The Unschool Space
74 FOLLOWERS
Join me, Esther Jones, a mindful parenting coach, and unschooling mother-of-three, as I take a look at the many opportunities for reflection that naturally arise in an unschooling home. From self-care, neurodiversity, and mindfulness, to how to live consensually and trust our children, this podcast is here to help parents navigate the everyday challenges so they're free to create a..
The Unschool Space
1w ago
This episode, I’m chatting with Danii Oliver, who lives in Texas with her husband and two children who are almost 6 and 11. Danii shares her story of leaving New York City behind in search of something new for and her and family, and to live a more gentle and connected life, which they now do on their permaculture farm in Texas. We talk about the deschooling process and how, even though Danii was clear from the start that they would unschool, it still took her a lot of work to unravel the deep conditioning she had from her Caribbean childhood and her own school experiences. There’s so much in ..read more
The Unschool Space
3w ago
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. And, amongst other things we also discuss how valuing our children’s voices and opinions over compliance is essential for them as they get older, and how living in this consensual way with our children can be far more joyful for everyone. I hope you enjoy t ..read more
The Unschool Space
1M ago
Once in a while it felt like it could be helpful to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions that I get. Of course, every family is completely different, so if any of these questions or worries are relevant to you, you might want to take my thoughts as a hopefully useful starting point for your own reflections.
Let me know if this is helpful for you and if you’ve any particular questions you’d like to hear discussed in the future. You can drop me a line at contact@esther-jones.com
So, today, I am going to dive into four questions that come up a lot
- What if my chi ..read more
The Unschool Space
1M ago
My guest today is Adrienne Miller who lives in Vancouver with her husband and three children who are 10, 7 and 4. Adrienne was a teacher, and realised when her oldest child turned school age that it wasn’t a choice they wanted for him. After growing up in a strict, religious home, Adrienne also shares her journey of unravelling her deep conditioning, and the freedom it has given her and her family. And we chat about natural learning, trusting our children and lots more. I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Connect with Adrienne on Instagram
You can find my blog, workshop and courses at ..read more
The Unschool Space
2M ago
In this episode, I’m chatting with Julie Walter from Ontario, Canada. Julie has three children who are 9, 11 and 13 and have never been to school. As a former teacher, Julie talks about how impacted she was by the differences between the resistant nature of learning in a classroom and the kind of natural learning she was seeing unfolding happily at home.
We talk about what it means to accompany our children in this journey, and why our relationships with our children are at the heart of this. And, we talk about how we can stay trusting during the inevitable ebbs and flows an ..read more
The Unschool Space
2M ago
My guest today is Missy Willis from Charlotte, North Carolina. Missy is a former teacher who lives with her husband and two children, who are now 21 and 16. They chose to unschool when their eldest child reached school age as it felt like a better fit for their family. Missy’s experience in the classroom as a teacher had also made her question a model in which adult coercion was understood to be essential in learning.
We talk about the fear many parents have in the beginning and how important it is to hear other people's stories. We also talk about how we can support our children with co ..read more
The Unschool Space
3M ago
In this episode, I'm chatting with Lucy Aitkenread. Lucy is originally from the UK, but 10 years ago, set off travelling with her partner Tim, and their two young daughters. They settled in New Zealand, which is where they live now. Their daughters are now 10 and 13 and haven’t been to school. So, today we talk about the culture of school and what a huge impact it has on our lives, even as adults. And how, it often takes our children to take us back to the roots of many limiting beliefs we have about ourselves, which is why the deschooling process can run so deep. Lucy tells us about the ..read more
The Unschool Space
4M ago
Today, my guest is Ruth Macallan. Originally from Edinburgh, Ruth now lives for most of the year in Zambia with her husband and her two children, who are 2 and 5. We talk about what Ruth’s child-led days look like, what it means to allow a child the freedom to go at their own pace, and how living in rural Zambia has helped Ruth to learn how to slow down and to appreciate the beauty in the moment. And, we also chat about the importance of creating community, travelling with children, and of course, taking good care of ourselves.
Connect with Ruth on Instagram
You can find my blog, worksh ..read more
The Unschool Space
4M ago
My guest today is Claire Gillespie from Hertfordshire in the UK. Claire lives with her husband and two sons, who are 15 and 13, and they’ve been unschooling for four years, after their oldest son asked to leave school. Amongst other things, we talk about the fascinating learning journeys children embark on when they’re in charge, how different we all are from each other and the inevitable ebb and flow of the days. And Claire shares how this way of living has impacted her and the choices she makes in her own life.
Connect with Claire on Instagram
Visit her website
You can find my blog ..read more
The Unschool Space
5M ago
Today I’m chatting with Daniel Moeller from Pennsylvania. Daniel is a former teacher and has a 10-year old son, called Kai who has been unschooling for four years. Daniel came across unschooling whilst struggling himself to reconcile many parts of the school system, and in particular the power over dynamic that he was expected to conform to as a teacher. Today we talk about how our own beliefs and responses are often rooted in our own experience of this dynamic as children, and how, to unpack it all and to reconnect with our deeper values, we need to have a lens of openness and curiosity, as w ..read more