1 August 2016

A Triple Celebration

atriplecelebration-1

I thought my daughter Charlotte and I had two good reasons to celebrate.


Reason Number One:
Charlotte ended an intense year of piano work with an exam. (The results haven’t been published yet, but she thinks she did okay!)
Reason Number Two:
I published the Lulu paperback version of my new children’s novel The Angels of Gum Tree Road. (Amazon paperback and Kindle ebook versions coming soon.) I wrote the book and Charlotte illustrated it. (I hope we did okay!)

Reason Number Three:

I didn’t know we had a third reason to celebrate until Charlotte said, “Oh, by the way, Mum… I was offered a Commonwealth supported place for my uni degree.”

“Oh? When?”

“Last Thursday.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I got the offer in an email while you were at the library and later, well… I forgot about it.”

Fortunately, Charlotte didn’t forget to accept the offer. She did that straight away.

So what’s a Commonwealth supported place? What does it mean? It means that the Australian Commonwealth government will be paying part of Charlotte’s university fees as she completes her Bachelor of Arts in Digital Design. That’s worth celebrating, isn’t it?

 

“So how are you going with your university work?” I asked.

 

Charlotte smiled. “I’m doing okay.”

 

And you know what? She is!

Can unschooled children get into university? If they want to, yes, they can.

I’ve told Charlotte’s story before. I had very little to do with her last couple of official homeschooler years. She had her own ideas about what she wanted to learn and where she wanted to go. She was self-motivated and didn’t need much help from me.

Did Charlotte give herself a good education? You can probably guess the answer to that question, but you can also hear it in podcast 38: Is Unschooling Just Living Life?

I also spoke about unschooling and university in podcast 31: From Unschooling to University.
Talking of podcasts, you might have noticed I haven’t made any new ones recently. Somehow, I haven’t felt motivated to set up my microphone. I hope that will change. Very soon.

But back to our triple celebration.

READ  Sibling Rivalry: An Unschooling Interview

Charlotte and I have had lots to celebrate recently. How about you? Have you had any exciting moments worth high fiving and cheering about?

Sue Elvis

I'm an Australian blogger, podcaster, and Youtuber. I write and speak about unschooling, parenting and family life. I'm also the author of the unschooling books 'Curious Unschoolers', 'Radical Unschool Love' and ‘The Unschool Challenge’. You'll find them on Amazon!

10 Comments

    • Chris,

      Charlotte is either humble or forgetful! She keeps lots of things to herself. I guess that's just the way she is. Full of surprises!

      It's always great to hear from you. We appreciate your encouraging words very much!

      Sending love to you and your family. xxx

  1. Living and Learning Without School said:
    Congratulations! Your family is very inspirational. I respect your reason for not publishing a recent podcast I just wanted you to know your missed. Your podcast is my favorite. I've noticed your podcast and blog are mentioned quite a lot in the books I've read on unschooling and also mentioned positively in so other podcasts. i think you reach a inspire more people than you may know.

    • Living and Learning without School,

      I didn't know my blog and podcast have been mentioned in books and other podcasts. That's lovely! It's good to know you like listening to my podcasts. I had hoped to make a new episode this week, however, I didn't find the necessary time. It's been a busy week! Hopefully, I'll record one early next week.

      I really appreciate your kind feedback. Thank you!

  2. Lucinda said:

    Congratulations to you both, Sue! I'm glad Charlotte's cold didn't affect her exam too badly. And that's wonderful news about her Commonwealth supported place!

    And your book … your SECOND book … wow!!! It looks very beautiful. I'm looking forward to reading it. I loved the Angels of Abbey Creek. It gave me such a lovely glimpse into what your life might have been like when your children were little, and it was very interesting to learn more about daily life in a Catholic family.

    I second what your friend at Living and Learning Without School says. I'm glad you're looking after yourself, and I miss your podcast too. You have spoiled us! 😉

    • Lucinda,

      Thank you for your kind comment! Charlotte will be pleased you think the book looks beautiful. I am very happy with her illustrations. It was lovely to work with her. I'm so touched by your interest in my book.

      If I get a chance I'm going to record a podcast this week. I can't slip away quietly when I have encouraging friends like you. I am so appreciative of your support. Thank you!

      Btw, have you ever considered podcasting? I could share a few tips if you ever decide to go in this direction.

    • Faith,

      I'm so glad you like the cover. I love Charlotte's picture too. I'm tempted to go back and publish the first book with a new matching cover!

      Thank you for all the congratulations!

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