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!

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When Unschooling Spills Over into Parenting

Some random thoughts about unschooling and parenting… Sometimes I get the feeling most of the world thinks I’m a little strange. Whenever I post a parenting story I wonder if there are people out there thinking, “Wow! She’s a bit weird. She’s wrong too. Parenting like that would never work.” I admit it. I’m weird. I know I have drifted into dangerous waters. It was quite okay when we were…
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When a Child Can’t Cope

A few months ago, a family story made big news in a city newspaper. One Sunday, a married couple decided to take their small son to a restaurant. It wasn’t long before the young boy started to make a fuss. He wouldn’t sit quietly in his chair and do what his parents wanted, and soon he was the centre of attention. Fellow diners complained about the child’s noise and behaviour,…
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The Changing Seasons of the Unschooling Year

I saw a friend the other day who asked, “When are you finishing school work for the year?” I grinned wickedly and replied, “Finishing? We haven’t even started. We haven’t done anything for a long time.” I shouldn’t joke. People will think unschoolers are lazy and do nothing. I should take the time to explain properly exactly what we do. For of course we do lots of things. We’re always…
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How I Removed an Engine from a Car

Callum arrives home from town. He stops by my bedroom to say hello. I glance up from my computer and say, “Callum! You could have changed your clothes before going out!” Callum grins. His long shorts are streaked with grease. His fingers are black. He has a smudge on his face. “What will people think?” I am smiling. I don’t really care what people think. “You’re a reflection of your…
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Following My Mothering Instincts

Some years ago I came across a talk on discipline by a well-known speaker, an experienced family man, an ‘expert’ perhaps. The talk went something like this: The father must be the authority figure in the family. The mother should keep a misbehaviour chart for each of her children. When the father returns from work, he must deal with all the discipline issues that have occurred during the day. If…
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Gemma-Rose (9) Talks about Novel Writing

The other evening Gemma-Rose asked me if I’d like to listen to another chapter of the NaNoWriMo novel she is currently writing. I settled back on the sofa. She opened her computer and started reading.  “Do you like writing novels?” I asked, when she came to the end of the chapter. “Oh, yes!” We talked novel writing for a while and then I said, “How about I interview you? I…
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Reclaiming an Unschooling Sense of Adventure

I’ve been thinking about maths… high school maths. The other day I wrote about my unschooling high schooler. I told you how my sixteen year old daughter Charlotte feels like she is drowning in maths. The exercises for each of the maths topics in her course are never-ending. They take a long time to complete. Which would be okay if it was interesting and relevant. But it’s not. So what’s…
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Encouragement, Example and the Fun of Sharing Passions

 It’s the first of November. Today we’re celebrating All Saints Day. Today we’re also starting our NaNoWriMo novels. There is a sense of anticipation in the air. But before I dive head first into the imaginary world of my novel, I want to write a quick post. I had announced I was going to write a long blog post as my novel.  Of course, it would really have been lots…
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Sharing a Few Ideas with My Unschooling High Schooler

“How about we have a chat after lunch?” I ask 16 year old Charlotte. “You can tell me what you’ve been doing recently. Maybe I can help with some new resources.”  So after the lunch dishes have been cleared away, we meet in the family room. I have my computer on my lap. Charlotte has her notebook. “How’s maths going?” I begin. Charlotte screws up her nose and sighs. “You…
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Homeschooling in a Crisis

“So what have we got planned for today, Mum?” Sophie asks me.  “Well, nothing really,” I reply. “We can’t go anywhere because of the bushfire, but I guess I don’t have to keep such a close eye on the fire updates. I could read to you, or we could watch a DVD together.” Sophie smiles. Doing something together? That sounds good.  We’ve been living next to a huge bushfire for…
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Learning from Life

Today I am tired. I don’t feel like strewing. I don’t feel like discussing or watching or listening. I don’t feel excited or enthusiastic. My children feel the same way. We’ve been living with an out-of-control fire on our door step for the last 5 days, and yes, we are all tired.  Normally, I have loads of learning experiences to record in my dreaded records book at the end of…
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Why I Am My Children’s Number One Fan

“You have such good children!” says a woman as we come out of the church. My children smile. They glow with happiness. And then I spoil it all by saying rather hurriedly, “They’re not always this good, you know!” I feel uncomfortable, rather embarrassed. I want to brush off the woman’s compliment. I swipe it away as quickly as possible. And then I notice I’ve also swiped the smiles off…
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