Carla - Winchelsea VIC / Wathaurong Country

Carla is a single mum who is unschooling her two neurodivergent boys, aged 8 & 5 in South Western Victoria. In today's episode you will hear how she juggles co-parenting and co-homeschooling as she reflects on her pathway from studying her masters in teaching to now revelling in her boys learning through autonomous play. 

SUMMARY

• Carla's childhood growing up on acreage as a country kid who adored horses but didn't particular enjoy school
• Her eldest sons time spent in the NICU as a newborn shifted her worldview and made her realise she wanted to do things differently
• The first time she came across the term unschooling she was studying for her masters of teaching and the connection she felt to this philosophy was instantaneous
• The struggle of persisting with societal expectations, trying to find the right environment, the right place, the right people for her son after he was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and PDA at two years old
• She’d been adamant that she wasn’t going to homeschool up until COVID lockdowns began but saw first hand how content and happy her son was simply being at home
• Co-parenting and co-homeschooling - How Carla and her ex juggle their lives
• The story of how her eldest learnt to read of his own accord 
• Celebrating what our kids can do instead of what they haven’t mastered, yet
• Her experience of attending her first homeschool camp
• Valuing wellbeing over happiness
• “The school system is designed to suit the largest majority and you can’t get around that, there’s just no way of making it fit for everyone”

INSPIRATION

The Call of the Wild and Free - Ainsley Arment
Homegrown - Ben Hewitt
The Art of Self Directed Learning - Blake Boles
A Different Way to Learn - Naomi Fisher
Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? - Blake Boles
Unschooled - Kerry McDonald
Free to Learn - Peter Gray
John Holt's books
John Taylor Gatto's books

Consider asking your local library to order in a copy of these books if they don't currently have them in their collection

Henry Giroux

https://freyadawson.com.au/

https://theeducatingparent.com/

https://happinessishereblog.com/

Homeschool Camps Victoria Facebook page


CONNECT
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This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.

Original Music by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here