HIHTK Episode 020: DeSchool the Adult Mind | Jo Watt
Summary: Jo Watt was a teacher with a Master’s degree in education. In this episode of Honey! I’m Homeschooling the Kids, you’ll hear how she learned to deschool the adult mind.<br> How does a teacher and master’s degree educated person learn to deschool the adult mind? It comes down to careful observation and acceptance. Keep reading to learn more. And listen to the episode to get the full story.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Other ways to enjoy this Podcast<br> <br> <br> <a title="Listen on iTunes" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/honey-im-homeschooling-the-kids/id1272423047" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><br> <a title="Listen on Google Play" href="https://play.google.com/music/listen?t=Honey!_I%27m_Homeschooling_The_Kids&pcampaignid=MKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16&u=0&view=/ps/I2zvkou6ephyzybp2fc6f2ea3lm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><br> <a title="Listen on Stitcher" href="http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=147912&refid=stpr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Jo Watt is English. Very English. At least to my prairie Canadian ears. I could listen to that accent all day. I think she might have lured me into a trance. Do English people know the power they hold over us North Americans?<br> But accent aside, I loved Jo’s story and the lessons she shared. I’ll walk you through some of these lessons below. But the big takeaway, was how she went from being a teacher with a master’s degree in education to a full blown unschooling mom. As with most of us who choose this path, Jo had to deschool the adult mind before she could truly understand her kids.<br> Jo is a friend of <a href="https://imhomeschooling.com/natural-learning/">Rachel Rainbolt (Sage Parenting) who you heard from on Episode 17.</a> Like Rachel, Jo lives in the Washington state, although her journey there was a bit different. We cover that in a bit of detail in this podcast as well.<br> Jo writes a great blog about unschooling called <a href="http://girlsunschooled.co.uk/">Girls Unschooled</a>. You can also follow her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Girlsunschooled/">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/girls_unschooled/">Instagram</a> to stay in touch. Please do so. Anyone pursuing alternative education needs to form a community.<br> Community is virtual not just geographic. Let’s be honest, you don’t need to see any more political rants from your crazy uncle. But you could use uplifting and interesting stories from an inspiring unschooler like Jo. So go there and link up with her now.<br> Deschool the Adult Mind<br> Jo Watt, teacher and Master of Education. It’s a formidable title. She sounds like the kind of person who could instill education into children. This narrative has changed. She is that — a formidable person with talents.<br> But, as an unschooler, what’s the real benefit of her background and titles? Jo claims it’s useful when dealing with prickly questions from well-meaning family members and friends.<br> “I don’t know how you do it? Are you even qualified?”<br> As unschoolers, we hear this all the time. Many parents I hear from would love to pursue alternative education, but they don’t think they’re up for the challenge.<br> “I’d love to do that but I’m not a teacher and I wouldn’t have the first idea where to start.”<br> Well, Jo has more than enough education. But she told me on the podcast that she doesn’t think it’s all that useful in unschooling her two daughters. Where it does provide a major benefit is talking to others. They often seem skeptical at first, but when they find out she’s a master’s degree educated teacher they relent. They trust that she can handle it and stop questioning her.<br>
