Sandra Lynn Dodd

Biographical This'n'That

I am Sandra Dodd. My other names have been Sandra Lynn Adams and Sandra Adams Gill. The one that has stuck always has been "Sandra." I grew up in Espanola, New Mexico. I live in Albuquerque. I'm married to Keith Dodd who grew up in Alamogordo. We live in a rambling pack-rattish house full of music and laughter on a good day, and abuzz with frantic doings and deadlines being missed on a worse day.

Links to bio
by decades
50's

60's

70's

80's

90's
00's
UHohs

My main online activities have to do with that sort of radical homeschooling known as unschooling. I write about unschooling and I speak at conferences sometimes, and run workshops upon occasion. Some nice unschoolers who'd been collecting quotes and paying attention to me made a Wikipedia page. (Some editor there said "too many quotes," and took ALL the quotes out. Wait! They were saved or restored here.)

Information about me in the words of others is at SandraDodd.com/otherwords.

Being a homeschooler means I must have kids:

Kirby (Kendall Kirby Dodd) is child #1, the experimental model. He's twenty-four, living and working in Austin.

Marty (Martin Alexander Dodd) is twenty-two, sweet, strong, funny and honest. He's engineerly, like his dad. He's a gamer and is great on skates (roller blades or ice), and in his old age now is taking up skateboarding some. He's attending Central New Mexico Community College, and drives a Jeep Wrangler he's buying himself.

Holly (Holly Lynn Dodd) likes ideas, and has a zinging sense of irony and humor. She's nineteen. She recently stayed with another unschooling family in Oregon for a while, then was a short-term au pair near London, and then a nanny in Quebec for several months. She's currently a full-time chauffeur, advisor and nanny for an eight-year-old unschooled girl in Albuquerque, and they're having a great time together.

Philosophy

There's more and more talk of ethics in the world these days, which is wonderful. Virtue is alive and well, and accessible. With a combination of the mental massage of American Buddhism and the ideals of chivalry, people can go a long way toward impressing their moms (AT LEAST!) and being good neighbors and valued friends. The more good there is in the world, the better the world is.

Music

Folk music interests me, especially traditional ballads, Christmas things and kids' songs. I play recorder, folk guitar, and keyboards some. I lately came into possession of a wonderful little pump organwhich kind friends of mine have helped me tweak into useability—thank you Crispin and Tule and Frank Aon!!

Religion

I used to have a lot of religion, but no more. I'm very interested in what people believe and why and what they do with it. I make jokes about it, but just because something's funny doesn't mean it's not *TRUE!*

Society for Creative Anachronism

I was involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism from the late 1970's. It's where I met my husband and many of my best-loved friends. Within and around that organization, I'm known as Ælflæd of Duckford and I live in al-Barran, in The Outlands. Some of my notes and writings are here: SCA pages. Lately I haven't been much involved, but it comes and goes. I still help Keith and Marty with their equipment and clothing and food for events.

Thank you for visiting. I hope your day goes well and something unexpectedly wonderful happens to you.
(Look around for it...)

Kirby's family tree from his birth announcement, and below that the one my granny made for me when I was little: sandradodd.com/familytree
Some ancestry notes, mostly sketchy with links to others' notes.
Adams Yates Hathcock Houghton People in general (lots of SCA friends, and some others)