The Life Without School Podcast

A lot of parents are sensing that the gap between school and the real world has become very large. But many are having a hard time pulling all the threads together to work out why that gap feels so vast, and what the impact on their children might end up being if they ignore it. In this episode, I’m going to put words to why formal education has been now disrupted forever. For regular encouragemen...

What actually happens when an unschooler decides they want to try school? In this episode, I’m sharing the story of our 9-year-old daughter choosing to go to school. Before that day, she had never once stepped into a classroom. I talk about why we agreed to it. How we prepared. What the transition into a classroom was actually like. How she went socially. What happened academically. What sort of o...

I want to put something to you. If you’ve chosen to home educate your children - whatever form that takes, however structured or unstructured you are - there’s a good chance you’re not valuing yourself, or your role, nearly as much as you should. And I say that with no judgement at all. Because I’ve done that too. As has my wife, Kate. In fact, she’s my inspiration for this episode, because as she...

For all of human history, childhood has been a time of preparation for an adulthood you could see, and understand, and picture yourself living. You could look ahead and see the kind of adult you were likely to become. You could picture the work you'd do, the way life would look, the shape it would take. Things would always get more modern, but between your childhood and your adulthood they di...

In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the biggest questions home educating families face: how do I know this whole thing is actually working? I explore: Why the “gaps” in your child’s learning might be their greatest strength. How traditional benchmarks can (no, will) hold your child back. What real signs of growth and progress look like, and how to spot them. If you’ve ever found yourself second-...

In this episode, I'm digging deep into what could be the most important commitments we make as home educators this year. I explore: How to confidently reject any and all expectations that don't serve your family Building genuine confidence as your child's primary educator Breaking free from the pressure to make learning look "educational" Setting goals that actually matter...

In this episode, I’m digging deep into one of the biggest challenges facing homeschooling families today: finding balance with tech and screen time. I explore: What the latest research really says about the impact of screens on our kids (it's not as simple as 'good or bad'). How to create screen-free boundaries that actually stick. How my family found our own balance with technology...

In this episode, I spend some time examining three common perceptions that are unique to unschooling: That unschooling is 'unparenting' That unschooling will create lazy children And that unschooling means you have no rules or structure whatsoever It’s a super interesting discussion that leads us through areas like life rhythms, autonomy and motivation, and regardless of whether you’re u...

In this episode, I'm sharing six ways you can overcome any feelings you have about not being 'enough' as a home educating parent. Not smart enough, organised enough, social enough, qualified enough... I wrote a post recently that started scratching at the surface of this. Today, we're digging deep. For regular encouragement and support just like this, including weekly mini-epis...

In this episode I'm talking more about something this podcast was literally born from: the idea of children falling behind where they should be. First, I talk about how the world generally views progress in childhood, and why it’s so problematic and broken. And then second, I present a different view of that. A different idea of measurement and benchmarking and progress for our children. Wher...

In this episode I'm going to do something that might feel a bit uncomfortable. But if we want to move education forward in any real meaningful way, the kind of thinking I’m about to take you through is incredibly important. I’m going to take some of the main questions that home educators are traditionally asked - some of the main worries people express when they hear you’re a home educating f...

With so many families making the decision to leave the formal education system and take their own path through life, it also means there are a whole lot of grandparents out there going... Hold on, what’s happening here?! We have a comprehensive, effective school system designed specifically to educate us in all the areas we’ll need to fully prepare for life. Why on earth would anyone walk away fro...

The definition of education is being taught, and the learning that results from it. A process that happens, for a child, in a classroom. But if you read that a couple of times, does it sound interesting and inspiring? Does it really sound like it’s centered on our children, designed to help them become independent, life-long learners, who know how to get the best out of themselves? I don’t think i...

Will your children be sheltered? How will you educate them properly if you're not a qualified teacher? How will they get a good job when they grow up? Everyone who chooses a life without school will be asked these kinds of questions at some point. In this episode, we chat through the nine most common ones a home educating family will hear, with the goal of empowering you to confidently frame...

We're back with another question and answer episode, where I take a few of your questions and talk my way through them. I really love working on this episode each month, because your questions always reflect the struggles, the worries, and the hopes and dreams, of so many of us. A big thank you to Amy, Jacqui and Kate for taking the time to send in their recordings so we can hear, directly, f...

Today, I want to talk about why I believe it’s so important that we - as home educating parents - play the role of coach, and mentor, and guide to our children. I want to take you through the simple, but powerful, framework Kate and I have used to help our children discover, explore, and run with their passions. And I want to talk about some related things, like perseverance and failure. I’m SO ex...

Happy New Year, everyone! The Life Without School Podcast is BACK. For the very first episode of 2022, I’m taking you through seven things that will help set your family up for the best possible home educating year. These are all things that, through years of experience and reflection, I’ve found contribute the most to balance, personal growth, and fulfilment in our home. From the importance of ti...

The global home educating community has grown like crazy in 2021. More families are choosing a life without school than ever before, and it’s never been more important - as we go into the new year - to lift each other up, and encourage, and support, and inspire one another. Which is why, in this very short but heartfelt episode, I want to say thank you to YOU. Because you have already spread the L...

In this episode I want to help you build your de-schooling muscle. The process of taking everything you know about education, wiping your mental slate as clean as possible, and coming at the whole idea of how children learn as fresh as you can. To do that, I want to take you through five commonly held beliefs about education and childhood. Through this conversation, you will grow progressively mor...

Welcome back to another question and answer episode - where I take some time to dig into things you all want to hear more about it. They might be things you’re personally struggling with, or worried about, or planning for...and I really love having these conversations, because it’s always such a great reminder that we’re not alone on this road. In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts on these thr...

Home educating parents often put a huge amount of pressure on themselves to perform the role of being a teacher, and in this episode I want to talk through why I believe the stress, tension, and feelings of failure that so often come from that are unnecessary. First, we’ll talk through four reasons why I believe it’s a mistake to try and be a teacher to your home educated child. Then, we’ll talk t...

Asking our children to all learn the same things, at the same times, in the same groups, in the same spaces, with only the same ages… …is effectively asking them to become the same as everyone else. It’s asking them to think less about their true selves, and more about what the most accepted version of it might be. It’s asking them to see their uniqueness as a bad thing, and fitting in as good. No...

In this episode we're looking at a philosophy that underpins how Kate and I approach life with our kids, their education, and our relationships with them. It's very different to the way formal education is approached, and is based on the power of trust . We’ll talk about the process of letting go of that complete control over a child’s education that is so engrained in us. About why it’s...

In this - the first of many episodes where I'll spend some time answering listener questions - I talk through: 1) How do you respond to people saying ‘life is hard - if you don’t force your child to do things they don’t want to do, how will they be prepared for life’? 2) How on earth do you ever find time for yourself, and your own interests? 3) How do I get my husband to see how beneficial h...

A lot of you have asked for a day-in-the-life style episode, so...here it is! I think there's a stack of important context that should always be shared as part of this kind of conversation, though, so this episode is made up of three parts (if you listen in, *please* make sure you go right through - taking any of this in isolation just...won't be as useful): Part 1 is some of the thinkin...