The Unschool Space

My guest in this episode is Renee Tougas, who lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband and three adult children (22, 21 and 19). Renee discovered self-directed learning when her children were small and, whilst she had initially imagined that homeschooling would be all about academics, she soon realised that things just naturally unfolded in the right environment. Her children are now young adults and intentionally living at home whilst each pursuing a different path in higher education.Today, we chat about the need to let go of expectations or attachment to particular outcomes in order to allow our children to be who they want to be, particularly as they move into the teenage years. We explore what it means to live in a collaborative way with our children and how to feel into our role as parents, giving suggestions and guidance, whilst respecting their autonomy. And, we talk about why at the heart of all of this lies the importance of tending the relationship, above all else. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today, I’m talking with Simon Crummay. Simon lives in East Sussex in the UK  with his partner Wendy, and their son Luca, who is 13. Luca is diagnosed autistic with demand avoidance and went to school on and off for some years. After almost two years out of school, during  which Simon and  Wendy adopted an unschooling approach to learning, Luca now attends a self-directed learning centre in the afternoons. We talk about the impact of a child’s environment on their mental health, how learning can look for a child with PDA and why trust really is the cornerstone to all of this.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest in this episode is Naomi Clarke. Naomi lives in East London and has two sons who are 11 and 6. Naomi is the co-director of Gamechangers, a self directed learning and democratic community which her eldest son also attends. Naomi has been home educating since her eldest child was 5, and embraced unschooling after he was seriously ill in hospital. In her words, she decided to "choose happiness". Today, among many other things, Naomi talks about how she has experienced unschooling as a black family, with the added pressure she felt on opting out of mainstream education, and the lack of other non-white mothers and families in the UK who have taken that path. Naomi's younger son is autistic and we also talk about neurodiversity and why unschooling allows for the embracing of the whole child. And, how unschooling is challenging for low-income families. And, of course, we talk about the many unexpected things that we learn about ourselves on the journey. You can connect with Naomi on Instagram at @intersectionalmotherhood.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I’m talking with Nadia Joshua. Nadia lives in Barry Island in Wales and has two daughters, who are six and nine. Until her daughter left school, three years ago, Nadia was working as a social worker. She took her daughter out of school when she was six years old and had just started year one, as she had rapidly become unhappy and self-critical. Nadia knew there had to be a different way, and could see that her daughter needed more agency over her own life. She discovered unschooling through the works of Pam Laricchia. Today, among other things, we talk about adjusting to an unschooling lifestyle, uncovering our limiting beliefs,  being authentic with our children and making sure we have what we need to hold space for them. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Marta Obiols. Marta is originally from Spain, but has lived in the US for 21 years. She now lives with her husband and three children in Atlanta, Georgia. Marta was a teacher when her children were small, but became interested in unschooling after taking her children out of school and coming across the works of John Holt. She quickly let go of being 'the dictator in the living room' and fully embraced unschooling. Marta's eldest son  recently turned 18, and Marta was inspired to write a book about her family's experiences, entitled 18: An unschooling experience. Today, among other things, we talk about facilitating the different needs of our children, trusting our children even when society around us says otherwise, and finding the unschooler in ourselves. You can follow Marta on Instagram at @unschoolingstory18 and on Twitter at @Unschooling1. 18: An unschooling experience is available at major online book retailers. 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 Sarada de Villeneuve. Sarada lives in Brighton, UK, with her husband and three children, who are 14, 11 and 8 . They began unschooling seven years ago, when their eldest son was seven and having a difficult time at school. Sarada had already felt some conflict around sending her children to nursery at a young age, and found her way to unschooling after seeing home educating families in her local park. Sarada describes the daily practise that unschooling is. The deep work of getting beyond our own triggers and old parenting assumptions and engaging with our children in an authentic, respectful way. We  talk today about social expectations, building community, and learning to respect our children’s voices. Sarada also speaks to how unschooling can help us heal our relationships with our children, affected by early experiences of separation,  school or our own less-informed parenting. You can find Sarada on Instagram at @discovering.wonder.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest in this episode is Fran Liberatore. Fran has two children, aged 7 and 9, and has just moved to an island in Maine after spending three years in Dubai. Fran first came across unschooling some years ago when she discovered John Holt, and her intention had been to to home educate her children. For different reasons,  it took until the pandemic for her to finally take the leap. We talk today about how she and her children have adjusted to life without school, the importance of being able to set and maintain our own boundaries (both us and our children), and how we can rethink the power imbalances in traditional parenting. Fran also shares how unschooling has made her reflect on the choices she has made in life.You can follow Fran on Instagram and Facebook,  and visit her blog https://livingwithoutschool.comYou can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

Today I’m delighted to be joined by Laura Smith. Laura and I have been in touch online for a few years, but this the first time we've spoken. Laura lives in the south of France with her partner and her son, Rowan, who is nearly six. For her family, unschooling was really a natural progression that felt coherent with the way they were living and parenting. We talk about the need to often just surrender to the moment and how hard that can be, and how we deal with our triggers. We also discuss how doing things differently can sometimes feel isolating, and how finding community can be difficult, particularly when living abroad. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest in this episode is Anthony Eldridge-Rogers. Anthony has three teenage children with his wife Lehla (my podcast guest in episode #8) and, together, they wrote a book recounting their family's experiences, called Jump Fall Fly. Anthony works with people with behavioural health challenges and is a specialist recovery and wellness coach.Today, we talk about his daughters’ transition from self-directed learning at home to a college environment and the importance of our children’s mental health. He also shares his experiences as a father and some valuable insights into the particular challenges fathers can face when a family chooses the alternative education route. You can find out more about Anthony on his website https://www.jumpfallfly.com.You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

In this episode, I chat with Lianne Campbell, a dancer, performer,  well-being coach, and mother to 12-year-old Anoushka. Lianne came to unschooling when seeing that her young daughter had no desire to be in school. She hadn't considered home education as she assumed that would mean her doing the teaching and she had left school herself with few qualifications. When someone mentioned unschooling to her, she realised that it was the natural path for them and a continuation of how she had been parenting her daughter all along. She decided to trust her daughter and her own intuition and took her daughter out of school. She created community through a regular meet-up with other unschooling families nearby and never looked back. Her daughter's love of horses has helped her fulfil one of her own childhood dreams, and the family now owns two horses and learn natural horsemanship.Lianne's positive outlook on life, and her belief in keeping things authentic and joyful are truly inspiring. Today, among many other things,  we talk about how unschooling is a journey of unraveling our own deep conditioning, the importance of trusting our children, and how essential it is to take care of ourselves. You can find Lianne on Instagram at @ahandpickedlife  Or visit her platform: www.ahandpickedlife.com. You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace