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 InstagramYou can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Dec 19, 2023
53 min
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 InstagramVisit her website You can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Dec 5, 2023
52 min
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 well as being intentional about our actions and choices. You can hear more from Daniel and Kai on their podcast, Unschooling with Kai. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel.t.moeller/You can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Nov 21, 2023
55 min
My guest today is Donna, from East Sussex in the UK. Donna has two daughters, who are 13 and 11. Her eldest daughter had always struggled with school, and it wasn’t until Covid that Donna realised just how deep the school stress was embedded in the whole family. Eventually feeling that there was no alternative but to try something different, she took her daughter out of school. Today Donna talks about how easy it is to get blinkered and stuck in that space of stress and deficit. And, about how liberating it has been for both of them to shift into a new place of possibility, trust and curiosity. You can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Nov 8, 2023
48 min
Today, I’m chatting with Dr Emma Svanberg. Emma is a clinical psychologist, author of Parenting For Humans and mother of two children. As well as exploring unschooling with her family, Emma helps other parents on their own parenting journeys. We talk about how the deeply held narratives we all have about ourselves often don’t serve us as parents, and can keep us reactive and disconnected. And, how our children offer us an incredible opportunity to unravel these stories and to find the courage it can take to fully embrace and support them. We also talk about neurodivergence in an unschooling home, ways to regulate our nervous systems, and learning to embrace the unknown. Website: www.dremmasvanberg.comBook: Parenting for humansInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mumologist/You can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Oct 23, 2023
52 min
My guest today is Hayley from Derbyshire in the UK. Hayley has four children, who are now 25, 22, 18 and 10, and her journey to unschooling started 14 years ago when her eldest child was 11. We talk about how unschooling is so much more than education. It’s about the importance of relationships, and of living in a way that feels coherent to us, and about incorporating joy into our lives. And Hayley tells us about the very different journeys that each of her children are making through life. Find Hayley on Instagram at @takingakinderpathFollow Hayley's blog: https://takingakinderpath.com/You can find my blog, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Oct 2, 2023
47 min
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, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Sep 19, 2023
42 min
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, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Sep 5, 2023
52 min
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, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Jul 11, 2023
57 min
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, workshop and courses at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onInstagram: @_esther.jonesFacebook:@theunschoolspace
Jun 27, 2023
46 min
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