I always enjoy connecting with other people who are already on this journey or just thinking about it. So please get in touch if you’ve any questions, or just to say Hi.
You can email me at: contact@esther-jones.com
PODCAST
Join me for this lovely chat with Angela Harders @peacefulworldschooler. Angela lives in Maryland with her two children, who are now 9 and 4, and was a public high school teacher for 12 years. When her daughter was five, she took her out of school but continued to work as a public school teacher for three more years, until it felt too at odds with how she was seeing learning naturally take place at home. And she felt increasingly uncomfortable to be part of a school dynamic based on coercion, rewards and punishment.
A lazy couple of hours at the beach with my daughter, which nearly didn’t happen because I felt like there were too many other things that had to happen today. But actually, there was not one single thing that couldn’t wait ☀️
I am immensely enjoying Peter Gray’s weekly series of essays about play on Substack, called Play Makes Us Human. Every time one pops into my email, I get myself a large mug of coffee and settle in for what I know will be an entertaining and enlightening read.
There are still places on this Thursday’s online Thriving Beyond School workshop. If you’re still settling in to self-directed learning or just finding it all a bit challenging, this is the workshop for you!
Join me this episode as I chat with Lorna Norton, cofounder (and visionary!) of @kithhomestead in North Yorkshire. Lorna and her husband created this outdoor learning space in 2019, when their son was just two, based on their vision of the kind of environment and community they would like him to have as he grew.
Tune in for this great conversation with the lovely and very wise Naomi Fisher. We talk about some of the many issues of mainstream education and the adverse effects they can have on children, and we delve into why self-directed learning, with its focus on process rather than content, allows a child a far richer learning experience. If you haven't come across Naomi before, the perspective and experience she brings to the table as a clinical psychologist and mother of self-directed children are really worth hearing. She also shares her thoughts on how parents can best support a child who has left the education system after a challenging time. Plus, some bonus reassuring words for parents who find imaginative play really, really hard!
Workshops and courses
Are you looking to deepen your understanding of how unschooling can look for your family? Take a step further on your path of living and learning beyond school, and join me in one of my upcoming workshops or courses!
Thriving beyond school. The deschooling workshop
This two-hour online session will provide you with the tools you need to accompany your child on their journey of learning beyond school and to hold an open, curious and joyful space within which the whole family can thrive.
Next session: March 23rd, 2023
Click here for more information and to book your place:
Mindful parenting 6-week course
This six-week, on-line course is for parents who want to explore how practising mindfulness can transform their parenting and their relationship with their children. It is particularly suited to parents of neurodivergent children and those outside of mainstream schooling.
Starting April 13th, 2023
Click here for more information and to book your place
A PLACE ON A HILL 