When Excitement for Learning Appears to Disappear
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.…
Comparing Homeschooling Styles: a Child’s View
Sophie and I are strolling up to the village together, arm in arm. Sophie is chattering but my mind is a million miles away… until I hear her say, “Miranda does much more school work than we do.” “What do…
A Genuine Invitation for Christian Unschoolers
Sometimes, invitations aren’t genuine invitations. They might sound like proper invitations. We say the right words, “Would you like to…?” but expect a particular response that doesn’t include the right to decline. Then, some invitations are issued without a personal…
Being Honest: Talking about Mistakes and Perfection
Some things are absolutely perfect, like our recent holiday to Jenolan Caves. As I look at the photos, I smile. I know I’ll enjoy the memories of that wonderful time again and again. But some things are far from perfect.…
Are You a Proper Unschooler?
I used to worry about labelling our family as unschoolers. What if someone came along and said, “You’re not proper unschoolers”? Some people don’t like labels. Labels can certainly divide us. Someone could say,”You’re not unschoolers but we are.” That…
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 family,” I tease my son. “Everyone will say, ‘Didn’t Callum’s…
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 a child has a ‘mark’ against his name he must…
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 could make a video of you talking about novel writing.”…
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 the point? Because she really wants to learn maths? I…
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 of different blog stories joined together in one document. Who’d…
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 should see the amount of work in the algebra section.”…
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 8 days now. Life has not been normal for all…
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 each day, despite our unstructured relaxed life style. The girls…
A New Series of Unschooling Videos
Have you subscribed to my Youtube channel? Perhaps you’re one of my recent subscribers? (If you are, thank you!) Over the past couple of…
Glimpsing the World through a Child’s Eyes
“Do you want to watch a movie? We’re having a boys’ movie night.” A movie night? That sounds like a relaxing way to spend…
How All Kids Are Amazing
The other day, I read a parenting article in which the author said that parents can love their kids too much. I told my…
Unschooling: Coping With the Unexpected
I used to think I could control my life. To achieve a perfect life, all I had to do was organise everything well, including my kids. What is a perfect life? My perfect life vision included a graduated row of good-looking and well-behaved children. I wanted people to admire my family and home, saying, “Sue is such a good mother!…
Unschooling and Connections: How Learning Is All About Creating a Web of Understanding
When I finished my university degree, I threw all my botany and biochemistry lecture notes and books into the garbage bin with relief. And I said, “No one will ever make me learn anything ever again!” I have a science degree, which was presented to me while I was wearing a fancy gown with a mortar board on my head.…
Unschooling Isn’t Freedom Gone Wild: Why Choices Matter More Than Ideals
My husband Andy returned to work today after two weeks at home. Holiday time is over. We’ve now moved into term time. A whole term of possibility days stretches before me. I’m free to do whatever I like with my time while Andy is at school. My eyes light up with delight. But then I remember there are many…
Does Christian Unschooling Interest You?
I’ve written three unschooling books: I focused on the educational side of unschooling in Curious Unschoolers. I extended the unschooling story in Radical Unschool Love by sharing parenting thoughts and stories. And I offered practical suggestions for turning all those interesting unschooling ideas into something real in families’ lives in The Unschool Challenge. Three books. A trilogy. Everything I can…
Can Christians Unschool?
Can Christians unschool? We’re Christian unschoolers. Maybe you’re Christian unschoolers too? There are lots of us living this way of life. But are we doing the right thing? Or are we side-stepping our responsibilities when we choose to unschool? Are we choosing the easy, lazy path? I often hear of parents who are struggling with homeschooling. Their kids aren’t doing…