Annie and Candis are joined this week by Rachael, a parent and social worker, who shares personal experience and her perspective of working with youth who identify as LGBTQ+. Together they talk about the numbers, the bright spots, and the dangers of ignoring the needs of young people who don't fit neatly into the binary. Being supportive to a young person in need has been shown to shift the trajectory and can offer young people a sense of belonging.

Sarah from Simplifying Play is joining Annie Friday on this episode to talk about why less is more in play - fewer toys, less adult interference, more uninterrupted time.. Sarah shares 4 components of play that have helped the young people she works with and plays with to be able to dive deeper into their own play.

Nikolai Pizarro joins Annie and Candis in this episode to talk more about why her program Raising Readers is reclaiming literacy instruction as something to do in the home. Her literacy course called Home As Epicenter is equipping parents and caregivers on how to help their young people decode language. Nikolai encourages parents and caregivers to learn the science of reading so they may extend the work of the schools into community at home.

Annie Friday and Candis Ogilvie share a bit on their shared purpose, obstacles to it, and what first brought them together in their journey into the world of Self-Directed Education or SDE. They also spend some time reflecting on what they have been learning from their podcast guests so far this season. Highlights include the special time shared with Adventure Grandma and learning from incredible young people like Ben and Genevieve who are currently kicking off their cross-country unschooling road trip.

Candis Ogilvie and Annie Friday take a brief look back on their third year of stepping out of line with conventional education. Together they continue to look at their de-schooling experience as they moved through new aspects of it 3 years out. Centering relationships and honoring young people as fully human has shifted more than just their relationship to school and learning. Listen along as they share more about how it has affected their worlds.

Often times, educators are told to center relationships but not necessarily given the tools or time to figure out what that looks like in practice. Latoya Nelson joins Annie Friday once again to explain how she transitioned from conventional teaching methods using punitive measures to attempt to manage her classroom toward a relationship-based classroom. Now that she has recalibrated toward the most important part of the learning environment - the young people - Latoya finds teaching more fulfilling and maybe even easier than ever before.

Ashley Jefferson and Kisa Marx join Annie to bring their wisdom and experience with racial and cultural equity and inclusion in the natural world. As Black women and educators rooted in play and nature, they share their personal experiences as well as the historical context to understanding more on the topic of justice in the great outdoors. Ashley also discusses her new book out with Little Feminist Book Club depicting real images of authentic play in nature. This is a worthy listen for anyone in the fields of early childhood, nature and forest schools, or self-directed education.

Annie Friday is joined by Ashley Jefferson to talk about some of the disparities in who is playing outside despite knowing nature is essential to our mental and physical healthy. Ashley shares some of the programs she has developed to encourage Black families to get outside and enjoying the benefits of fresh air and nature. Ashley offers some reminders on heading out: simply by being human, we are nature; feeling safe and having fun are critical elements; and there's no requirement to be a nature expert tin order o enjoy the benefits of it.

Latoya Nelson joins Annie Friday this week to talk about how her classroom management strategies have shifted over the years. By centering the humans in her classroom, Latoya creates authentic relationships that steer the community created in her space. Ditching conventional strategies and leaning into relationships has had impactful results for the young people and their families in Latoya's care.

Karla Marie Williams is back joining Annie Friday and Candis Ogilvie once again to bust some of the myths and traps commonly surrounding unschooling. There are seven common pitfalls that Karla the Unschooling Mama reminds us look out for in our practice with young people. Sometimes the grownups in the unschooling relationship can forget who and what it is all about. Allowing your young person's experiences to unfold without adding your expectations, hopes, and dreams to the mix is key to finding the right way for you to unschool.