What happens when a kindergarten teacher moves to teaching fifth grade and discovers that in just five years, the educational system has extinguished the light in children’s eyes? For Leah McDermott, this stark realization sparked a journey from conventional educator to unschooling advocate.

In this episode we talk with Leah about her path out of the classroom and into unschooling with her own family. She shares what it was like to grow up homeschooled in a very rigid, school-at-home way, and how that experience shaped the choices she made later. We hear how becoming a mother pushed her to rethink education completely, and why she founded Your Natural Learner to support families making the same shift.

Leah explains why homeschooling often repeats the same problems as school when parents bring curriculum, tests, and grades into the home. She talks about the process of deschooling for parents, unlearning the reflex to correct or measure everything, and learning instead to trust children’s natural curiosity. Her own son’s love of math shows what this can look like in practice—solving complex problems in his head without ever being taught traditional methods.

We also talk about how unschooling can feel isolating at first, when friends and family don’t understand the choice. Leah reflects on the constant questions children face, like “What grade are you in?” or “What did you learn today?” and why shifting those questions toward real interests matters. She reminds parents that the pressure to justify unschooling often says more about their own uncertainty than about the curiosity of others.

🗓️ Recorded August 28th, 2025. 📍 Åmarken, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗  Relevant links

• https://www.instagram.com/yournaturallearner 
• https://www.facebook.com/yournaturallearner
• https://naturallearningshop.com
• https://bridgeacademy.us 
• https://yournaturallearner.substack.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournaturallearner 
• https://x.com/therealleahmcd 
• https://www.youtube.com/@Yournaturallearner 

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