Just living and learning
Thinking of unschooling your PDA child? Congratulations and fasten your seatbelt! You may well be embarking on the most challenging, frustrating, joyful and healing journey of your life. And, if your child is not diagnosed PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), but school has been/would be a bad fit for them, this post is for you too.... Continue Reading →
One of the most profound shifts I have experienced over these years has been in my understanding of neurodiversity. As with just about everything else, moving away from a mainstream perspective has allowed me to relax into living and observing life in a way that is both far more nuanced and far simpler at the... Continue Reading →
Every now and again, I'll read about the adventures of an unschooling family out there somewhere and feel a little envy. What triggers this is a certain kind of family photograph. They're all in wetsuits next to a row of kayaks, grinning on the peak of a mountain, or working together on a science project.... Continue Reading →
D was explaining recently what his ideal school would be like. If this school existed, he concluded, he would probably go. And so would I! D's school would have no more than six children in each class. The spirit would be entirely collaborative, so no competitions, medals, or being top of the class. Instead, each... Continue Reading →
Time outs, naughty steps and reward charts were never on my radar. None of that has ever made any sense to me. Even so, when my eldest son was younger I had to marvel at friends who did these things, and at how their children accepted them with minimal resistance. It was beyond my comprehension.... Continue Reading →
I hear a lot of doubt around whether unschooling can work for children with special needs. Perhaps it's because many of these children need so much help and support to get through formal education. And if it's stressful and exhausting even with everyone trying so hard, logic follows that without all that effort and structure,... Continue Reading →
PODCAST
A PLACE ON A HILL 