The Unschool Space

In this episode, I’m chatting with Holly from South Wales. Holly has three children, aged 9, 7, 5 and began unschooling three years ago, when  her eldest started to struggle at school. Holly worked as a teacher, and shares her experience of transitioning from a schooled way of thinking about learning to unschooling. We chat about how this way of life allows for different rhythms, choice and autonomy. And, how if when we move away from ticking boxes for our children, we also free ourselves from ticking boxes, allowing us to live our lives in a more aligned and liberated way. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Fran Liberatore. Fran is Italian but lives with her family between Bangkok, Maine and Sicily. Her children are now aged 10 and 12 and If you’d like to hear more from Fran you can also hear her in episode 12 of the podcast a couple of years ago. Today we talk about how Fran and her family have found community in the different cultures they move between. We also talk about neurodivergence and how the perspective can be in an unschooling home, consent-based parenting, being our children’s advocates, and the hard work of deschooling that goes into all of this. Connect with Fran on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigmothering/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today, I’m chatting with Chelsea, who lives in LA with her husband and two sons, who are 10 and 6. Chelsea had never planned to unschool, and in fact her older son was very happy at a project-based school in his earlier years. She tells us about why they made this choice and what it has meant for her family. We talk in particular about how the parent’s deschooling journey often means becoming aware of all the power dynamics at play, not only in relation with our children, but in many other facets of our lives and in the society around us. And, Chelsea shares what the deschooling process has looked like for her so far.You can find Chelsea at https://www.instagram.com/the.matcha.mamaYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Rhonda Ziman. Rhonda lives in East Sussex with her husband, 14-year-old stepdaughter and 11-year-old daughter. I’ve known Rhonda and her daughter Martha since last year, when her daughter finally left school after struggling to attend for a long time. Today, Rhonda talks about that time and how difficult it was. And she talks about how, without the pressure of school, she has seen Martha relax and engage once more with the things she enjoys doing. We also talk about how hard it can be for the parent to embrace a different kind of learning. And in fact, just as Rhonda has also relaxed into their new life at home, she is now having to get used to the idea of school again as Martha wants to give it another go. So, perhaps the main topic here is learning to hold our children in their unpredictable journeys. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I'm chatting with Angela Harders who lives in Maryland with her two children, who are now 9 and 4. Angela was a public high school teacher for 12 years. And although she took her daughter out of school four years ago when her daughter was five, she continued to work as a public school teacher for three more years, until it felt too at odds with how she was seeing learning naturally take place at home. Angela has published a book about this, called Tales of a Toxic Teacher. Today, among many other things we talk about how coercion takes the joy out of learning, allowing our children the space to just be, without needing them to be always productive, and how Angela has created a life she believes in as an unschooling single mother. Instagram and TikTok: @peacefulworldschoolerPodcast: Peaceful Worldschoolerhttps://paxministries.com/pax-academyYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

In this episode, I'm chatting with Lorna Norton. Lorna has a 5-year-old son and, together with her husband, founded a learning community called Kith Homestead in North Yorkshire. Lorna came to alternative education through her studies of psychology and education and then her many years of working with children. We talk about her own deschooling process that was required in order to be able to create a space in which children can have real autonomy, and how she sees children thrive within a natural and loving environment in which they can truly direct their time and activities. We also talk about the challenges of starting a community, the sheer hard work it takes, and the importance of being kind to yourself and to finding likeminded souls to support you. https://www.kithhomestead.comFollow Kith Homestead on InstagramYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest this episode is Naomi Fisher, who I am delighted to have back for a second conversation (see #5 for our previous chat). Naomi is a clinical psychologist, mother of two children who are at a self-directed learning centre, and author of the book Changing our Minds, which is about the importance of choice, autonomy and self-direction in education. Naomi has a new book coming out in June entitled A Different Way to Learn, which looks at how neurodivergent children learn in self-directed environments. Today, among many other things, we talk about how children naturally learn and develop, and why our education system undermines these natural processes. And how a competitive environment focused on content and exams quashes our children’s innate curiosity and motivation. Naomi also shares her thoughts on how parents can best accompany a child who has come out of mainstream school after a difficult time. Find out more about Naomi's work at: https://www.naomifisher.co.uk/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I'm joined by Sari Gonzàlez and Becka Koritz wholive in Puerto Escondido in Mexico. Becka moved to Mexico from Sweden and Sari from the US, both leaving lives that felt stressed and disconnected. They now run Explora ALC, an agile learning centre. Both Sari and Becka have neurodivergent sons but began their deschooling journeys long before having children, in their search for more fulfilling and joyful lives. We talk about how deschooling is a shedding of all the layers of programming we’ve internalised through our lives, and a reconnection with ourselves beyond fear and trauma. And, they talk about the kind of environment they’ve created in which children’s voices can be genuinely heard and valued. You can find Sari and Becka's work, including their blog, courses, and Radical Learning Talks podcast at www.radical-learning.org Or connect with them on Instagram:  @radical_learningYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I’m chatting with Caroline Frances from Ontario. Caroline lives with her husband and two sons who are 7 and 10, and they are just in the second month of their unschooling journey. They had tried different school environments, but found that, in particular for their eldest son, who is diagnosed Autistic with a PDA profile, they needed to find another way to live. Today, among lots of other things, we talk about what a huge job it is to hold space for our children, and how intertwined that is with our own learning and our own alignment. And Caroline shares the things that she is already noticing arising from the space, all the curiosity and the independent learning that’s taking place.You can connect with Caroline on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/iamcarofrances/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Sarah Rose. Sarah lives in Maine with her husband and her 11-year old daughter. Her family’s journey to unschooling stemmed from their daughter’s illness, which resulted in her leaving school and embarking on a long healing journey at home. We talk today about providing a judgment-free space in which our children feel seen and supported, and the deep inner work we need to undertake in order to do this. We also chat about how uncomfortable a child with their own voice can make people feel, and Sarah shares how she has embraced her daughter’s natural activism and self-advocacy.You can connect with Sarah on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/magic.of.unschooling/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace