Podcasts about unschooled raising curious

Ever wondered if conventional education is the only path to raising curious, well-educated children? Our latest episode features Keri McDonald, acclaimed author of "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom," who transitioned from an economics major to a passionate advocate for homeschooling and self-directed learning. Keri's personal journey is nothing short of inspiring, as she shares how shadowing a homeschooling family completely reshaped her views on education and led her to embrace the unschooling movement for her own children in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The pandemic acted as a catalyst, pushing many parents to reconsider traditional schooling. We explore various alternative education models that have gained popularity, such as homeschooling, micro schooling, hybrid approaches, and online learning platforms. Addressing concerns about the efficacy of these methods, we draw on peer-reviewed studies to demonstrate that children educated through these alternative models often excel, particularly in entrepreneurship. You'll also gain insights into how unrealistic educational benchmarks can affect perceptions of a child's abilities, and why a non-traditional approach might just be the answer. Building a supportive community is crucial for a successful homeschooling journey, and this episode is packed with practical advice on how to find your tribe. From utilizing Facebook groups and local initiatives to understanding the landscape of micro schools, we guide you through the myriad options available to connect with like-minded families. Learn from grassroots efforts and specific examples, like those in South Florida, to navigate the burgeoning world of innovative schooling options. Whether you're new to homeschooling or a seasoned veteran, Keri's insights and our discussion will provide valuable guidance and encouragement. Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald *Please note that some of the links included in this article are Amazon affiliate links. CONNECT with US Join the Private Facebook Group  Connect and follow along with Janae's Journey on Instagram @janae.daniels Sign Up For Our Newsletter Here School to Homeschool Website

In this podcast episode returning guest Peter Gray, retired professor of psychology at Boston College, makes an argument for why we should consider other ways of understanding and structuring learning in and outside of school. We talk about college and access to working life, possible alternative ways of learning an occupation, David Geary's evolutionary theory of biologically primary and secondary abilities, what we need to learn and when we need to learn it, what we can observe in kids who aren't taught in the conventional ways, kids who learn to read on their own or who learn the whole math curriculum in a couple of months in their late teens, how our expectations influence learning, consequences for not reading when society expects you to, how and when children learn to walk and what we do when they don't, whining in different cultures, the summer slide, and what to say when people complain that they wish that someone had forced them to learn something earlier in life, how children's independence and autonomy relates to their mental health, how we try to fix problems by taking away children's liberty and responsibility, why we should teach them about dangers instead of trying to get rid of them, and many other topics.  Even if you don't find yourself agreeing with all of Peter's arguments, we would love to hear more about what points he's making that you think are valid and worth considering. How can we let alternative views on education actually widen our current understanding of learning and schooling, instead of just assuming the worst about each other? Send un an email to larsogpaal@gmail.com, we'll be thankful to every kind of criticism, feedback and suggestions of further explorations and interviews that we should do on these topics.  See more of Peter's writings on his Substack https://petergray.substack.com/ Here's his 2017 article about the summer slide, mentioned in the episode: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201707/facts-and-fiction-about-the-so-called-summer-slide   Mentions and recommendations from the episode:  Jim Rietmulder, 2019. When Kids Rule the School: The Power and Promise of Democratic Education. New Society Publishers.  Kerry McDonald, 2019. Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Chicago Review Press.  David Graeber og David Wengrow. 2021. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. Allen Lane. Harriet Pattison. 2016. Rethinking Learning to Read. Educational Heretics Press.  Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. 2007. The Old Ways: A Story of the First People. Picador.  danah boyd. 2014. It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.  Peter Gray. 2013. Free to Learn: : Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books Peter Gray, David Lancy, David F. Bjorklund. 2023. «Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children's Mental Wellbeing: Summary of the Evidence» February 2023, The Journal of Pediatrics 260(2)   Peter was previously a guest on the podcast in episode 53:  https://larsogpaal.libsyn.com/episode-53-peter-gray-on-self-directed-education-and-schooling ---------------------------- Our logo is by Sveinung Sudbø, see his works on originalkopi.com The music is by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, see the facebook page Nygrenda Vev og Dur for more info.  ---------------------------- Thank you for listening. Please send feedback and questions to larsogpaal@gmail.com There is no better way for the podcast to gain new interested listener than by you sharing it with friends, so if you find what we do interesting and useful, please consider doing just that. The podcast is still most in Norwegian, but we have a lot of episodes coming out in English.  Our blogs: https://paljabekk.com/ https://larssandaker.blogspot.com/ Alt godt, hilsen Lars og Pål

What is "unschooling" otherwise known as "child-led learning?" Is it effective or does it create feral children? In this episode, we dive into how and why we moved into child-led learning and how it has affected our children.  Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald Punished By Rewards: Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn Great Article about Cole Summers! Unschooler, Entrepreneur, Prodigy: The Story of Cole Summers *Please note that some of the links included in this article are Amazon affiliate links. CONNECT with US Join the Private Facebook Group  Connect and follow along with Janae's Journey on Instagram @janae.daniels Learn more about School to Homeschool

Ms. Kerry McDonald, a senior author and Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), discusses the power of parents and teachers to both opt out and upgrade education with micro schools.  Kerry McDonald is the author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). She is also an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor. Kerry's research interests include homeschooling and alternatives to school, self-directed learning, education entrepreneurship, parent empowerment, school choice, and family and child policy. Additionally, her articles have appeared at The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, NPR, Education Next, Reason Magazine, City Journal, and Entrepreneur, among others. She has a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College. Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and four children. [Kerry McDonald – FEE] • [LiberatED – Listen to the Podcast] • [Unschooled – Buy Her Book] • [Follow Kerry McDonald – Twitter]

Kerry McDonald, a national expert on education entrepreneurship and alternative forms of education, joins Garrett to discuss nontraditional schooling and the growing trend of microschooling in America.    Garrett & Kerry explore the history of homeschooling and the reasons why many have chosen to return to a model of education that is reminiscent of the one room schoolhouse while debunking several popular myths about homeschooling and other forms of alternative education. Kerry also shares the most recent statistics about homeschooling and microschooling in the United States along with stories from her work with education entrepreneurs across the country.    Senior Education Fellow at FEE and the host of the LiberatED podcast.    Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-educated Children outside the Conventional Classroom   Pioneer Institute Embark   ---------- Hosted by Garrett Ballengee Executive Director - @gballeng Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Executive Producer Amanda Kieffer Communications Director - @akieffer13  Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy   Produced & Edited by Tony Reed Associate Director of Operations - @treed1134 International Center for Law & Economics   Follow: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Support: Patreon, Donate, Newsletter

On today's episode, Winston interviews Kerry McDonald, a Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and host of the LiberatED podcast, a podcast on recent trends in education. Kerry's work has appeared in FEE, the Cato Institute (where she is also an adjunct scholar), and Forbes, with her columns focusing on school choice, educational entrepreneurship, and alternatives to conventional schooling. Find out more about her work at FEE here: https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/and more about her book, "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom," on Amazon, available here: https://amzn.to/3ExxH74Today's theme music is from John Harrison and Wichita State University Chamber Players.

Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and host of the weekly LiberatED podcast. She is also the author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a regular Forbes contributor. Find Kerry's work here: https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/ • mypillow.com PROMO CODE: ABS • betterhelp.com/abernathy • gacraftpirits.com PROMO CODE: ABS • https://share.2ashield.com/a/2A/ABS

Dont miss this empowering interview with Kerry McDonald. John and Kerry will be discussing the failure of government schools, unschooling as an alternative. They will provide tips and strategies for parents looking to take the alternative education route. Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at The Foundation for Economic Education and host of the weekly LiberatED podcast. She is also the author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a regular Forbes contributor. She has a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College. Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and four children. Want to pull your kids out of government school but don't know what to do first? Already homeschooling and want to sharpen your skills? GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AREN'T JUST FAILING TO EDUCATE YOUR KIDS…THEY'RE ACTIVELY HARMING THEM School is transforming kids from naturally curious learners into obedient drones to serve corporations and the government 
 THE FREE THE CHILDREN HOMESCHOOL SUMMIT WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO UNDO THE DAMAGE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS…
 …and give you a proven path to raising happy, healthy, bright, and independent kids (the way they're supposed to be) Special FREE online Free the Children Homeschool Summit with John Bush and Bluebird goes live Thursday, July 14th @ 11:00 AM CDT https://livefree.academy/freethechildren

In this episode we break down the issues with forced, coercive systemised schooling, the alternatives available and the potential possible when we foster environments where children have the freedom to pursue their individual passions and interests.  Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and host of the weekly LiberatED podcast. She is also the author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019), an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a regular Forbes contributor. Kerry's research interests include homeschooling and schooling alternatives, self-directed learning, education entrepreneurship, parent empowerment, school choice, and family and child policy.   Guest links: https://fee.org/people/kerry  https://twitter.com/kerry_edu  https://sites.libsyn.com/397037  https://go.fee.org/liberated   Learn more and apply for our 8 week private coaching program: https://riseabovetheherd.com.au See all our episodes:  https://hereforthetruth.com Download our free e-book “55 Signs of Low Self-Esteem for Truth Seekers”: https://riseabovetheherd.com.au/grow-your-self-esteem Connect with us on Telegram:  https://t.me/areyouhereforthetruth All other links:  https://hereforthetruth.com/links   Hosted by Joel Rafidi & Yerasimos Intro and outro music: “Illusion” by Joel Rafidi Intro voice-over: Namakula (https://www.namakula.com/voice-over)

The Essential School Sucks, #13 of 50 Theme Two: Leaving Institutional Schooling and Finding Educational Alternatives Kerry McDonald returns to discuss the growing Micro-School movement. What is a Micro-School and why should we be talking about them? (and why am I excited about a school?) We'll also cover blended learning, the question of screen time for children, and a thriving micro-school network in Arizona Kerry recently profiled in Forbes Magazine. That article is called How Micro-School Networks Expand Learning Options (https://fee.org/articles/how-micro-school-networks-expand-learning-options/) Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. She is also an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor. Kerry has a B.A. in economics from Bowdoin College and an M.Ed. in education policy from Harvard University. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and four children. You can check out her podcast LibertaED here (https://info.fee.org/liberated). Kerry's Book: Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (https://amzn.to/3xoY5uq) And please bookmark and use this link for your Amazon shopping: Shop With Us The Ideas In Action Summit (https://sspuniversity.com/ideasintoaction/) The downloadable version of The Ideas Into Action Summit is now available. Use the coupon code independence to can get it for 30% off Learn more here (https://sspuniversity.com/ideasintoaction/). Our Partners https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/b/b9f98e30-82d3-4781-8400-880c6dc8086f/2gtm0QVk.png Visit Praxis (https://discoverpraxis.com/schoolsuckspodcast/) Please Support School Sucks School Sucks was one of the longest running liberty-minded podcasts on the web, and the only one completely devoted to the issue of education (versus public school and college). Your support keeps the show alive, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering our work. Please help us continue to spread this important message further! One-Time Donation Options:Paypal/Venmo Crypto Addresses:DASH XcZfPP6GZGVo9VKViNBVJZja5JVxZDB229ETHEREUM 0x3c5504CE3401C028832173506fa30BD4db4b7D35LITECOIN LKNp24f5wwvZ2QzeDbvxXgBxyVwi1yXnu2BITCOIN 1KhwY836cfSGCK5aaGFv8Q7PHMgghFJn1UBITCOIN CASH 1AmqLVxjw3Lp9KT5ckfvsqfN2Hn3B1hCWSZCASH t1by1ZGJ63LoLSjXy27ooJtipf4wMr7qbu4 Recurring Options: Support Us On PATREONYou support our mission, and you want to help us continue to reach new people with our message and media. Your contribution helps us maintain presence, and to further build the legacy of School Sucks Project. Our Private Community: https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/b/b9f98e30-82d3-4781-8400-880c6dc8086f/fNnDUPqb.png Visit The Uni-iversity (https://sspuniversity.com/) Originally Released November 27, 2019 As "The Micro-School Movement – with Kerry McDonald [PODCAST #632]"

I talk with Kerry McDonald about her book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Chapters: 00:00:00 Kerry McDonald https://fee.org/kerry 00:04:30 Public school vs Homeschool 00:06:20 Harvard 00:10:50 FEE https://fee.org/ 00:11:30 Cato https://www.cato.org/ 00:12:10 Educational Freedom in America 00:14:15 Compulsory schooling laws 00:16:10 Unschooling 00:19:00 Adult learning vs child learning 00:20:40 Creativity, curiosity, entrepreneurship 00:23:30 Unschooling at Kerry's home 00:25:18 Creating vs consuming 00:27:40 Gender differences 00:29:14 Kids are expected to read earlier and earlier 00:30:27 Individuality in education 00:31:15 Thomas Edison 00:32:35 Study on adults who were unschooled 00:33:25 Left vs Right in homeschooling --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aaronolson/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aaronolson/support

I talk with Kerry McDonald about her book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Chapters: 00:00:00 Kerry McDonald https://fee.org/kerry 00:04:30 Public school vs Homeschool 00:06:20 Harvard 00:10:50 FEE https://fee.org/ 00:11:30 Cato https://www.cato.org/ 00:12:10 Educational Freedom in America 00:14:15 Compulsory schooling laws 00:16:10 Unschooling 00:19:00 Adult learning vs child learning 00:20:40 Creativity, curiosity, entrepreneurship 00:23:30 Unschooling at Kerry's home 00:25:18 Creating vs consuming 00:27:40 Gender differences 00:29:14 Kids are expected to read earlier and earlier 00:30:27 Individuality in education 00:31:15 Thomas Edison 00:32:35 Study on adults who were unschooled 00:33:25 Left vs Right in homeschooling --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aaronolson/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aaronolson/support

Curt interviews Kerry McDonald, author of the new children's book, "A is for Abundance: The ABCs of Capitalism." Kerry is a Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, an Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute, and a frequent Forbes contributor. She also authored, "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom."   Get the book: https://amzn.to/3sES9eE  

Guest bio: Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and author of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641600632/ (Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom) (Chicago Review Press, 2019). She is also an https://www.cato.org/people/kerry-mcdonald (adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute) and a regular https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerrymcdonald/#36e691a46885 (Forbes contributor). Kerry's research interests include homeschooling and alternatives to school, self-directed learning, education entrepreneurship, parent empowerment, school choice, and family and child policy. Her articles have appeared at The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, NPR, Education Next, Reason Magazine, City Journal, and Entrepreneur, among others. She has a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College. Kerry lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and four children. You can sign up for her weekly newsletter on parenting and education https://go.fee.org/liberated (here). Guest Links: https://go.fee.org/liberated (Liberated with Kerry McDonald (newsletter)) https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/ (About Kerry McDonald) Additional Reading: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641600632/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1641600632&linkCode=as2&tag=tomusbl-20&linkId=c386dfcaa14b0f857a82c6b543cde1df (Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (2019)) by Kerry McDonald https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/john_gatto.html (Why Schools Don't Educate) by John Taylor Gatto https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865716692/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0865716692&linkCode=as2&tag=tomusbl-20&linkId=75586c52f10fc260fae144214329c1d4 (Weapons of Mass Instruction) by John Taylor Gatto https://www.amazon.com/dp/0865718547/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=tomusbl-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=6e4c95dd2e1aa5c91196d8f9794becfe&creativeASIN=0865718547 (Dumbing Us Down) by John Taylor Gatto https://tommullen.net/featured/13-reasons-why-is-an-indictment-of-schools-not-legitimization-of-suicide/ (13 Reasons Why is an indictment of schools, not legitimization of suicide) by Tom Mullen https://tommullen.net/featured/the-thanksgiving-day-deception-exhibit-a-against-public-schools/ (The Thanksgiving Day deception: Exhibit A against public schools) by Tom Mullen Free Gift from Tom: Download a free copy of Tom's new e-book, An Anti-State Christmas, at http://antistatechristmas.com/ (antistatechristmas.com). Also available in paperback. A great stocking stuffer! Like the music on Tom Mullen Talks Freedom? You can hear more at https://skepticsongs.com/ (tommullensings.com)!

In this episode, David Gornoski is joined by James Kourtides of the Rooster's Crow podcast. What are the spiritual ramifications of the drug mandate? Why are many people putting up with this current tyranny? What's going on in Russia with the health passports? Also in the show, Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, calls in to discuss the rise of homeschooling, the decline of public schools, and more. Visit A Neighbor's Choice at aneighborschoice.com

We will learn: How school suppresses a child's natural learning.  Myths about literacy and teaching children young.  Better ways to help a child learn literacy, numeracy and socialization.  While I'm raising my own child, I'm also healing my own inner child.    One thing I've realized is that so many of the things I'm learning about raising him… like communication, how to teach him, how he learns… are also relevant to how I deal with my own inner child.   The way I speak to myself is so similar to how I should speak to him. Connecting through emotions before logic. Letting curiosity lead.   Even if you're not planning on having children, there's a wealth of info on how to care for yourself. Healing your inner child is all about re-parenting yourself.    So today we're going to be talking about how to foster skills that are actually helpful in the age we're living in - whether you're teaching these skills to your real child, or your inner child.    Our guest today is Kerry McDonald, author of multiple books, including: Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Links from the episode: Show Notes: https://mindlove.com/206 Sign up for The Morning Mind Love for short daily notes from your highest self.  Get Mind Love Premium for exclusive ad-free episodes and monthly meditations.  Support Mind Love Sponsors   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Pilsners and Politics Benjamin sits down with Kerry McDonald. Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at FEE and author of  Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). Kerry is also an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor. Benjamin and Kerry discuss how the pandemic has reshaped Americas education system for the better. Parents and students have been exposed to the evils of teachers unions, and have seen first hand that there was an agenda behind their initial refusal to get back in the classrooms. Parents have taken education into their own hands by homeschooling and coordinating with other like minded parents to see to it that their children are getting the education they deserve. Check out Kerry's Bio belowhttps://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/https://fee.org/resources/the-2021-curious-parent-s-guide-to-education-options/

Aaron interviews Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, about woke ideology, its spread throughout our classrooms, and the benefits of nontraditional schooling options.        Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever platform you prefer.   If you'd like to suggest a guest for the show or if you'd like to be on the show, email Aaron at Aaron@ObjectiveStandard.org    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/objectivestandard Twitter: https://twitter.com/ObjStdInstitute LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/objectivestandardinstitute/    Show notes: Kerry McDonald's bio: https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/  Ebook: The 2021 Curious Parent's Guide to Education Options Book: Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom

In this episode, we're chatting with Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, about different models of education around the world, the developmental bell curve of when children read, how Unschooling benefits teenagers and how the school system can harm children.

Kerry McDonald talks about the massive growth of homeschooling and unschooling after the Covid-19 pandemic, and how you can start unschooling with your children. Kerry is a Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, and an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute.Topics Discussed In This Episode:[2:00] What is unschooling[4:30] What does unschooling and schooling look like in comparison to government schooling and how it's trying to be different[6:10] How Covid-19 has changed homeschooling and unschooling [11:03] How children learn and how parents can support and facilitate that learning [13:27] What misconceptions people who were brought up in the system have on homeschooling [18:03] How homeschooling has expanded in the past year[19:21] Kerry's experience and journey to homeschooling [25:57] The first steps to exploring your child's education in homeschooling[29:45] The process of finding the best option for your child [35:14] How to incorporate non-academic activities into your schooling [39:07] How to spark your child's interests [40:20] Stereotypes of homeschooling [42:44] The difference in outcome between homeschooling and public education[45:56] Navigating college and how to prepare your child for an unknown futureResources: Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonaldKerry McDonald BioSubscribe and support the show directly:https://brendonmarotta.com/show/

Guest Co-Host Jessica McGough Hi All! I am a nature enthusiast and aspiring adventurer and was born and raised in Sonoma County, California. I attended college in northern California and then spent five months in Massachusetts where I participated in an AmeriCorps/Student Conservation Association program to work on environmental education and complete trail work projects in 2010. I taught at the preschool level as a college student, which is where my passion for working with children was ignited. I possess my California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and taught kindergarten for three years, third grade for one year, and have also substitute taught in all of the elementary grades. My identical twin daughters were born in 2016 prematurely at 30 weeks gestation, and I have greatly enjoyed focusing my energy on them over the last handful of years. Taking a step back from teaching in the traditional school setting and having children of my own has been an enlightening process. In this phase of life, my thoughts and perspectives on education have shifted immensely. This transformation has led me to the exciting, innovative, and inspiring world of self-directed learning and unschooling. Thankfully, I have found my new place in education as a facilitator for Galileo, the amazing online self-directed global school. I am also an aspiring children's book author and hope to release my first book in the coming months. My family hopes to adopt a more fluid and adventurous lifestyle in the near future consisting of new and exciting places and experiences. Instagram @jessicadmcgough Clubhouse @jessicadmcgough Show Notes Jessica was an educator for several years, working with children in preschool thru elementary school. After having her twin girls, her perspective on education changed dramatically and she began researching and reading more about alternative education. She read ‘Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom' by Kerry McDonald, Teach Your Own by John Holt and Pat Ferenga, and The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment. She's spent years immersing herself in alternative and self-directed education. She and her husband have chosen an alternative education path for their daughters when they become school-aged. She is so happy to have found an independent-study charter school in California where they live and they will be trying that out for the first year of school for their daughters. She has been so excited to find a job for herself as a facilitator at Galileo, a self-directed online global school. ($100 off your first month's tuition if you mention Rogue Learner) Jenna asks Jessica if there was a specific moment in her teaching career where she felt like something wasn't working or she didn't agree with the way things were done in the conventional school system? Jessica said she started out her teaching career teaching kindergarten. She was on a team of seven kindergarten teachers and found it difficult to implement some of her own ideas in the classroom because the more experienced teachers weren't willing to try new things. They were stuck in their ways and not open to change. She found that difficult. She also said there were times when kids were labeled “difficult” or “low performing” based on the fact that they couldn't sit at their desk for hours or didn't know their ABC's. Parents questioned her about that, and Jessica didn't have a good answer for the parents. She was just doing what she was directed to do. She had a student in kindergarten who could already read, but couldn't sit still. A third grade student she once had was an avid reader and would read his book during instruction. Jessica wanted to let him read his book, but felt as a public school teacher her job was to make sure he paid attention during her lessons, otherwise he'd miss something important. After she had her twins, she realized she couldn't return to work in a traditional school setting. She didn't want her own girls to be a part of the system, so she couldn't imagine teaching in it herself. She thought about sending her girls to alternative schools like Montessori or Waldorf, but again, that wouldn't give her kids the opportunity to really decide for themselves which learning style best suits them.  Jenna adds that she and her kids toured several schools as well; Montessori, Waldorf, and a Free School in Frankfurt. She says there seems to be an evolution that occurs in parents and educators where they realize kids don't need them in order to learn. Some take a more gradual approach toward self directed education, while others dive right in from the very beginning. Jenna adds that having your own kids really helps you to see that kids are learning all the time and are naturally curious.  For Jessica, one of her “aha” moments was while listening to episode 11 and 12 of the podcast where Naomi Fisher talked about how even Waldorf or Forest Schools can offer a great alternative for kids who enjoy that style of learning, but again, it has its limitations because it doesn't suit all learners. The best thing we can do is find the environment which is best suited for the individual needs of each child.   Jenna adds that as parents we need to be open to offering all the educational possibilities to our kids and let them decide for themselves which educational experiences are best for them. Whether that be through a Waldorf education or homeschooling, it's our kids' journey not ours. We need to trust them to make the right decision for themselves and learn to adapt to them as their needs change. Holding back options from our kids is contradictory to an unschooling mindset because it's a form of control. Jenna's daughter decided to go back to school because she missed structure, working with classmates and having a set curriculum. She felt out of control when all the decisions fell on her shoulders. It was just too much.  Jenna can relate to her daughter's needs for structure. Jenna says that when she went into entrepreneurship, she realized it wasn't the best working environment for her. It requires a lot of self-determination, motivation, and keeping to a self-inflicted schedule. This is hard for her.  If she was able to do her job as an employee, she thinks she'd probably prefer it because she thrives in environments where the schedule is set, her goals are clearly stated, and she's surrounded by inspiring colleagues. Just as adults are given the chance to try varying work environments, children need the same freedom to explore educational environments and see which ones work for them. Jessica says she thinks it's so great that Jenna is giving her daughter the chance to discover what's best for her. Jenna adds that she had the example laid out before her by her mother, who always let her make her own choices about school and trusted her as a teen. It was just the norm in her house growing up.  Jenna asks Jessica to share her first takeaway from the episode with Heidi Dusek, episode 020. Jessica's first takeaway was how she related to Heidi's comment about becoming a mom and  feeling the pressure to decide between motherhood and adventure. We're told in our society that we should get adventuring out of our system before we have kids, but Jessica thinks you can keep adventure in your life throughout parenthood. It goes in phases. Sometimes adventure just looks like going out to eat with your baby in their carseat. She shares how once her twin girls were one year old, they took a trip to Hawaii and it was tough, but the memories of that trip are still fun and she's still glad they went.  Jenna talks about Heidi's definition of adventure being any new experience or anything that feels a bit like a risk or that you could fail at it. Based on that definition, Jenna's very first adventure as a mom was an outing to Walgreens with her son. It felt really risky at the time and she was swelling with pride when she got home.  Jenna's first takeaway was about creating an environment where the kids can thrive. Jenna tries to offer up opportunities (without expectations) that lets the kids do what they will with it.  Jessica mentions her next takeaway was when Heidi mentioned how the community is a resource for our kids and provides our kids with meaningful social interactions. She also likes how Heidi mentioned the studies showing why some families don't adventure together; in that study, parents revealed that they are afraid of not having the answers to their kids's questions and refrain from adventuring with their kids because of it. Jessica notes how that's similar to parents thinking they can't homeschool because they lack the knowledge to teach their kids everything they may want to know. Jenna talks about how we need to rely on experts in our community to fill in the gaps where we aren't able to instruct our kids, or learn it together. New experiences are not only useful to kids, but they can serve as valuable learning opportunities for the entire family.  Jenna talks about how being a parent of an 11 and 13 year old, she has to find ways to create shared experiences with her kids where everyone is a willing participant and that gets harder as kids get older. At least, that's been her experience. They all have different interests and ways they like to spend their time. A shared adventure for her, may look like trying to play Fortnite with her son or doing a makeover with her daughter. Sometimes a fun shared experience comes from the parent taking risks or being uncomfortable, not the children.  Jessica says how she liked in the last episode how Heidi and Jenna talked about spending smaller chunks of time together that are meaningful as opposed to setting a specific amount of time to hang out together. She thought Heidi's comment about quitting an activity while everyone is still having fun was a really valuable tip and a great reminder to parents to be flexible and adjust your expectations. Jenna says there's a real balance we need to strike because we know our kids, and that's what makes each or our experiences unique. Sometimes our kids are not in a good mood, or aren't dressed well for the weather, and it's okay to end the trip early. But alternatively, we also know when our kids could benefit from a gentle nudge to keep going. Jenna shares a couple examples of when her kids have needed an early finish and times when everyone was having a good time despite the adventure taking way longer than anticipated.  Jenna mentions how Heidi talked about her experience with lockdown sort of gave her a peek into the world of homeschooling and provided her with the time to get to know her kids better. Jenna wonders how many families had a similar experience, because lockdown definitely played a role in kick starting the self-directed learning journey for her own family. Jessica says she has talked with so many families who found the system inflexible and learned that there are alternative methods to educate their children than through conventional schools, so she knows Jenna and Heidi are not alone. A lot of families saw their kids deep dive into hobbies and interests that they otherwise didn't have time for. Families got a chance to get to know one another better.  Jenna says that she was frustrated when people argued that school is necessary for kids to have social lives, because school does NOT have to be the sole provider of social interaction. Jessica said her experience teaching actually illustrated how socialization in schools is oftentimes a negative experience. For example, she had a 3rd grade girl bullied for her weight on the playground. There are so many ways for kids to socialize, and homeschooling provides socialization across age groups and backgrounds, which research shows is actually better for kids. Jenna says she likes that homeschooling provides kids with the option to choose who they spend their time with, as opposed to being subjected to forced socialization where it can actually be detrimental to their wellbeing. (ie; bullying, criticism, austrosizing) Jessica thinks many adults can't recall what type of socialization went on in schools and are slightly out of touch since they aren't working in schools. Most of the time, teachers are actually discouraging socialization in the classroom because they have a curriculum to get through. Or, socialization is forced and controlled. Many times, there are negative consequences for students when they do want to socialize in class.  Jenna liked Heidi's question for her kids; “what do you want this experience to look like?” Jessica also mentions how she liked the idea of creating “to go” bags or bins so you can just get up and go. She also thinks it's important though, even with all that forethought and planning, to keep some level of spontaneity in your life. She mentions the book “Memory Making Mom” by Jessica Smartt as a great inspirational book for adventure, tradition, and spontaneity. As a planner, Jessica needs reminders to be spontaneous and flexible at times, so she found the book very helpful.  Jenna feels like her family doesn't have any traditions to speak of. They change things up every single year, and she says as a multicultural family that's moved to three different countries, she finds it difficult to repeat traditions year after year. It's something she wants to work on because she does think they're important. Jessica feels like simple adventures can become amazing traditions, and a bit unconventional. You have to see what comes up naturally for your family and not put pressure on yourself to do it every single year. Jenna laughs about how she doesn't think her family has any traditions, but she'll let the audience know if she thinks of one.  Jessica liked the simplicity of the RV trip Heidi and her family went on. Jessica's family has recently downsized and they live very simply, so that part of the interview really resonated with her. Jenna agrees, she says the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. Since her family has moved so many times, they have to keep their possessions to a minimum too.  The episode with Heidi was recorded a while ago, and Jenna wants to mention how Heidi recently went on a trip to Hawaii with her family of five for just $500.  You can connect with Jessica on Instagram @jessicamcgough. Jessica also wants to let the audience know about InspirEd, a global online event hosted by Galileo Online School. The event will be for parents and educators looking toward alternative and forward-thinking educational models, like self-directed learning. Some of the guest speakers for the event will be Kerry McDonald, Naomi Fisher, Peter Gray, Pat Farenga, and Michael Saylor. Go here for more info about that event and to register for the inspirEd global summit. (Register before July 12th and it's free!) You can listen to the interviews from the global homeschooling summit 2020 hosted by Galileo here.    Helpful Resources Mentioned in Today's Show ‘Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom' by Kerry McDonald Teach Your Own by John Holt and Pat Ferenga The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment Galileo, a self-directed online global school ($100 off your first month's tuition if you mention Rogue Learner) “Memory Making Mom” by Jessica Smart Ordinary Sherpa - travel hacking with a family InspirEd, a global online event  Episode 11 and 12 with Naomi Fisher Global Homeschooling Summit 2020   Ways to Connect Join me on the Show! Leave a Voicemail! Email me: contact.roguelearner@gmail.com Facebook  Instagram Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogue-learner/id1543224038 Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/search/rogue%20learner Spotify: https://roguelearner.libsyn.com/spotify YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdCocbWsxxAMSbUObiCQXPg Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/rogue-learner

Ms. Kerry McDonald, a senior author and Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) and author of author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019) discusses the power of homeschooling to empower the parent and the child, to spark an independent and resilient entrepreneurial spirit. Do current standardized curriculums prepare students for today’s challenges? Ms. McDonald reviews some of the history of homeschooling and school policy in the United States and covers some of the misconceptions surrounding homeschooling that she encountered firsthand. Interestingly, the estimated number of homeschool students has tripled since the lockdown. Why is that? She breaks through the stereotype of a homeschool student to paint a more robust picture of homeschooling today.  She offers solutions to parents that might be too intimidated to homeschool and covers the academic and social aspects associated with homeschool students. Finally, she gives resources to help those that might be considering homeschooling.  She is an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor Kerry McDonald - FEE: https://go.fee.org/liberated Subscribe to her newsletter - https://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/ Follow Kerry McDonald on Twitter  https://twitter.com/kerry_edu    

It's Too Late Episode 146: Educational Opportunities in Pandemic with Kerry McDonald On this week's episode of It's Too Late, Alan is joined by Kerry McDonald of the Foundation of Economic Education (FEE) to discuss homeschooling and the silver lining of the pandemic. Kerry can be found at https://www.fee.org/kerry​ and you can buy her book "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/164...​ You can catch live streams of our episodes in video as they debut on Wednesdays at 8pm central, 9pm eastern time at facebook.com/alanmosleytv and see our entire library at www.youtube.com/alanmosleytv​​​​​​​​ and https://odysee.com/@alanmosleytv​​​:6​​ Our show is now available as an audio podcast on all your favorite podcasting platforms via https://anchor.fm/alan-mosley You can support the show by subscribing to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/alanmosley​​​ https://www.twitter.com/alanmosleytv​​​​​ http://www.alanmosley.tv --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alanmosleytv/support

One of the best things that has come out of Covid in 2020 is a massive movement away from the standard education system and toward alternative learning. One of the thoughts leaders of this movement is Kerry McDonald, author of the book "Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom" (Chicago Review Press, 2019). Kerry talks about how unschooling is different from homeschooling and how to navigate these crazy times where regular school just isn't the standard option. Is our education system wrong? Should education be standardized? Kerry shares her journey and thoughts on it all.

It's essential that entrepreneurs understand the pros and cons of publishing vs self-publishing, and how agents and publishing companies work when an entrepreneur is ready to publish a book.   In this episode of the Published Author Podcast, Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, explains that the choice a writer makes will depend on their timelines and end goals.  Unschooled and Kerry's first book, Your Unique Wedding, were published by traditional publishers. But she self-published Choosing Home, an edited anthology of essays by moms who decided to be stay-at-home parents. And her next series of books—part of her new teachcapitalism.com project—will be self-published, too.  Top Takeaway: Understanding Publishing vs Self-Publishing  Getting her teachcapitalism.com project books out quickly is Kerry's priority, and she says self-publishing is the best way to accomplish this goal. (If this part interests you, check out Ep 0004 with Connor Boyack, talking about his Tuttle Twins series).   “I want to have a lot of books, and to be able to have that quantity and have them out for people. In this case, self-publishing  is the right way to go to build up that particular website.”  With traditional publishing, it can take up to two years for a writer's  book to appear on Amazon and in bookstores.   “Typically, it takes about a year, unless you're sort of a celebrity, or something is timely in the news,” notes Kerry. “But for most of us, it takes about a year from submitting your finished manuscript to the publisher, to having your book on the shelves.”  When writers opt for a traditional publisher, they usually need an agent to connect them with a respected publishing house. A publishing house can add credibility and will really help with distribution. Traditional publishers also give some help with publicity, tours, and PR.  However, this route may result in a writer losing control over their book's final title and cover design, which can be hard for some authors to swallow.   A Writer's Journey  Kerry also discusses what motivates her to write. With Unschooled, the book began as a series of blog posts about homeschooling after the birth of her first child. As she became more of an expert on the subject, she decided to put her ideas into a book for parents and educators.    With the teachcapitalism.com project, Kerry thinks that capitalism's successes are sometimes  maligned, and that parents want to offer alternatives to their children.  “Parents are looking for more of these tools, particularly parents of young children, that can help them to offer different viewpoints around economic progress and prosperity than their kids may be getting elsewhere,” she explains.  Kerry and host Josh Steimle also explore other important topics for writers, including how to  build a portfolio, and the power of a well written proposal, and why it's important to begin writing when you are young.  Links  Twitter.comLinkedin.comTeachCapitalism.comUnschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside of the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald  Subscribe to Published Author Podcast  If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe. And if you want to spread the word, please give us a five-star rating review and tell your friends to subscribe, too. We're available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.   And if you're an entrepreneur interested in writing and publishing a nonfiction book to grow your business or make an impact, visit PublishedAuthor.com for show notes for this podcast and other free resources.  TwitterYoutubeFacebook.comLinkedin.comInstagram.comJosh SteimleJosh Steimle - LinkedInJosh Steimle's book - CMOs At Work

Kerry McDonald shares her optimistic view of education and education innovation along with her insights about the remote learning situation many parents currently face during the pandemic. Kerry defines “Unschooling” - the idea taught in her book “Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom” and gives evidence based advice and hope to parents seeking a better way to educate their children. This episode is a great reflection on what education really is and how it should be approached.  Highlighted Quotes “Opportunity in Education Entrepreneurship”   We're seeing tremendous growth in all aspects of the economy in terms of entrepreneurship, of course that's not offsetting the vast number of businesses that have been shut down due to government orders, but it is a hopeful sign that entrepreneurship is alive and well and I think, again, education entrepreneurship is ripe for more opportunities and more innovators to create some really wonderful options for families. “Defining Unschooling” “Unschooling” is really disentangling education from schooling and seeing schooling as one method to being educated sort of top down, course of type learning where you know here are your daily assignments here are your tests and quizzes here's your ABCDEF grade, and yet learning is so much broader and again more enriching than that experience. Also unschooling doesn't mean that you're not taking classes, it doesn't mean that you're not doing what we would consider school like activities. It just means that it's a less coercive experience and it's more driven by the child's interest. “Parents” Parents are the ones, ultimately responsible for making sure their children are highly literate and numerous highly educated, and I argue that that's true whether your children are homeschooled or in a conventional school that it's up to the parents to make sure your children are getting a high quality education that it's your responsibility as a parent to do that. Resources/Mentions: Book Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom Why I Love Homeschooling  Company Expanse Learning   Expanse(Linkedin)  Organization FEE.org Guest Links: Kerry - Linkedin Kerry Mcdonald Website (Fee.Org) Kerry's Forbes Articles  Kerry - Facebook Kerry - Instagram  Kerry - Twitter  Podcast Links: Instagram: @Hopestrategy  Facebook: @hopestrategy  Twitter: @thehopestrategy Youtube The Hope Strategy   

Kerry McDonald is a Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute, and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). In addition to her regular column at Forbes.com where she spotlights innovative K-12 learning models, Kerry's articles have appeared at The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, NPR, Education Next, Reason Magazine, Entrepreneur, and the Journal of School Choice, among others. Her research interests include homeschooling and alternatives to school, self-directed learning, education entrepreneurship, parent empowerment, school choice, and family and child policy. Kerry has a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College. You can find her at fee.org/kerry and follow her on Twitter @kerry_edu. ----- Questions discussed in this episode: - Where did your passion for education, in particular, education policy and alternative education, come from? When did it all start for you? - You've been studying education for a while. What are some of your most important takeaways about education, and in particular traditional education vs. alternatives? - When and how did you first become interested in homeschooling? And also unschooling? - Some definitions – what's the distinction between homeschooling and unschooling? - Why did you choose to "unschool" your own kids? Did you start by unschooling, was it an evolution to unschooling? - How does homeschooling/unschooling/self-directed education prepare people for the real world? - What lessons from the unschooling approach can people apply to their own educations, even if they've already graduated? - What are the biggest myths people believe about education is/how it should be approached? - A lot of controversy has been swirling around homeschooling lately – in your opinion, why are some people so mad/hostile toward homeschooling? - What are some of the most exciting opportunities technology is opening up for education? - You've built an awesome brand talking about education – which you're clearly passionate about. What's your top piece of advice for people who aspire to become experts in their own area of interest? - What's your best advice to parents who've made the shift to homeschooling? Follow on Twitter @kerry_edu or check out her book, Unschooled. Any other piece of content you'd like me to share? ----- Kerry recently wrote about education models that might gain traction due to COVID: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerrymcdonald/2020/05/11/four-k-12-education-models-that-may-gain-popularity-during-covid-19

This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are happy to be joined by Kerry McDonald, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Drawing on her experiences as a homeschooling parent and researcher, Kerry shares thoughts on the major lessons we all should be learning from this... Source