Australian Homeschool Stories Australian Homeschool Stories

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"Even all the times when it was really, really hard, if I could go back right to the beginning now, I would make exactly the same choices to do it all over again. It's just been the most beautiful experience of my life.”

Today I have the pleasure of sharing Joss Goulden’s reflections on her adult children’s natural learning life. As an aware parenting instructor and parenting coach, Joss is passionate about supporting children and parents to thrive and heal with compassion and connection. In this episode she beautifully espouses how much her family’s homeschooling journey has meant to her. Settle in, pour yourself a cup of tea and let the sage words of encouragement from Joss wash over you.


SUMMARY
Joss was born in the Phillipines but grew up mostly in the UK. Her father was a diplomat which meant her family travelled a lot and at the age of 8 she was sent to boarding school in the UK, where she stayed for the remainder of her schooling.Joss left school with a lot of trauma that she wasn’t aware of at the time but she was interested in people and psychology and how we work as humans and went on to study psychology, human communication science & counselling.She and her husband settled in Australia after spending years travelling themselves, and when they decided to have children of their own, Joss dove deep into the attachment and aware parenting philosophies.Attachment is the first and most fundamental aspect of aware parenting and what children need in order to thrive is this sense that they are safely connected with another adult who loves them, who cares about their wellbeing, who is tuned into them and is responsive to their needs. Where they feel safe and supported and loved. Attachment, relationship, connection and safety are vitally important for children's well-being.How & why homeschooling naturally evolved into natural learning for their family.The importance of surrounding yourself with like minded community and how her own community varied and evolved over the years.Seeing the value of all kinds of learning equally.How Joss navigated the teen years and the natural separation process with the strong foundation of love and support that has guided them throughout.The pathways her eldest took getting into TAFE and university.It’s okay to take your children out of school. It’s okay to do things differently. 
CONNECT

Instagram - @awareparentingwithjoss
Facebook - Aware Parenting with Joss
Website - awareparenting.com.au


NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes, links and references to all Joss shares in this episode:

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands 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.

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“How many of us are in our 40s now only just learning how to be artists again because we were told we weren't any good at it?”

Bel is raising her two boys (aged 8 and 5) alongside her sister and daughter (aged 6) with the loving support of their parents. They all live & learn together on four acres overlooking the beautiful Derwent River in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. This multigenerational family are an inspiring example of folk who have dared to do things a little differently. They are all reaping the benefits of living life without school, with plenty of love and support.

SUMMARY


Born and bred Tassie girl Bel attended a tiny primary school (42 kids in total) and aside from two difficult years, she mostly loved school. She had a great memory, was an early effortless reader and eager to please - a teacher’s dream!Bel always knew she wanted to be a mum, but was unlucky in love. After a few nudges from others, she woke up one morning and thought, I’m just going to do it myself. It felt like the right thing to do and it was a straight forward IVF experience.Bel recalls how one property sparked all their imaginations and brought three generations of the one family together, six years ago.Her eldest son enjoyed his kindergarten experience so it came as a shock to Bel when his teacher suggested he would be labelled a naughty kid at school for being a bit of dreamer and that maybe she should consider homeschooling.When Tassie borders re-opened post covid lockdown, Bel’s hand was forced into giving homeschooling a chance so to keep her family healthy in order to keep her business running.They began with a play based pre-school curriculum at home and were learning & deschooling on the fly with their choice to homeschool being a last minute decision."And then by the time I’d really read into homeschooling, I was like, well, this is it. I can't go back now.”How Bel is able to run her business, unschool her kids and take care of herself and her familyBel outlines how each member of the family has a different role to play in the larger dynamic of this multigenerational household and how these have naturally fallen into place over the years.Despite easily deschooling, Bel still gets the reading wobbles! Don’t we all?Freedom and time together are her favourite aspects of homeschooling.Homeschooling kids deserve to have interests that aren't an educational topic.
CONNECT
Instagram - @bel.birds


NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes, links and references to all resources, books and inspiration Bel shares in this episode:

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands 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.

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"I want to unschool to give her more freedom. I can't start the journey by forcing her out of school... you can send your kids to school and still be an unschooler in my view. The point is they have the choice”

Italy may be Ilaria’s country of origin but she well and truly calls our nations capital home. She and her husband (who fatefully met on the day she arrived in Australia over 23 years ago) are raising their two daughters (ages 14 and 8) on a small farm, that she lovingly describes as a geriatric retirement home for animals. Their unschooling experiment began during the covid pandemic lockdowns and they haven’t looked back.

SUMMARY


Growing up Ilaria's parents described school as her job. They went to work, she went to school. Her duty was to make the most of it and do a good job and she did. The idea of homeschooling began as a joke when Ilaria was deciding on which school to send her daughter to and none of the local options were overly impressive, but it was lockdowns that opened her eyes to the real possibility of adopting an unschooling lifestyle.Because her kids were home, she started observing them and thinking - if she let them do whatever they want, what would they actually learn?Once she saw first hand that they were naturally ticking off the curriculum, they began their unschooling adventure in earnest.Social connections, just like learning, are different in this lifestyle. Navigating teen friendships has been their greatest, but only challenge. Everything else has been a joy.Ilaria loves that her kids ask a tonne of really amazing, left field questions as she herself remembers never asking questions in class because she was so terrified of saying the wrong thing."For the first time in my life, I'm learning because I want to. You know, I think maybe that's secretly the best part of it."Ilaria and her family are a tech family, if they are not out and about in the world they tend to be on screens at home.Other resources that contribute to unschooling for their family are Chat GPT, the wildlife sanctuary where her daughter volunteers, musical theatre, boardgames, science kits, podcasts, audiobooks and social media.The Canberra Homeschool Open Day organised by Ilaria will be held on May 20th 2024 and you can find out more information about it via their website.“I do have hobbies. Like I love to sew and I make soap and all of that. But really, at the moment, my main hobby is homeschooling my kids. It sounds pretty, I don't know, weird. But I'm having a ball doing it.”

INSPIRATION
Unschooling Mom2Mom podcast


CONNECT
Instagram - @unschooling_adventure
Canberra Homeschool Open Day website - homeschoolopendaycanberra.weebly.com


NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find a more detailed summary of what Ilaria shares in this episode.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands 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.

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“They spent their preschool years when they were three and four years old playing all the time. But then they went to school and they forgot how to play.”

Elisa is a newly minted homeschooler. This is the episode you are going to want to listen to if you are on the precipice of taking the leap into homeschooling or you have found yourself deep in the trenches of deschooling your own children and yourself. The daughter of a teacher who became a teacher herself, Elisa is now a homeschooling mum to twin boys and a daughter (ages 6 and 3) bravely sharing how she’s navigating these new, unchartered waters. 

SUMMARY
Elisa was the child who loved school and thrived academically, enjoying the accolades and recognition she received. She grew up in suburban Sydney only minutes from where she & her husband are now raising their own family, with grandparents close by for extra support.Her mother was a teacher and despite discouragement, both she and her sister followed in mums footsteps and became teachers themselves. It wasn’t until her own boys started school at the same school she was working at, that her life did a complete 180.We shouldn't be preparing kids for school, we should be preparing them for life.Her own boys really enjoyed school. It wasn't that they disliked the concept of school and they were quite happy to go. They just really didn't enjoy the period in the classroom. They were happy to be with friends outside. They loved going to the canteen. They loved playing soccer. But it became quite clear that they weren't quite coping or enjoying what they were expected to do, sitting at a desk or table.Elisa believes the seeds were sown early on because she had started to question school, but almost didn't know that homeschooling was an option. Social media, podcasts and lockdowns gave Elisa the confidence to give homeschooling a shot. Overall her boys are enjoying being at home, they mostly enjoy learning. The challenge for Elisa has been to figure out how to teach without teaching or being a teacher. It’s a learning process for all of them.Questioning school has prompted Elisa to look differently at other aspects of life, such as food choices, low-tox living and commercialisation. She wants her kids to know that the important, wonderful things in life are not a pair of Nike Air Jordans.Elisa wants her kids to be kind and school as it is today isn’t the best environment to foster this.
INSPIRATION
Hunt Gather Parent - Michaeleen Doucleff
There’s No Such Things as Bad Weather - Linda Åkeson McGurk
A Matter of Principal - Mandy Davis
1000 Hours Outside podcast 

CONNECT
Instagram - @learning.beyond.four.walls


NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find a more detailed summary of what Elisa shares in this episode:

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands 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.

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“Children learn best intrinsically motivated, following their own interests and when adults step back.”

One year ago, we hit publish on the first episode of the Australian Homeschool Stories podcast with Vicci Oliver’s story. I was a very nervous first-time interviewer and Vicci was the most gracious, kind and supportive first guest I could have hoped for! Today, to celebrate one whole year of sharing homeschooling stories from across our beautiful country, you are going to hear Nicki Farrell’s story. Nicki is an ex-teacher turned wildschooling, unschooling mum of two boys (aged 11 & 9), the co-founder of Wildlings Forest School and co-host of the Raising Wildlings Podcast. 

SUMMARY:
Nicki grew up as a free range kid in country South Australia, spending all her free time roaming outdoors and climbing trees.Her tiny country school consisted of just 60 children. The teachers there knew their students on such individual levels and could cater for their differing needs.Nicki found her schooling experience as a teacher vastly different from what she had encountered as a child, and that was a big reason to not send her own children to school in the end.As soon as she had her own children she immediately thought: "For years I’ve been doing things to children I wouldn’t want done to my own."Nikki & Vicki met at a playgroup and instantly connected. Before creating Wildlings, they started out as a structured learning co-op. However after observing the kids in free play at the nearby creek afterwards they realised what they had been trying to ‘teach’ them, they were naturally just learning through play.Nicki shares what a typical week looks like for their family, with her husband working 4-5 days, Nicki working in her business 2-3 days, co-ops, forest school and slow days at home.20-30 years ago, homeschooling was really unusual. But here and now, it's it is absolutely booming on the Sunshine Coast which she is certain has one of the highest rates of homeschoolers in the country."AI has imploded education already. Absolutely, it is going to turn it on its head to the point that I'm wondering, why are we sending children to school?”If Nikki were principal for a day she would scrap traditional schooling, full stop. But she still loves the idea of families and children meeting, forming social friendships and exploring the world and learning together. Can we keep it that simple?Each child is different, so what works for one child might not work for the other and that's okay. That's the beauty of home education, you really can cater in a way that schools absolutely cannot.Comparison is the thief of joy - do what's best for your family, not what everybody else is doing.
CONNECT:

Website - wildlingsforestschool.com 
Instagram - @wildlings_forestschool and @raising_wildlings_podcast


NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to find quotes, links and references to all resources, books and inspiration Nicky shares in this episode:

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect with us:
Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowled

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“That's the beauty of an unschooling lifestyle, it’s just continuing what you’ve always done with your children.”

Having always homeschooled and having been homeschooled herself, Debbie’s story spans across both analog and digital generations. Whilst she never set out to become a radical unschooler, she now confidently embraces the path her family have chosen. Along the way she has created a viable small business that has the potential to revolutionise the way we balance working and homeschooling, a dilemma many modern home educating families face.

Summary:
Homeschooling was a very unusual choice 30 years ago. She never thought of herself as weird or strange but looking back she could see how tiny the homeschooling community must have been compared to what it is now.Whilst it might have been true back then, the perception that people have of homeschooling today, that children aren’t going to be able to socialise and they will be stuck at home, is so inaccurate.School as it is currently laid out, is not very effective.Having a transformative VBAC home birth with her second child proved to be a catalyst for considering homeschooling for her own children.When your child is two and you are going to the local show that’s got diggers, you are unschooling. You’re following your child’s interests. You just keep doing that as they get older, ignoring that there's an arbitrary age where some people have decided that we should start doing learning only through doing book work and we should start learning only by doing a particular subject in a particular way.Debbie shares her interpretation of the differences between unschooling and radical unschooling. She doesn't believe anyone identifies with radical unschooling unless they actually are unschooling all of the time.Debbie created The Village Hub as there was no place that existed where you could take your kids and they could have some fun and you could also get some work done. The Village Hub is an unschooling friendly space. It is not structured. It is free play. It is messy play.With the homeschool community continuing to grow, this could be the way of the future - having hubs in every area of Australia is her next dream because it really does tick so many boxes. She would love to mentor others to open something similar to The Village Hub in other areas of Queensland and Australia.On the 6th of March 2024, legislation changes were proposed that impact homeschooling in Queensland and Debbie is working with the Free 2 Homeschool advocacy team. She outlines the major changes that are being proposed and how we can all get involved and do our bit to help.
NOTE: This is an abridged version of the show notes.
Follow the link below to dive deeper and find quotes, links and references that Debbie shares in this episode:

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Connect:
Instagram - @thevillagehub.qld
Facebook - The Village Hub


Instagram - @australianhomeschoolstories
Substack - Australian Homeschool Stories

This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, prese