Radical Learning Talks

One of the biggest fears of us parents is fucking up our kids. Therefore most of us are doing all we can to find a parenting style and an education that will guarantee that our kids turn into good, successful humans.  But is there really any foolproof method? Isn't it all a huge experiment? Unschooling for sure is, and instead of hiding it, in this episode we embrace the fact that yes, we are experimenting with our kids!

In this episode we have a blast with Lucy AitkenRead, a bad-ass unschooler and unschooling mom that works to support parents on their deschooling/unschooling journey.  We cover soooo many topics in this chat: how the unschooling movement is evolving, how we've all been wounded by school, how deschooling is deep healing work - and so much more!

Have you ever been in a situation with your kid where you suddenly feel the urge to teach them something you think is valuable and find yourself shoveling knowledge down their throats?  We call those teaching moments, and they're as yucky as they sound! In this episode we'll dissect what this very common phenomenon is about, why we dislike it so much and what to do instead.

We were a little drained recording this one after a big week of some unpleasant but necessary learning experiences in navigating being free in an unfree world.  So many questions...how do we navigate different values and beliefs between our unschooling/deschooling world and the dominant culture? How do we meet others that may be bound by old beliefs? What is the responsibility we adults/parents hold in supporting our kids to navigate these worlds as we are all working hard to bridge the gaps and create more togetherness and connection in this world? How do we navigate our multicultural (unschooling and schoolish) experiences? It may not be the most upbeat episode but we start to dive into it all here.

In this episode we chat with Crystal Byrd Farmer an autistic person of color that runs an ALC focused on supporting neurodivergent kids and the author of the book “The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization” .  This interview is packed with so much… we talk about supporting neurodivergent & disabled kids in SDE spaces, deschooling as a tool for deprogramming beliefs and expectations imposed by dominant culture, how SDE is anti-oppression work by advocating for children's rights, how we can move towards building spaces focused on equity, inclusivity and diversity, how to avoid burnout by holding firm boundaries, and SO much more.

Today Sari & Becka share about their deschooling around the idea of perfectionism. They chat about how perfectionism is actually quite an oppressive practice for ourselves and our kids and of the importance to look at and shift away from these practices to embrace our life outside of shadow’s of other’s ideas of what we should be or do.

"It’s ok... nothing happened, you are all good! Don't worry, we will get another pet! Don’t be upset, you will feel better soon! Don’t be so angry!" The list goes on for how we have been shielded or now shield our kids around big emotions. In this episode we chat about the dangers of shielding kids from big emotions, how emotions are a compass for meeting unmet needs and how we empower kids to advocate for themselves by understanding their emotions and the world around them.

In this episode we have the pleasure of chatting with Iris Chen, a deconstructing tiger mom, unschooling partner, youth advocate, liberation activist and writer of the book Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent.  Iris shares about how unschooling is deep social justice work, her family’s journey in transitioning to unschooling and how she has shifted from authoritarian to more peaceful parenting. By the end of this episode we hope you will feel as pumped up as we do about your own role in this larger liberation movement!

Your kid asks to talk about sex, racism, religion, death, addiction, _______ (fill in the blank)… Do you clam up and freak out, or do see it as an opportunity to create a safe space and build relationship with them?  As a follow up on our episode on how to raise conscious boys, we share more on what our experience has been in talking about taboos with our kids and how we see these moments as gateways for deepening connection and trust.

In this episode we pick up from the last episode and get really vulnerable. We share personal stories around the themes of power, patriarchy, machismo and our critical role in raising boys into conscious men and how that is tied to deschooling and liberation work. TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode we talk about sexual harassment and violence. We acknowledge that we are two privileged women who are speaking from our perspective and experience and the content around sexual harassment and violence may bring discomfort. Our intention is to bring awareness and open up dialogue around these themes never to shame, blame, expose or exclude anyone. If we can do better, please let us know, we are always learning. You can find the podcast referenced in the episode here: https://raisingfreepeople.com/232/