Out Of Line

Annie Friday is joined this week by Guy Stephens, Executive Director for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. Guy shares some basics to what seclusion and restraint is, how they are used in schools, who is being hurt most, and the many variations of how scenarios can play out for young people, families, and educators. Guy and his organization are hoping that through their resources like their upcoming Beyond Behaviorism conference, their open book clubs, their live bi-monthly podcast, and their advocacy support, more educators and families will lean on the neuroscience, nervous system research, and relationship-centered strategies to address the unmet needs and lagging skills of the young people being otherwise subjected to these outdated and dangerous methods. Find more at EndSeclusion.org

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Annie Friday is joined by a founder and director of a self-directed education center in Michigan who shares openly and honestly about her experience approaching burnout. Annie and guest go into the many contributing factors that can lead to burnout among the facilitators and administration of learning centers, unschooling co-ops, and other spaces created as alternatives to schools. Tight budgets, lack of funding, need for volunteer support, maintaining access and equity are just a few themes they dive into this week.

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Latoya Nelson is back with Annie Friday to follow up on the conversation they had last fall on the topic of the need for public school spaces and the need for spaces that can be supportive to families with varying needs. Latoya shares more personally on her own family’s experience fighting for the care, education, and resources for her neurodivergent child. School choice has become a political issue full of buzz words and jargon when really public education is often missing the mark on actually supporting the needs of young people and their families in the narrow conversation. Annie and Latoya both recognize that this is a nuanced topic and far more difficult to get into than a 30-minute podcast could cover in full. We will continue to explore the radical re-visioning of the public education system.

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Annie Friday is joined by Latoya Nelson of Raising Resilience this week in a very candid conversation about what school choice – and really just a wider array of options for education could look like – can mean for families undervalued by the conventional public school system. Latoya shares more specifically on the opportunities that school choice can create for some Black families. This episode was recorded back in October 2024 and is part 1 of a two-part conversation on the radical vision of what education can look like without schools as we know them today. 

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Neuro-affirming Behavior Consultant and Life Coach Megg Thompson joins Annie Friday this week to share more about her experiences working with young people. Megg brings her humor and candor to this conversation on the feedback she received when sharing about a child who had a meltdown in the classroom. Spoiler alert: the feedback was harsh, exclusive, and not neuro-affirming and the hardest part was that so much of it came from inside the classroom. Megg and Annie share why it is so critical for our schools, classrooms, and learning centers to make space for all learners and all brains.

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Annie Friday is back to share more of her family’s personal unschooling experience. In this episode, Annie catches listeners up on where she has been the last six months or so. She touches on some of what is to come in this season including burnout, the state of education system, some personal narratives from other unschoolers including youth voices. Annie also explains that while the title of the podcast originally stood for the literal experience of getting out of line by leaving the school system, a major focus of the show has become all the many ways parents, educators, and caregivers have expectations of young people that are really out of line with what we know to be neurologically and developmentally supportive for them. This short episode tees up all that is to come in this next season of Out of Line.

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This episode brings youth rights advocates, Flying Squad facilitators, and unschooling parents Bria Bloom, Alex Khost, and Annie Friday together in conversation about what a self-directed lifestyle can look like in a child’s earliest stages of life. Bria was raised in a life without school and is currently unschooling in partnership with a teenager and toddler at home. Alex has been unschooling with four kids for the last 18+ years, currently covering ages spanning from teenagers to toddler. The conversation explores how as adults guiding the lives of young people, we can intentionally include them in our family life, safeguard their rights, and support their curiosities. They discuss the work of the adult which includes bringing awareness to your own inner monologue, anxieties, and pace of life in order to communicate vales and culture to your children. Alex and Bria share personal stories of real life struggles that come up and how they navigate those moments while honoring the personhood and humanity of their child.

Find more on Alex Khost and Bria Bloom through the FlyingSquads.org website and the Alliance for Self-Directed Education at self-directed.org

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Annie Friday is joined this week by Megg Thompson, Behavior Consultant, Coach, Speaker, and Youth Advocate. Megg shares the importance of behavioral support that is centered on caring, playful, and respectful relationships in order to affirm all neurotypes. Megg has seen firsthand Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) fail many young people leaving them to feel like they are a problem. PBIS is a program used by thousands of schools across the US. While employing reward-based intervention strategies can show positive results for some kids, many others are left out of the “fun.” Even those who may be considered successful in PBIS, long-term damage of pressure, anxiety, and perfectionism can build over time. Seeing young people repeatedly broken down by school behavior plans, Megg centers her own work on supporting and empowering young people and families through education, information, and hands-on support.  

Find more about Megg with 2 Gs at MeggThompson.com where she has more information and resources for young people, their families, and educators in both convention and unconventional learning environments.

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Cassidy Younghans runs Wild Roots Learning Community in North Texas and shares with Annie Friday more about her experiences in self-directed education and building learning communities. Through some moments of failure, overwhelm, and leaving the school system, Cassidy realized that building a strong network of supportive community must come first when building a new school. Authentic community takes time creating trust, aligning values, appreciating differences. Cassidy talks about the realities and challenges that inherently come with opening a learning center.

Cassidy has offerings for parents, facilitators, and young people on her website CassidyYounghans.com

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Adrienne Miller joins Annie Friday this week to discuss her unschooling family life. Adrienne shares on the logistics of the choices, privileges and sacrifices that shape her family’s path. By leading with relationships, opting for a slower lifestyle, and centering community, Adrienne lives out her values with intention. Adrienne explains more on how she sees unschooling as a pathway to collective liberation by reimagining what learning and life can look like for all families.

Find homeschooling and unschooling resources and coaching options by Adrienne on her website, Instagram account, and through her new podcast all at TheseReveries.com or @these_reveries.

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