Pam Laricchia's Blog, page 24
July 10, 2019
EU184: Sprinkle in More Love with Shannon Loucks
Shannon Loucks joins me to talk about unschooling, parenting, and her new book, Love More: 50+ ways to build joy into childhood. Shannon’s an unschooling mom with two boys and she believes in the power of play and partnership as a way to bring more joy and love into our children’s lives. We dive into the story behind the book, the value of patience in our relationships, the deschooling shift to seeing the child rather than the behaviour, what she loves most about their unschooling lives right now, and lots more!
Questions for Shannon
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family and how long
you’ve been unschooling?
My imprint, Forever Curious Press, recently published your book, Love More: 50+ ways to build joy into childhood. I love the book, and I’d love to hear the story behind your choice to write it. How did that come about?
I thought we’d dive into a couple of the ideas in the book. It’s divided into two sections, so let’s do one from each. The first section is Love in Action, and I thought we could talk about your suggestion to ‘Smell the Roses.’ Can you share your thoughts around it?
The second section is, Love in Presence. To me, the distinction between the two sections feels like ‘things to do’ and ‘ways to be.’ From this section, I’d love to talk about the idea to ‘See the Child, Not the Behavior.’ As you mention, this is so much easier said than done. But it’s such a valuable shift, isn’t it?
Your book is full of inspiration and ideas about how to bring more fun, more love, and more joy into your days. Why does that aspect of parenting feel important to you? So important that you chose to write a book about it to share with the world.
What do you love most about your unschooling lives right now?
Things mentioned in the episode
Check out Shannon’s book, Love More: 50+ ways to build joy into childhood
And here’s the book trailer!
Shannon’s earlier podcast episode, EU063: Gentle Parenting with Shannon Loucks
You can read more of Shannon’s writing and connect with her on her blog, on her Facebook page, and on Instagram.
Episode Transcript
July 3, 2019
EU183: Unschooling in Context with Anna Brown
Anna Brown joins me this week for another Unschooling in Context episode!
This time we’re diving into unschooling in the context of life. And what I mean by that is, we’re exploring how unschooling eventually weaves so tightly into our lives. Which is beautiful! Unschooling IS living our lives. Yet, as challenges arise, it can also be valuable to ask ourselves, “Is it the unschooling?”
Consider this:
The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many of our thoughts, while prompted by our journey to unschooling, have grown beyond unschooling. So, with this episode, Anna and I tackle some of the common questions we see in unschooling circles that, in the bigger picture, maybe aren’t really about the unschooling.
Discussion Points
When we begin unschooling, we soon find ourselves deep in deschooling territory. We question so much of the prevailing wisdom around learning and parenting and, eventually, life in general. Through our journey to unschooling we come to see life differently, don’t we?
A big part of deschooling is changing how we see and engage with our children, with lots of questions around building trusting and respectful relationships. Yet, when all is said and done, is that really about the unschooling? Even if our kids went to school next week, I suspect we’d still want to cultivate trusting and respectful relationships with them.
What about sibling relationships?
Let’s talk about issues around housework, like cleaning, chores, tidying up messes etc, whether our own stress or conflicts with our spouse or partner. I think these challenges most often stem from choosing being with our children over cleaning the house. That’s a fundamental shift in parenting priorities that we often embrace more deeply as we move to unschooling, so it’s pretty easy to conflate the two. The question is, would they go away if we were no longer unschooling?
What about bigger events, like medical emergencies or moving? Chances are, we’ve made some unschooling-inspired changes in how we approach them.
Episode transcript
June 26, 2019
EU182: Unschooling and Video Games
It’s time for another compilation episode! This time, let’s dive into video games. Video games are a common topic of conversation in unschooling circles because, when it comes to questioning conventional advice, this topic is a hot bed of widely varying perspectives. For me, when I find myself in that conundrum, I look to my reality. What does it look like for me, for my kids, for my family?
And with this episode, I’m widening that a bit to ask, what does it look like for other unschooling families? I’ve brought together snippets of podcast conversations with both unschooling parents and with grown unschoolers.
I hope you find it both interesting and helpful as you explore unschooling!
Audio Snippets Taken from These Episodes …
EU179: Unschooling Stories with Joan Concilio
EU109: Unschooling Stories with Sylvia Woodman
EU134: How Unschooling Grows with Virginia Warren
EU008: Q&A Round Table with Anne Ohman and Anna Brown
EU068: Unschooling and Technology with Teri DeMarco
EU119: Gaming and Growing Up Unschooling with Xander MacSwan
EU159: Growing Up Unschooling with Max VerNooy
EU141: Growing Up Unschooling with Alec Traaseth
EU180: Growing Up Unschooling with Nick Bergson-Shilcock
EU181: Growing Up Unschooling with Jack & Sean O’Brien
Episode Transcript
Credits
Episode image by allinonemovie from Pixabay.
June 19, 2019
EU181: Growing Up Unschooling with Jack & Sean O’Brien
Jack and Sean O’Brien both grew up unschooling. Sean chose to continue unschooling during his teen years and Jack chose to go to high school. Now they’re both in college and we have a wonderful conversation about the ways that unschooling has woven its way through their current college experiences.
Questions for Jack & Sean
Can you guys share with us a bit about you and your family?
What were some of your bigger interests growing up and how did you pursue them?
Jack, you chose to go to high school, and Sean, you chose to continue unschooling during those years. How did those choices come about?
You’re both now in college and university. Can you share what you’re studying and how you’re finding the experience?
How do you guys see your experiences growing up unschooling informing your current, more formal, education experiences?
As grown unschoolers, what piece of advice would you each like to share with unschooling parents who are just starting out on this journey?
Things mentioned in the show
Learn more about the Homeschooling Global Summit
Episode Transcript
June 12, 2019
EU180: Growing Up Unschooling with Nick Bergson-Shilcock
Nick Bergson-Shilcock joins me this week! In a nutshell, Nick grew up unschooling and now runs the Recurse Center in New York. It’s a wonderful space for both new and experience programmers to take a sabbatical and vastly improve their programming skills. It was fascinating to hear the story of how the Recurse Center came to be and how it really has its roots unschooling.
Questions for Nick
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?
What were some of your bigger interests growing up and how did you pursue them?
I’d love to hear the origin story behind the Recurse Center. Why did you want to start a company to help people learn more about programming?
Understanding that most people come from a background of traditional schooling and work environments, I would be really interested to hear how you guys give participants that space for the floundering but also help them get used to and participate in and get something of value out of this new kind of environment for them.
The Recurse Center has continued to grow since its first batch of participants in 2011, and you moved into a bigger space last fall. It definitely seems like it’s often a successful experience for everyone involved. What do participants say about their time there?
Looking back now, what do you appreciate most about growing up unschooling?
Things mentioned in the show
Check out the Recurse Center in NYC
Episode Transcript
June 5, 2019
EU179: Unschooling Stories with Joan Concilio
Joan Concilio joins me to share some of her family’s wonderful unschooling stories. We dive into her journey to unschooling, the learning that happened along the way, the profound changes it brought to their lives and the deep connections that it forged. She also talks about what it’s like to live in a highly regulated state and how unschooling can still fit right in. So many nuggets for people at any stage of their journey!
Questions for Joan
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?
How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling look like?
I’d love to talk about unschooling with kids who have learning differences. That can trip us up for a while, especially at the beginning when we’re thinking of our role as replacing school learning. What are some of the advantages you see with unschooling for kids whose learning styles are more unconventional?
One of the most common questions newer unschooling parents have surrounds video games. Much of the conventional parenting advice out there characterizes playing video games as mindless fun, often addictive, unproductive, and ultimately a waste of time. Yet, as parents dive deeper into exploring unschooling, they start to hear stories about gaming that contradict that perspective. Can you share your experience around the value of video games?
You live in Pennsylvania, which is known as a highly regulated state for homeschooling. Can you share some tips about on how people might document their unschooling days to meet homeschooling requirements?
What has surprised you most so far about how unschooling unfolded in your lives?
Things mentioned in the show
Joan’s blog, Unschool RULES
Check out their fun non-profit, Pengins for Everyone
Episode Transcript
May 29, 2019
EU178: Q&A with Anna and Pam
Anna Brown joins me this week to answer listener questions. We talk about finding ways to live together when we have different styles and needs, considering diplomas and next steps, allowances and family money, and how learning looks different in unschooling families.
Question 1 [00:00:20]
How do I make a minimalist, quiet home dynamic enough for a lively and curious sociable 10 year old?
Question 2 [00:10:49]
How to support a child who is considering school, with concerns from family and concerns about bullying?
Question 3 [00:20:01]
Can unschooling fit under an “eclectic homeschooling” approach?
Question 4 [00:33:47]
Mum would like some ideas about how to manage an unschooling household when one of the parents is highly sensitive.
Question 5 [00:39:17]
Do unschooled kids learn reading, writing, and maths. And how does it compare to traditional school and what they’re learning in that regard? If they only want to play video games all day are they permitted to do so? And if they are allowed to follow their bliss and their bliss is to sit and be lazy. Then what?
Question 6 [00:48:06]
How do unschoolers get a high school diploma? Or do they? And if not how does college fit in?
Question 7 [00:53:36]
Looking for ideas around allowances, paying for chores or not and managing requests.
Links to things mentioned in the show:
Check out the Patreon page for the podcast!
Pam mentioned her three blog posts about learning reading, writing, and math outside school
Blake Boles book, College Without High School: A Teenager’s Guide to Skipping High School and Going to College
You can find blog posts and podcasts related to video games here
We also mentioned the podcast episodes Unschooling on a Budget with Glenna McAulay and Unschooling and Autism with Erin Human
Episode transcript
May 22, 2019
EU177: Growing Up Unschooling with Alyssa Patterson
Alyssa Patterson joins me this week to chat about growing up unschooling! Alyssa and I dive into her interests growing up, her choice to go to high school for a year and a half, how she came to open her own business a few months ago, what she appreciates most about growing up unschooling, and lots more!
Questions for Alyssa
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?
What were some of your interests growing up and how did you pursue them?
You chose to go to high school for a year and a half. I’d love to hear how that chapter of your story unfolded. How did that decision come about and what was the experience like for you? Why did you decide to leave?
You recently opened your own hair salon, Blissfully Blonde. Congrats! I’d love to hear how your interest in hair styling developed.
Looking back now, what do you appreciate most about growing up unschooling?
What are your plans for the next year or two?
As a grown unschooler, what piece of advice would you like to share with unschooling parents who are just starting out on this journey?
Episode Transcript
May 15, 2019
EU176: Coming Home with Tara Soto-Regester
Tara Soto-Regester, an unschooling mom with two children, joins me for a wonderful conversation about her family’s journey from school to unschooling. We dive into how she discovered unschooling, her son’s transition from school to coming home, what’s surprised her along the way, her new podcast, and lots more!
Questions for Tara
Can you share with us a bit about you and your family?
How did you discover unschooling and decide that was where you’d like to go?
When your son left school and came home, what did his transition to unschooling look like?
What has surprised you most about your unschooling journey so far?
You recently started a podcast, A Mother’s Intuition. The tagline is, “openly exploring the intuitive connection of children.” I’d love to hear the story behind it!
What’s your favourite thing about your unschooling days right now?
Link to things mentioned in the show
I was recently a guest on Tara’s podcast, an episode titled, Trusting Kids’ Intuition in Learning.
Tara mentioned Ben Hewitt’s book, Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconnecting with the Natural World
Tara’s podcast, A Mother’s Intuition.
You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook and her website.
Episode Transcript
May 8, 2019
EU175: Deschooling with Leah Rose
Leah Rose joins me this week to share her unschooling experience. Turns out, our conversation had such a lovely, organic flow that we soon left the questions behind!
Show Notes
In our conversation,we wove our way through these ideas:
intrinsic motivationthe pitfalls of comparisontransitioning to unschoolingbreaking down deschoolingconversations taking the place of “no” the dance of relationshipsletting go of outcomeshealing sibling relationshipschoosing curiosity over fear
Links to things mentioned in the show
Leah first found John Holt and he opened the floodgates
Pam mentioned Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Leah mentioned Sandra Dodd’s website
Episode Transcript
