Hello, My name is Krista (She/her). I have two kids of my own age 7 and 4 who are my daily inspiration. Since having my first born, I have been on this journey of self-discovery- kids have a way of prompting such journeys! I have read more than 50 books and listened to I don’t know how many podcasts over the last 7 years learning more about the human experience, parenting, the brain, the nervous system and how it operates and how it impacts who we are, and how we show up in this world.

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When Covid hit, I was introduced to a small Self-Directed Learning Center that would allow my child a pod throughout the pandemic. This was when I was officially introduced to “Unschooling”. I had heard the term before, but never took the time to look into it. With the guidance and support of my new found community I quickly dove into all of the research and was hooked! As I read Unschooled by Kerri McDonald and Free to Learn by Peter Gray and quickly devoured Ted Talk after Ted Talk and Episodes of Fare of the Free Child by Akilah S. Richards, I knew there was no going back to compulsory education. Everything I had read and researched on my journey of self-discovery intertwined beautifly with the concepts of unschooling. Trust children, thus allowing them to grow up believing they are trustworthy. Free Children, thus allowing them to develop a strong sense of self.

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That year, I witnessed my child's confidence soar, we transitioned from daily fights to get to school, to her begging us to go to her center every day. My child discovered her passion for Art and was given the freedom to spend as much time as she wanted with it. She spent day after day in the art room creating. She came home and drew some more. She researched new artists, and truly became one herself. She pushed herself past her comfort zone with the kids in the yard facing fears with growing confidence. She made the strongest of friendships with kids who truly knew her and her them because they were given the time to be free together. She loved it.

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Unfortunately, when the year passed most families decided to go back to school. I couldn’t go back at this point, I had gone too far, read too much, felt too connected to the spirit of unschooling. I was not willing to go back to school and unschooling solo did not sound nearly as much fun. So much of what I felt my child had benefited from was not just unschooling but the ability to be free around other children, thus, the Raven House Community was born.

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A bit more about me. I love being outdoors in nature. I love gardening, building things, biking and moving my body. I own a large collection of worms that eat our garbage. I ride a cargo bike that allows me to lessen my carbon footprint and enjoyably cart my kids around town. I recently went to school to become a dog obedience trainer and have started my own dog training business.

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Becoming an unschooling parent has also inspired me to continue lifelong learning. After enrolling my daughter, I enrolled myself in guitar lessons and most recently taught myself how to install flooring in my basement . I am insanely passionate about unschooling and continue to devour books, podcasts and articles on the topic daily. I am a member of the Self-Directed Education Alliance and spent an amazing 3 days at their Conference this past January surrounded (virtually) by so many like-minded visionaries who are doing the hard-work to make self-directed centers a reality in their towns and neighborhoods.

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I have an Ivy League degree from Dartmouth College where I played Ice Hockey and studied urban and social geography. Post college, I spent a year living in Switzerland playing hockey and traveling all over the EU. I have coached college hockey but spent most of my professional career in non-profit management working in downtown and economic development prior to taking on the hardest role of my life- stay at home mom!

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I am committed to making this community a resource to all. While I am currently limited to the space of my home and my desire to keep a maximum 7-1 ratio, Membership is limited. I understand the necessity for this type of environment for all children and especially for Neurodivergent children like my own and am always interested in hearing from like-minded families who want to work together to expand our reach.

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