Rounding out the first season of Australian Homeschool Stories is my partner in life, homeschooling and podcasting, Daniel. Together we are raising our two wildlings, aged 5 and 2, amidst the natural splendours of the Mornington Peninsula.  SUMMARY Dan recalls his journey through public, international and private schooling and how gaining early acceptance into his preferred tertiary course meant year 12 was a write off and his ENTER score proved irrelevant a second time when he returned to university as a mature aged student later in lifeMusic is his greatest passion but he became burnt out by the industry in his twenties, only to rediscover his love for it after becoming a parent and seeing the joy music brought to our childrenReflecting back on how this podcast came about and how we have combined our talents to make it possibleDan’s initial reaction to my want to homeschool, in contrast to having placed our daughter on two private high school waiting lists from birthHis de-schooling process was a long, slow journey which he believes largely stems from his own school baggageHow homeschool naturally aligned with our family values, and felt like the final piece of the puzzle in achieving the home based lifestyle we were seekingCreativity is what we want to instil in our children and carve out time forCuriosity is the foundation of all knowledge, the bedrock for a lifetime of learningDan is completely self taught as a musician and this gives him immense confidence that homeschooling is the right path to pursueRetrospectively imagining if you took school out of the picture for kids that it didn’t serveDan’s advice to skeptical parents - be open minded, take your time, everyone has the same concerns  INSPIRATION Peter Gray - Free to Learn John Taylor Gatto - Dumbing us Down Stark Raving Dad  CONNECT Daddy Dan The Music Man Spotify Daddy Dan The Music Man YouTube Daniel Garrood Spotify @garroodcomposer Instagram Have you got a story to tell? Connect with us on instagram @australianhomeschoolstories or email [email protected] This podcast is recorded on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land. Original music - Hazel by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer Listen on Spotify here