The Unschool Space

My guest today is Eliza Fricker. Eliza has a 14-year old daughter who is autistic, PDA, and who struggled hugely with school. Eliza spent many years attempting to navigate the education system and advocate for her daughter, but after much frustration and despair, finally decided that leaving mainstream education was the only option. Eliza has published a book called Missing the Mark, in which, through her illustrations, she shows her process of trying to navigate a confusing, system which often fails to embrace neurodivergent children for who they are, focusing instead on the fixing of the child. She has also published The Family Experience of PDA, and a four-part podcast on her family's experiences, and now works to help families who are in a similar position. Today, Eliza shares how life has looked since her daughter left school, and how they embarked on the slow process of healing. Among other things, we chat about the enormous importance of being in the right environment, and how our own deschooling is key to accepting our children just as they are. And, we dream a little about how effective, inclusive learning environments could actually look. I hope you enjoy the conversation. If you'd like to find out more about Eliza or connect with her, you can find her at https://missingthemark.blog/You can find my blog, workshops and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace

My guest today is Arielle Nobile. Arielle is an artist, musician and filmmaker who lives with her husband and 11-year-old daughter. They moved recently from Illinois to Argentina, where her husband, who is also an artist, is from. Arielle and her family came to unschooling mid-pandemic after a number of years struggling with the school system, and in particular with their daughter being bullied. They made several school changes, and even moved from Colorado to Arielle's native Illinois in search of a better environment. Finally, after witnessing their daughter's stress on returning to school after lockdown they made the choice to deregister her. Among other things, we talk today about how life flows differently when external expectations are removed, finding space for ourselves in our relationships with our children, and how it all always comes back to trust. I hope you enjoy the conversation.Arielle's podcast: https://www.belongingintheusa.com/podcastYou 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 Bria Bloom, from Portland, Oregon. Bria lives with her husband and her 11-year-old stepson, who attends a self-directed education project. I've known Bria for some time through her work as Community Manager for The Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE), but only recently found out that she was unschooled herself.Today, we talk about her experience as an unschooler who went on to university, and how her upbringing has influenced the choices she has made in her life and her parenting. Bria and her husband are expecting a baby this summer, so we also talk about how unschooling starts at birth. From letting go of expectations, creating boundaries for ourselves, asking for help, and trusting the process, we see the same threads weaving their way through childbirth, the baby and toddler years, through to being parents of teenagers. And we talk about the evolution that Bria has seen in unschooling in the US through her work at the Alliance. I hope you enjoy the conversation.You can follow Bria on Twitter: @BriaBloomsFind out more about the ASDE here: https://www.self-directed.orgYou 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 Sarah Plazas,  who lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two children, who are three and five. When her son, Arlo, was three, Sarah and her husband realised that he wasn't coping with the demands and stimulation of preschool. They made the choice to change the way they were living, with both parents moving to part-time work in order to make it possible to have Arlo at home along with his baby sister. Today, we talk about what it means to really respect children as whole beings, and how it actually looks to allow them autonomy over many aspects of their day. And, we discuss what that means for our own lives and how we can bring our full selves to the relationship, ensuring that gentle parenting doesn't also mean sacrificing our own needs and desires. 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 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