Use Your Outside Voice Unschool

In this special mini episode, we discuss the impacts of the upcoming and ongoing school closures in response to the COVID-19 epidemic from an unschooling perspective. Why school at home won’t work and how to use this pause from the school grind to connect with and support your children and yourself.

A common objection about homeschooling is, “But won’t they be…weird?” Yet this question contains within it an implied shared definition of “normal.” If that “normal” describes an idealized child who is good at schooling, it shores up problematic and unexamined values of race, gender identity, behavior, and compliance at the expense of unique wholeness. Listen in as we three unschooling mamas chat about weirdness, normality, and the goal of living a life where it is normal to bring your whole unique self to the game each day.

Questions? [email protected], or Facebook. Episode recorded February 2020.

Original music credits: Saoirse, Mae, and Juniper

Producer: Brian Lane-Karnas

We chat about a topics posed by listeners: what about when your unschool kid wants to do/learn something you are uncomfortable with? And then, what about your own (adult) process of transformation while unschooling the kids? We hold up no illusions that the work is easy. The simple and complex truth is that it keeps coming back to relationships; continually building a much broader context for our shared understanding; meeting the needs of OURSELVES as people. And mostly, putting one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. Questions? [email protected], or Facebook. Episode recorded January 2020.

Original music credits: Saoirse, Mae, and Juniper

Producer: Brian Lane-Karnas

Listen in as we three mamas wend our way into a public conversation about our experiences of the holidays in lives that have taken a turn away from the mainstream, bringing voice and honesty to what can be a challenging time of year for all. Recording a talk about entering constricted extended family dynamics had us somewhat reluctant, but ultimately in deep agreement that responsibility for self and the next generation is essential in liberation work and should be acknowledged more. We talk about overlapping consumerism, competition, and capitalism; generational patterns; chosen family; intentional choices; epic overwhelm; and more. NOTE: Episode #3 has already been recorded, but we decided to release Episode #4 out of sequence and in time for the winter holiday season. Questions? [email protected], or Facebook. Episode recorded November 2019.

Original music credits: Saoirse, Mae, and Juniper

Producer: Brian Lane-Karnas

Listen in as we three unschooling mamas weave together our voices and perspectives on the metaphor of “windows”—the idea that there are (often unspoken) expectations for the “right” time to learn things in childhood; childhood windows where social expectations are ubiquitous (back to school, college readiness); even the idea of “play” being a window of time in child development that ends around 5-6 years old (spoiler—we debunk this one). Questions? [email protected]. Episode recorded September 2019.

Producer: Brian Lane-Karnas

Listen in as we three unschooling mamas offer our voices and perspectives in the first ever episode of Use Your Outside Voice! Unschooling Podcast We introduce ourselves and our friendship by answering the question “What brought you to unschooling?”. The conversation doesn’t offer an Unschooling 101 jump-start, but launches from our acceptance of life without school as totally appropriate—and invites you to jump on in. We talk liberation of self and children, recovering teacher nervous system, the false promise of schooling and implications for intersecting marginalization, the price of “success,” valuing the inner voice of self and kids, unschooling as a lifestyle…and more. Questions? [email protected]. Episode recorded August 2019.