EU015: From School to Unschooling with Heather Newman

Heather Newman is a long-time unschooling mom. She and her husband have three children, and I really enjoyed speaking with her about our shared experience of bringing our children home after they’d started school, and from there, moving to unschooling. We talk about what their days looked like when the kids first came home, how Heather came to trust the process of unschooling, and how her relationships with her children changed.

Quote of the Week

“How I hated schools, and what a life of anxiety I lived there. I counted the hours to the end of every term, when I should return home.” ~ Winston Churchill

Questions for Heather

1. Can you share with us a bit about your background and your family?

2. What did your family’s choice to take your children out of school look like?

3. Did you know about unschooling already, or was it something you discovered once they were home?

4. What kinds of things did you and the kids do those first months?

5. Of your children, Ben was in school the longest—were there any activities he avoided for the first while after he came home?

6. What changes did you see in your children after they’d been home a while? Was there a big adjustment period for them?

7. As you were deschooling, what were some of the ways you enjoyed learning more about unschooling? Did your understanding grow in stages?

8. How did you build trust in the process of unschooling? When did you know it was working well for your family?

9. How did your relationships with your children change over that first year?

10. As deschooling shifted into unschooling, did you find any unexpected benefits with the lifestyle? Things you didn’t anticipate, but turned out to be wonderful?

11. What does life look like for you guys now?

Links to things mentioned in the show

Heather’s Facebook Page: Heather Newman Art

Heather’s Etsy Shop: Heather Newman Art Shop