10 places most often blamed for school-refusal or futokoism

It's not your fault.

It's not your kid's fault.

It's not your kid's teacher's fault.

It's not your spouse's fault.

It's not the school's fault.

It's not society's fault.

It's not the grandparents' fault.

It's not the principal's fault.

It's not the dog's fault.

There is no fault.  There may be an issue, a problem to be solved, even.
But there is no fault, no blame to lay.

Kids who miss school are most often more sensitive, more self-aware than their classmates who get by because they wait for the next bell to ring and tell them where to go, what to study.

Futoko, school refusal kids are often on their own journey of self-reflection and self discovery.  Give them time and trust.  And love.  And an environment that remains open for communication.

Don't blame anyone, even yourself.

Who knows, someday you may want to take credit for this time in your kid's life...

Charlie Stratton
Freeschool I CAN
Niigata, Japan

10 x 10 = Dream List 100!

Taking the Powers of Ten idea to the next, exponential level!
At the request of my Monavie mentor, I was asked to re-write my list of 100 Dreams, my own "bucket list."

Well, I'm glad I revisited the list!  It came together over many months, and still hides, in a binder, amongst the piles of papers in this office.  Now, a copy also resides as an Excel document in my computer, and also on this blog.

Re-typing the list immediately got me in to a great, even excited mood.  LoA people would say my "vibration increased."  I felt it almost immediately as I REMEMBERED what it was I wanted to be doing with my time on this planet.

I was happy to note that 2 of the goal/dreams have already happened, almost without even trying: "Have a family (wife and 2 kids)" happened exactly like that (so far...?!) and I've been bungee jumping twice.

Some of the goals are still a bit nebulous: "accomplished guitarist" is at what point accomplished?
"Great Cook" is at what point great?

Others, I've kind of achieved, but not really.  "Raise great kids" is still a work in progress, and I don't know if a few mini tomatoes warrants checking off "Raise own Vegetables."

As I re-typed the Dreamlist, I noticed that some things could be grouped together.  Riding on animals.  Visiting places.

Nearing the end of the list, I noticed a pretty obvious progression from "Have" to "Do" to "Be" to "Feel." And I think that is the value of having 100 items on the list.  When we have all that we could possibly want, we start to think of what we want to experience.  Then who we want to be.  Finally, what we want to feel.

Open up an Excel sheet and see if you can get to 100.  You don't have to do it all in one sitting.  Keep it out prominently on your desktop or phonetop.  Open it often.  Remember what you are here to do. be. feel.

Here's the list:

1    Nobel Prize
2    Climb Everest
3     Have $1000000
4    swim with a whale
5    swim with a dolphin
6    write a movie and get it made
7    BE in a movie
8    Family (wife and two kids)
9    read Moby Dick
10    Go down the Amazon
11    Go on an aircraft carrier
12    Own a bar
13    Fly on a trapeeze
14    50-day hike
15    write my book
16    Ride a Harley down a mountain road
17    I CAN 100 kids
18    bungee jump
19    ride a killer whale
20    live in a log house on a river
21    see the Earth from space
22    drive and own a Jaguar
23    meet a president
24    visit the South Pole
25    Read all of Shakespeare
26    Be an accomplished photographer
27    Sail around the world
28    Raise horses
29    See the Mountain Gorillas
30    Grow my own vegetables
31    ski jump!
32    Learn about car care
33    see 5 Olympics
34    BE in the Olympics
35    go big game fishing
36    Visit Egypt
37    visit all 50 states
38    Go on an African Safari
39    run a full marathon
40    Go on Alaskan fishing trip/cruise
41    Learn to write Arabic and Korean
42    write a movie and get it made
43    become an accomplished guitarist
44    Get a masters degree
45    become a great cook
46    MEET AN ALIEN
47    TIME TRAVEL
48    Get a PhD
49    Build a house
50    ride the trans-siberian railroad
51    donate $1,000,000
52    be in a rodeo
53    to to India
54    make $100,000 on the internet
55    ride a submarine
56    own a café
57    eat all 31 flavors
58    experience a sensory depravation tank
59    raise great kids
60    go hunting
61    stay in an ice hotel
62    go jet skiing
63    go ballooning
64    experience weightlessness
65    pilot an airplane
66    have personal eyesight
67    have my own personal chef
68    develop psychic powers
69    walk across the USA
70    date a model
71    ride an elephant
72    have 100 people attend my 100th birthday
73    make bread from my own wheat
74    achieve higher states of consciousness
75    see my kids graduate from high school
76    go river rafting in the Grand Canyon
77    see the aurora boreal
78    become a vegetarian
79    make good beer
80    Las Vegas high roller weekend!
81    See More Bears in Nature!   
82    buy a diamond   
83    go hang gliding   
84    Cycle across Japan   
85    sell an invention   
86    visit Paris with Emiko   
87    ride in and control a steam shovel   
88    sell something on ebay
89    Visit Russia
90    have a pet iguana
91    see a ghost
92    be on late night TV
93    live in a traditional Japanese farmhouse
94    Ride a camel
95    Be 68 kilos and strong
96    feel healthy
97     feel respected by peers
98    feel loved by family
99    leave a legacy
100  feel healthy, wise, happy!

...voila!