Episodes

Dola Dasgupta is a long-time unschooling mom with two older children and we have a fascinating conversation! She shares some wonderful stories as we dive into her journey to unschooling, deschooling challenges along the way, the value of free time, her experience unschooling in India, and lots more. Questions for Dola Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What is everybody interested in right now? How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling ...

Bob Mahan joins me to talk about his experience as an unschooling dad. An accountant for 24 years, he had all the bells and whistles of that career, but he didn’t enjoy it. In our conversation, he shares his journey from there to unschooling and living a life of freedom, fun, and connection. Nowadays, Bob, his wife, and their three sons live in an RV—they traveled around the US for a few years and are currently living in Orlando. Questions for Bob Can you share with us a bit about you and your ...

Marcella O’Brien joins me this week. Marcella is an unschooling mom of three boys. Her grown sons, Jack and Sean, joined me to share their experiences back in episode 181, so it was such a treat to hear Marcella’s journey. She was also a public school teacher and still tutors math which led to a fascinating conversation about her observations around math in school verses unschooling. With toes in both worlds, her unique perspective really lends some amazing insights to a subject that comes up a ...

Nisa Deeves and her daughter Jewel join me this week to answer ten questions about their unschooling lives. This was a lovely chat that felt like sharing a cup of tea with old friends. I love the rich tapestry of lives created by all of the unschoolers who so generously share their time with me. Questions for Nisa and Jewel 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? What did you find to be t...

When we first decide our children aren’t going to go to school, it can be daunting to envision how they’re going to learn instead. The great thing is, we don’t need to re-create the ethos of school in our homes to help our children’s learning thrive in the real world. In this talk I gave in 2018, I dig into the conventional wisdom that surrounds learning by exploring three characteristics of real and effective learning: engagement, motivation, and time to think. By the end, you’ll be well on yo...

Michelle Conaway joins me this week. Michelle is an unschooling mother of three and grandmother to one! She also runs the Texas Unschoolers group, coordinates their annual conference, and was gracious enough to share her journey and some wonderful stories and insights from their unschooling lives. Questions for Michelle Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What’s everybody into right now? How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling look lik...

Shan Burton is a writer, an unschooling mom and a recent widow. She kindly joins me this week to talk about her unschooling life, how the idea of Lovely Chaos (her website name) came about and how embracing unschooling healed her relationships and helped her family through the loss of their beloved husband and father. It was a lively, fun conversation and I’m so grateful that she agreed to join me and share so much of herself and their life. Questions for Shan Can you share with us a bit about ...

Sue Patterson joins me to talk about how the idea of “perfect” can get in the way of living our best unschooling life. We touch on comparisons, tough times, the personal work involved, the gifts that these choices bring, and lots more! Discussion Points Let’s start with the genuine excitement that bubbles up when we first discover and start exploring unschooling. No school schedules and homework battles? Connected and respectful relationships with our kids? Having fun? Sounds amazing! It can se...

It’s compilation episode time again! In many of my conversations with grown unschoolers, I ask what advice they’d like to share with newer unschooling parents who are starting out on this journey. In this episode, I’ve woven together answers from eleven episodes and twelve grown unschoolers. It’s so interesting to hear the things that they feel were valuable for them as they grew up unschooling. I think you’ll find their answers fascinating! And great fodder for you as you contemplate your fami...

Anna Brown joins Pam to talk about navigating the holiday season through the lens of unschooling. As we move into the holiday season, things can get challenging. Maybe you’re deep into deschooling and questioning everything—including holiday traditions—to see how well they really fit your family. Maybe you’re the lone unschooling family and anticipating uncomfortable visits with extended family as the holidays gear up. And then there’s the general stress that seems to build, both in the people ...

Kinsey Norris is an unschooling mom with two kids and we had a wonderful chat about her journey! She has a background in Early Childhood Education and it was fascinating to see how many seeds were planted along the way that ultimately grew into the amazing unschooling life they are living as a family today. Questions for Kinsey Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What are you each into right now? How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling...

Lucas Land is an unschooling dad with three kids, and we have a wonderful conversation about deschooling, living in another country, trusting our kids, and lots more! He also recently started a podcast, We Don’t Talk About That with Lucas Land. Questions for Lucas Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s transition to unschooling look like? Was there a shift in parenting for them in that area, from control to connection...

Anna Brown joins me this week to dive into listener questions. Question Summaries The first question is about deschooling and moving to unschooling. She has two boys and they have always homeschooled. They’ve been looking at moving to unschooling. She’s been reading and researching and she’s feeling a little bit overwhelmed. The main focus of her question was around Deschooling. Do they need it? What does it look like? How does unschooling begin? Our second question is about parent’s intuition...

School’s out. Now what? Choosing to step off the conventional education path and leave school behind is often the culmination of a long, and sometimes emotional, process. But, in the bigger picture, it’s really just the first step on your new path. School’s Out is a curated collection of some of my published articles, in an order that I think aligns well with the unschooling journey. I also had a lot of fun putting them together, magazine-style, in the PDF edition, as well as creating more stre...

Liza Swale joins me to talk about her unschooling journey and the value of connected relationships. She shares some amazing stories of trusting, being open, and following the flow. We also dive into what she’s learned about staying connected with her two children, who have very different needs and personalities, and how they prioritize connecting as a family. Questions for Liza Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What did your family’s move to unschooling look like? What ha...

Erika Ellis joins me this week to talk about the very important topic of self care. Of course, we look at the topic through the lens of unschooling, dispelling some myths and letting go of some “shoulds” about how to take care of ourselves. Erika shares so many practical, easy to use tips to help bring calm and peace to each moment. I’d love to hear your favorite tips in the comments! Questions for Erika Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? Now, let’s dive right into the topi...

It’s the 200th episode!!! What a wonderful journey it’s been! This week Anna Brown joins me for another Unschooling In Context episode. We explore the idea of deschooling and how it fits in the larger context of unschooling. We talk about language, our values, ideas that we can let go and so much more. Anna and I really enjoy these Unschooling in Context chats—we hope you do as well! Discussion Points The concept of beginner’s mind is a valuable place to start for deschooling. Deschooling our...

Holly Johnson is an unschooling mom with two children, and her family is currently traveling the world together! How they got to that place is an amazing story. We dive into the choice to remove a child from school, helping an anxious child, hacking their lives to suit themselves, and how unconditional acceptance and love is always the answer. Questions for Holly Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? Your family’s journey started with your son in school, as did ours. What were...

School’s out. Now what? Choosing to step off the conventional education path and leave school behind is often the culmination of a long, and sometimes emotional, process. But, in the bigger picture, it’s really just the first step on your new path. Welcome! School’s Out is a curated collection of some of my published articles, in an order that I think aligns well with the unschooling journey. I also had a lot of fun putting them together, magazine-style, in the PDF edition, as well as creating ...

Alex Polikowsky joins me to share an update about how her family weaves school and unschooling together. Recently, a listener posted a comment on Alex’s first podcast appearance (almost three years ago) about how much she enjoyed the episode and that she’d love to hear an update. I thought it was a great idea and luckily, Alex was up for it too! Questions for Alex Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? In the last episode, you talked about Gigi’s school experience—she chose to ...

Katie Patterson left school after kindergarten and grew up unschooling. She is an actress, a writer, and an all-around lover of horror. We have a wonderful conversation about her childhood, how her path has unfolded, what she loved about unschooling, and what she’s up to now. Questions for Katie 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? We talk pretty regularly on the podcast about giving kids room to fully ...

Renee Cabatic, the mother of two unschooled teens, joins me this week to share some wonderful stories from their lives. We dive into passions and comfort zones, college and quitting, agency and self-efficacy, and lots more. Questions for Renee Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What did your family’s move to unschooling look like? Many long-time unschooling parents have a story around learning the value of stretching their comfort zones. The spark is usually one of our kid...

Compilation episode time! This time, let’s explore the idea of stretching our comfort zones. This can come up in various ways along our unschooling journey. Often, we first encounter it when we’re actively deschooling and questioning so much of the conventional wisdom around learning and parenting that we’ve absorbed growing up. We can also find ourselves playing at the edges of our comfort zones if our child becomes interested in something that we’re not fond of, or we’re unfamiliar with. Or m...

Martha Delmore joins me this week to talk about unschooling with younger children. Unschooling wasn’t on her radar before she had kids—she’s a former high school teacher—but her desire to maintain and enhance her relationships with them led her down this unexpected path. We dive into attachment parenting, when family members question our choices, the transition to unschooling, and lots more! Questions for Martha Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? I’d love to hear how you di...