Junior Unschooling Dads, Testimonials

Danilo Cuellar – Massage Therapist

Massage Therapist, New York, USA

Growing up my mother had always been the guiding force in my life, encouraging me to dig deeper and question things when necessary, always within the framework of the system, of course. As I proceeded through my 12 years of public schooling I first started thinking differently when, at the urging of a fellow budding revolutionary trapped in the system, I read Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension by Michio Kaku in 7th grade. This marked the beginning of my intellectual transformation at 12 years old when I started reading and learning extensively in the fields of chess, piano, theoretical physics, astronomy, cosmology, Eastern/Western philosophy, holistic nutrition, holistic medicine, and more. In 9th grade I started my own chess club, which was in effect until I graduated, after which it was disbanded due to lack of cohesive interest. My contrarian views irritated many of my teachers, although admittedly a select few of them did support my efforts to look beyond the accepted genres.

Today I write on the topics of political philosophy and economics. I also have a Facebook page and YouTube channel. I interview interesting people about political and educational philosophy, as well some solo video podcasts of just me speaking on the various topics mentioned above.

I have been working as an acupuncturist for nine years. I left my clinic in June of 2014 to be a full time unschooling father with my kids. I have a 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. We are not planning on any more kids as of yet.

Before having kids my wife and I both casually agreed, without giving it much thought, that we would spank our kids if they misbehaved. This was a conclusion arrived at more due to the appeal to antiquity and appeal to popularity than from careful research and investigation into the matter. Thankfully before my son reached his first birthday we discovered the science on the effects of spanking which gave us both an intellectual wake up call.[1] Since then I have been an unwavering outspoken advocate for peaceful parenting, attachment parenting, anti-spanking, and anti-circumcision. I firmly believe that one of the most effective ways to bring about a positive change in the world is to raise a generation of peaceful, compassionate, loving, rational, empathetic individuals! Let’s outbreed the evil and wicked of the world! Let’s drown them in love and kindness!

I first learned of unschooling through John Holt, Dayna Martin, John Taylor Gatto, and a few other of my influences. Then I started reading some books on homeschooling and unschooling. My wife and I are generally on board together with the concept. I absolutely adore the idea of passion-driven or child-driven education. I have come to realize that children are not blank slates on which we must feverishly imprint our needs, wants, and desires lest they go through life stupid, barren, and destitute. Rather I now view them as unique and exceptional individuals with their own needs, wants, and desires entirely independent of my own. They will thrive not because of me, but in spite of me. I can choose to either encourage their natural development and proclivities or I can choose to be a barrier in the way of their burgeoning creativity and imagination. Genius is as common as dirt! The best thing we can do for our children is to get out of their way. A child who does not want to learn, nothing will convince him. A child who wants to learn, nothing will stop him!

[1] See the Research page of Project NoSpank at http://skyler.link/nospankresearch

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About Danilo Cuellar

Danilo Cuellar is a 32 years old acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, Eastern nutritionist, and massage therapist. He can be found online at Facebook.com/danilo.cuellar.3.

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