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)

Khan Academy math

Alec is on Facebook

Episode Transcript

Read the episode transcript