I can think of no better spokesperson for unschooling in Australia than Sara, whose four daughters (aged 15, 13, 10 and 8) have never been to school. This inspiring family of six who call sunny Queensland home, have collaboratively and creatively designed their lives. As well as unschooling, she is a passionate advocate for respectful parenting and children's rights.
SUMMARY
- Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, Sara went from being private schooled herself to zero percent school for her own children. Once she became a mother, admiring her curious, happy, carefree children, all she could think was that school would wreck this.
- If you had asked her as a child whether she enjoyed school herself she would have said she loved it, but looking back she can only remember the bad things, such as being overwhelmed and stressed by assessments and carrying everyday anxiety that she might get in trouble.
- The stereotype of teens being lazy is not her experience at all, they are on the go all the time, the have a million ideas and projects. They are not what people say.
- As a result of starting young and never sending her kids to school, they have grown up being in control of their own interests and learning for so long they are experts now.
- Sara defines adultism/childism and how this is perpetrated throughout modern day society. There is a way to do things better, where we can all be equal.
- We all have different responsibilities based on our age and our relationship to children but that doesn’t mean we have different rights.
- Unschooling is an extension of respectful parenting
- Deschooling never ends. There is always more that comes ups and every age your kid gets to there is something else.
- She and her husband got to a point where they had read too much and could not knowingly send their girls to school knowing what they knew. Once you’ve gone down the rabbit hole, there is no turning back.
- More people need to talk about homeschooling and unschooling, so more people know this in an option, because so many still don’t.
- The importance of having a community and feeling like you belong
- How her community has evolved over the years from early years to teens - book club, project fairs, talent show, markets, monthly excursions and lots of hanging out and playing.
- Why we need to stop using the word sacrifice when it comes to choosing home education.
- There is no end date to learning. Her own teenage daughter’s perspective is that nothing’s really going to change when she turns 18, they’ll just keep living like they are now and life will carry on as it always has.
- You have a lot of time. You don’t need to know what you’re doing, you can just start and work it out as you go along. All of us are making it up as we go along.
- No one is an expert. You can literally do whatever works for your family.
NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes and references to all resources, books and inspiration Sara shares in this episode:
FULL SHOW NOTES HERE
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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
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