Reschooling Posts // March 24 - April 6, 2024
Double whammy week!
Crowdsourced Wisdom on Having Kids
April 6, 2024 from
After sharing my conflicted thoughts about having kids, many friends, acquaintances, and readers responded—publicly, privately, and through Facebook—to lend their experiences and perspectives on parenting. So much of this wisdom was interesting, insightful, and reassuring! I decided to create an entire post with my favorite excerpts, organized into five categories: The Hard Parts, Why It’s Great, The Co-Parent, Community & Alloparenting, and Making the Decision
Discovering Neurodivergence in Community
April 6, 2024 from
What if the message was not “You’re broken,” but instead “You’re one of us.” That was my experience of discovering neurodivergence in the context of community. Like so many late-identified adults, it was pandemic stress that brought me to an understanding of neurodivergence. In the spring of 2020, I became fixated on NPR's pandemic coverage, often finding myself in tears over the kitchen sink. Intrusive thoughts began to surface, and for the first time, I considered the possibility of mental illness in relation to myself.
Too Anxious to Unschool?
April 6, 2024 from Stories of an Unschooling Family
I used to pride myself on my mental strength. I could cope with anything. Then covid arrived, and the anxiety that I used to hide and ignore shot to the forefront of my life. It had nothing to do with fearing illness. What bothered me was my lack of freedom. Overnight, my life changed. I was no longer in control of what I could do or even say. There were penalties for expressing opinions and resisting the rules. I might have adapted and accepted the new situation if the rules had made sense, but they didn’t.
[Podcast #231] Artistic Homeschooling with Hana of Pepper and Pine
April 3, 2024 from Brave Writer
Hana’s Instagram account, Pepper and Pine, is one of the most beautiful accounts on the internet: colorful, full of books and art. Her homeschooling approach is much the same. Using the Waldorf philosophy, she blends creativity and curiosity into her lessons, keeping them targeted to specific developmental stages.
Fostering Teamwork | The Power of Collaborative Learning in Homeschooling
April 3, 2024 from Raising Lifelong Learners
As homeschooling parents, we often run a one-person show, creating lesson plans, watching for progress, and playing the dual role of parent and teacher. But what if we invited more players onto our educational stage to enrich the learning experience for our children?
Jon Haidt Inspired Me to Let My Kid Walk Home from School. And Then —
April 2, 2024 from Free Range Kids
After hearing a talk by Let Grow Co-Founder Jonathan Haidt at the Grace Church School in Manhattan, Larissa Romans did a bit of a dive into childhood independence. As she wrote me later (we’d never met): During Jonathan’s talk he mentioned Free Range Kids, which I started this weekend. Both Jonathan and you mention The Let Grow Experience and this past afternoon I got the chance to explore it a bit. And here I am.
March resource round up!
April 2, 2024 from
Hello homeschoolers! Yet another month has slipped through our fingers. March has gone and April’s arrived. I keep saying it but, gosh, these last few months have felt so full and so fast. Here you’ll find a list of all the resources we enjoyed exploring in the past month! For context: my children are currently 8, 6 and 3. We are travelling Australia full time in our caravan, learning and exploring as we go.
How we honour divergent experiences with Marni Kammersell
April 2, 2024 from
This is episode 2 of my new series that aims to challenge and critique some of the ways we view education, parenting and children’s autonomy. In this episode, I chat to Marnina Kammersell. We talk about the Neurodiversity paradigm, moving away from a medical model, her own family’s journey discovering their neurodivergence, and how they moved into unschooling.It was such an honour and joy to have this conversation with Marni! I hope you enjoy it too.
When Children Move Out of an Unschool Home
April 2, 2024 from Stories of an Unschooling Family
Do you ever have mixed emotions about big events in your family’s life? A few days ago, my feelings were all over the place. “Today’s an exciting day,” I told two of my daughters on Thursday morning. “I bet you can’t wait to pick up the keys to your new home.” Then, my following words were: “Today is a sorrowful day. How will I survive without you?”
The Art of Non-Intervention
April 1, 2024 from
As a Rolfer®, trained in the art of observing and integrating the human structure, I have come to appreciate the profound beauty in the natural unfolding of life's processes. One of the most remarkable and poignant moments in human development is undoubtedly when a child takes those tentative first steps, venturing into the world of mobility and independence. However, contrary to conventional wisdom, I advocate for a far more natural approach from the current norm: the importance of never helping children learn how to walk or aiding them through any of the stages that ultimately lead to the ability to walk.
Not All Boundaries Are Equal
April 1, 2024 from
Do children need punishments and sanctions in order to learn effectively? Are we letting children down if we don’t impose consequences every time, leaving them without boundaries and unable to learn? No, and here’s why not. Boundaries are indeed important for children. They need to be kept safe, and to know that they are safe.
Debbie, Brisbane - QLD / Turrbal Country
March 31, 2024 from
Having always homeschooled and having been homeschooled herself, Debbie’s story spans across both analog and digital generations. Whilst she never set out to become a radical unschooler, she now confidently embraces the path her family have chosen. Along the way she has created a viable small business that has the potential to revolutionise the way we balance working and homeschooling, a dilemma many modern home educating families face.
Defeating Adultism
March 31, 2024 from
I want to talk about adultism. It is one of many “isms” in our vocabulary – racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, and so on – that address discrimination on the basis of things like ethnicity, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities. Many of us try to overturn these “isms” in our own lives and in the broader culture. But adultism is one “ism” that isn’t dealt with as often – even by those who call themselves progressive. In fact, I think that it may be the last frontier of “isms.” And that may be because its pervasiveness makes it almost invisible.
66. Deschooling Money with Meenadchi
March 29, 2024 from Radical Learning Talks
In this weeks episode we have Meenadchi in the house! Meenadchi is a somatic healing practitioner and the author of Decolonizing Non-Violent Communication. We invited her to Radical Learning Talks to talk about money and how we can deschool our relationship to money.
Deschooling, Episode 363
March 28, 2024 from Learning Joyfully with Unschooling
Deschooling is a bit of a buzzword in homeschooling and alternative education spaces at the moment. So, let's dive in!
[Podcast #230] An Invitation to Poetry Teatime
March 27, 2024 from Brave Writer
Today’s podcast episode is a Poetry Teatime: You drink tea, people pick poems to read aloud, you listen and enjoy them while you’re eating a delicious snack. Of course, since this is Brave Writer, we take time between the poems to talk about our love for poetry and how we use it to teach children about language.
Rethinking Teacher Training
March 27, 2024 from
The advent of the "Normal School" in the 19th century stands as a watershed moment in the evolution of education. These institutions, born out of state funding and oversight, aimed to regiment teacher trainings. However, upon reflection, it's apparent that the structure of formalized teacher education represents one of the gravest missteps in our educational history. Teaching, I contend, transcends mere occupation; it embodies a way of life.
Building Strong Writers at Home | Insights from Occupational Therapist Sarah Collins
March 27, 2024 from Raising Lifelong Learners
Parenting multiple children of varying needs and abilities is akin to juggling on a unicycle—both exciting and challenging in equal measure. As a homeschooling parent, I’ve had my share of furrowed brows over a myriad of educational puzzles, not least the puzzle of teaching handwriting.
#60 Unschooling and playful living, with Heidi Steel in West Sussex, UK
March 26, 2024 from The Unschool Space
In this episode. I’m delighted to chat with Heidi Steel who was first on the podcast in 2021. Heidi is a former teacher and has four children who are 16, 15, 12 and 9 and who have never been to school. Heidi shares what unschooling looks like for her family and we talk about the enormous value of play in children’s learning and development.
Fishing
March 26, 2024 from
For homeschool parents whose children are passionate about fishing, here's reassuring news: fishing offers a comprehensive educational journey covering every school subject and more. Let's delve deeper into how this beloved pastime can serve as a wholistic learning tool, assuring you that your children can excel academically while indulging in their fishing adventures to their heart's content.
Podcasts Picks For Unschoolers
March 26, 2024 from
Hello friends, Welcome to a journey through the world of podcasts tailored perfectly for our unique approach to learning and living. Today, I am thrilled to share with you a few of my favourite podcasts that have enriched our unschooling experience. In this digital soundscape, we'll explore podcasts that spark curiosity, ignite creativity, and inspire boundless exploration outside the confines of traditional education.
Traffic Calming Measures
March 25, 2024 from
One of the great privileges of my work has been to meet people who have opened my eyes to a different way of seeing the world. Before I trained as a clinical psychologist I met Benoît, whose passion for church organs and bells means that I travelled the French countryside with him, visiting local churches and asking them the all-important question – do you still have traditional bell-ringers here, or do you use a computer?
You Are Learning Too
March 25, 2024 from Brave Writer
You don’t owe anyone a perfect performance as a parent, educator, or person. Exhale. Long, slow, complete. The stress you feel is not always yours. It’s pressure from outside introjected inside. You have the same right as anyone else to: Take a risk, Try a thing, Make a mistake, Change your mind, Do something else, Disappoint someone, Forget to follow through…
204: 4 Homeschool Tentpoles
March 24, 2024 from Homeschool Unrefined
Join us as we discuss 4 Homeschool Tentpoles! These tentpoles help hold up our homeschooling structure. They’re like filters, helping us make decisions about what to prioritize and what to intentionally leave out. These are top-tier life skills and serve as a guide for our homeschool: Expansive thinking and inclusive practice, Noticing the learning, Rocking our strengths, Critical thinking
Anna - Rockingham, WA / Whadjuk Country
March 24, 2024 from
If they are not home, chances are Anna and her kids (ages 9 & 4) can be found in their local library. So great is their love for this community haven of literature, living within walking distance of it strongly influenced where they chose to reside in Rockingham, Western Australia. Homeschoolers from day dot, this musical, book loving, nature appreciating family value time together and connection over curriculum.
