast to chat about his experience growing up unschooling. We talk about his interests and passions, his experience with unschooling camps, his choice to go to college and how that’s unfolded, how his passion for math developed, and lots more.
Questions for Alec
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?
What did your family’s move to unschooling look like?
Can you share a bit about your interests growing up and how you pursued them?
Over the years, our families have crossed paths at unschooling conferences, and when we first connected about arranging this call, you were at an unschooler’s summer camp. I was hoping you could share a bit about your conference/camp experiences.
How did your choice to go to college unfold?
I know you’ve become deeply interested in math—how did that develop?
What are your plans for the next year or two?
As a grown unschooler, what piece of advice would you like to share with unschooling parents who are just starting out on this journey?
Links to things mentioned in the show
Life is Good conference, hosted by Mary Gold (for unschooling families)
ETUSC, East Tennessee Unschooled Summer Camp, hosted by Laura Bowman (for unschooling teens)
NBTSC, Not Back to School Camp, hosted by Grace Llewellyn (for unschooling teens)
ARGH, Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers, hosted by Laura Bowman (for unschooling families)
Alec is on Facebook
Episode Transcript
This was fun for me to listen to because I have 1 son at UVA and another going to community college in Virginia where we live. The one at community college has said similar things about students there who are not interested in learning or doing the work; and also how easy it was to do well in classes just by being interested and motivated.
That’s so interesting, Marcella, thanks for sharing! 🙂
I loved listening to this podcast. Alec is so articulate and I’m so proud of all his accomplishments. And I feel lucky to call him a friend.
Yes, I really enjoyed speaking with him. And thanks for all you do, Laura!
I was just inquiring about camps or conferences with my husband. I enjoyed 4-H camp growing up as it was very self-directed in which activities you picked for camp. We have been unschooling our son since a year of preschool at ages 3/4. He is now 9 and can beat many new video games in hours to days and is always look for his next mind challenge. Listening to this interview helped to reassure me that we are making the best decision for him to be happy, healthy in the future and to be mentally and physical stable in life no matter what he chooses to pursue to sustain himself. Thank you for sharing the stories. Many of my unschooling blogging friends have also appeared on your podcasts recently. I love getting to hear their voices from a more personal perspective.
What a cool connection with the camps, Lynda. And I’m glad my conversation with Alec resonated with you. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Very interesting, thank you!