The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

What it would take to start your own school? May seem a massive undertaking! Imagine an inspiring space more like home, comfortable with children given respect Deciding the best choice for our children at any given time in life can be daunting. For new listeners perhaps Homeschooling is appealing to you but you are interested in more structure. Maybe you are interested in the philosophies of Self Directed Education, where the child is in charge of their learning and their life! Well today we look at what it would take to start your own school. This may seem a massive undertaking but now is the time for great change! When looking at learning, even in the design of a school, could it not be more like home? Could it not be a more comforting environment to bring out children’s natural brilliance? Well today we hear from Jeff Collins who set up the Hudson Valley Sudbury school in Woodstock New York. Jeff likes to call the school he and his wife set up a little village, a social construct to understand what it means to live together. Students are not coerced to learn anything and take an active part in making the rules and shaping the direction of the school. As Jeff envisions, it is about getting these ideas into the mainstream conversation, as we now see a proven track record to spread this message worldwide. So if you have passions of starting a homeschool co-op, homeschool resource center or even undertaking a bigger project as Jeff has done, it just takes a vision, local support and trust… it’s all possible! Jeff can be found here at Hudson Valley Sudbury School https://hvsudburyschool.com/ We are a small team producing the podcast but as we see numbers grow exponentially feel a duty to realize the full potential of this movement into the world embracing Homeschooling and promise to produce more! So to dedicate more time and resources to the show it would be amazing if you can spare a cup of coffee, or whatever you can each month to keep us up and running. You can find many ways to donate over at homeschoolingandliberty.com to become an active part of the community with lots more involvement to follow. So, here’s to that, and to you for whatever support you can give, it is truly appreciated and honors our ideal of paying it forward, to the next family living free raising Self Directed, Creative and Caring Young Adults, Cheers!

How to start a Homeschool co op, set up a Democratic Free School, learn with life, children deserved to be treated with respect as individuals, School is over! With many children suffering scary, painful and exhausting days at school, we must remember change is the only constant. When looking at the school system of today, we have to ask cui bono who benefits? When thinking critically we have to examine the two trains of thought proposed, that children either need to be coerced into learning with rewards and punishments at every stage, or they are innately curious about life and the want to learn everything about the world they inhabit. I offer a challenge to anyone listening and try to not teach a 6 year old something in any given day. Count how many times you hear why in one mid-week afternoon! So then, at age 7, we must be asking WHY would this suddenly change? Well to take us through exciting learner centered alternatives, today we go back to a great conversation with one of the leading lights in alternative education. Today we hear from Jerry Mintz of Education revolution, who can be found here at Alternative Education Resource Organization Jerry has set up countless Democratic schools throughout the world and helps families find real alternatives, from starting a Homeschool Resource Centre to setting up a Free School where the Iroquois model of democracy is taken from the Native American tradition, where each voice is heard and consensus of the individual, not tyranny of the majority, is the goal. A fascinating talk with a staunch ally in the quest for giving our children fulfilled and self directed lives. This clip is for all our listeners, but especially to share with any family still having doubts about starting their Homeschool, even as they around and feel deeply uncomfortable with the increasingly restrictive and controlling environments of today’s public schools. You can find us over at HomeschoolingandLiberty.com and listen to all of our previous shows with the leading lights in Creative Homeschooling, Self Directed Learning and Inspired living. In these short inspiring clips, we offer a glimpse into shared philosophies for all parents wishing to raise healthy, happy and independent young adults. Please find yourself very welcome, So please enjoy!

Today we answer some common doubts that maybe affecting a family’s belief in starting to Homeschool, a fear of their child integrating into society? I heard this myself just last week as I continue to show my girls as much of the world as possible, I simply watch in awe at their innate curiosity to continue to ask endless questions of intrigue, to see how things work in reality and gain true understanding. Something so lacking in any traditional school setting. This can be seen in the magic of numbers found everywhere, how music affects our vibrations and the world around us, the sacredness of geometry and not forgetting our biggest teacher of all, the pure essence of nature…with social interaction at each minute of the day we walk this journey of life. Our guest today is the perfect Self Directed “Unschooling” advocate, who comes from a polished academic background, having studied at Harvard and been a lover of her K-12 Public school experience. Today we hear from Kerry McDonald who write regularly at Forbes, NPR, Education Next, Natural Mother Magazine and The Alliance for Self Directed Education. Kerry talks about how when she became a mother and was investigating all the options for her child’s learning she remembered in her studies visiting a homeschooling family and realized how much joy and freedom she found there. All of us already living these adventures with our children, know we spend most of the day outside, community living and learning, and, as Kerry points out see that the real segregation is found in the school environment, where children are separated by age and disconnected entirely to any real world experience. This clip is for all our listeners, but especially to share with any family still having doubts about starting their Homeschool, even as they around and feel deeply uncomfortable with the increasingly restrictive and controlling environments of today’s public schools. Kerry’s amazing books covered all things Homeschool can be found here We are a small team producing the podcast but as we see numbers grow exponentially feel a duty to realize the full potential of this movement into the world embracing Homeschooling and promise to produce more! So to dedicate more time and resources to the show it would be amazing if you can spare a cup of coffee, or whatever you can each month to keep us up and running. You can find many ways to donate over at homeschoolingandliberty.com to become an active part of the community with lots more involvement to follow. So, here’s to that, and to you for whatever support you can give, it is truly appreciated and honors our ideal of paying it forward, to the next family living free raising Self Directed, Creative and Caring Young Adults, Cheers! So please enjoy!

As we continue to move in the direction of liberty we learn valuable lessons when looking at the school system of today and why it has failed us so drastically. One such lesson is what our guest Dr Carlo Ricci covers in today’s Homeschool Clip and that is the important question of what qualities we should look for when thinking of tutors, mentors and facilitators for our children’s path of learning. We ask what qualities does it take to create an inspiring and peaceful learning environment? Dr Ricci is a firm believer that to be a good teacher you must forget everything you have been taught in a faculty of education and tear down the idea of imposed curricula and tests that only lead to fear, anxiety and diminish all learning. Dr Ricci expands on the idea of creating an authentic learning environment that should be individual for each child and rest in the principles of respect, support and Self Determination. We are a small team producing the podcast but as we see numbers grow exponentially feel a duty to realize the full potential of this movement into the world embracing Homeschooling and promise to produce more! So to dedicate more time and resources to the show it would be amazing if you can spare a cup of coffee, or whatever you can each month to keep us up and running. You can find many ways to donate over at homeschoolingandliberty.com to become an active part of the community with lots more involvement to follow. So, here’s to that, and to you for whatever support you can give, it is truly appreciated and honors our ideal of paying it forward, to the next family living free raising Self Directed, Creative and Caring Young Adults, Cheers!

As we all cry for change imagine a world worth creating! Think Worldschooling! Children live free, travel, share and inspire. Let’s ask what we want to create! The clip comes from Lainie Liberti of Project World School. Lainie opened my eyes to a world I had until that moment not really heard about, or understood in its full glory, Worldschooling. Lainie is a lifelong learner and left the US to discover her and her son’s relationship to the world. What they discovered was something so natural – treating the world as their classroom – the ability to connect with everyone wherever and “finding your tribe who speak from the heart” Lainie explains beautifully how intentionally living with inspiring caring individuals and families from all walks of life, you learn so much more, the experience becomes rich with thoughts, opinions and ideas. AS Lainie calls it = This, the BIG AHA So please spread these messages of hope as we look to a bright future in these times of fading darkness – And to all those families now joining us please tell a friend and – Welcome Welcome If you made it this far, we hope you have enjoyed this talk, along with all the others available at homeschoolingandliberty.com We are a small team producing the podcast, but as we see numbers grow exponentially I feel a duty to realize the full potential of this movement into the world embracing Homeschooling and promise to produce more! So for me to dedicate more time and resources to the show it would be amazing if you can spare a cup of coffee, or whatever you can each month to keep us up and running. You can find many ways to donate over at homeschoolingandliberty.com to become an active part of the community with lots more involvement to follow. Lainie and Project World School can be found here Home

“Creativity is not something that can be taught, by definition it requires freedom.” Dr Peter Gray is a professor at Boston College and author of Free to Learn In today’s clip we dive into the waters of creativity with Dr Peter Gray, world renowned for his promotion of incorporating play in all aspects of a child’s learning. We see how creativity is what is lacking when the goal of school seems to be testing with little or no time for creativity, a skill so much needed in the automation of today. Thank you once again for being part of this adventure! Once again, if you could spare 2 minutes please head on over to Itunes or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and positive review. This way we can reach all those families in need of support in these uncertain times! You make this show and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing. We shall see you real soon. Dr Gray can be found here https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn You can find all our previous shows here The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

“It’s not about doing well at school, it’s about engaging with life!” A quote taken from a wonderful talk we had with Pam from Joyfully Unschooling Podcast Today’s clip is taken from a wonderful talk we had with Pam Larrichia from the must listen Joyfully Unschooling Podcast. Pam lays out in vivid colour how she and her family started their homeschooling adventure when Pam knew of no one Homeschooling at that time. With her open mind Pam immersing herself in the world of the Unschooling philosophies and the firm belief that all children left to follow their own innate curiosity will discover anything they put their mind to. Pam is a true beckon of light in the Homeschooling world with many years Unschooling her own family and hours of inspiring interviews on her podcast, so please enjoy! You can stay in touch with us on twitter @ Homeschool Clips where we would love to hear of any guest recommendations, articles or personal stories that the wonderful world of Homeschooling would wish to hear. Whether you considering Homeschooling, an established Homeschool family or an educator wishing to change the school system from within please join us! Tell a friend, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a 5 star review as we continue this journey called life.. Cheers! The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

Hear of the late great John Holt´s timeless understanding of how children learn (and fail) through following their own innate curiosity and endless creativity While working with John, Pat was able to appreciate the stark contrast of giving children respect and autonomy to understand the world around as opposed to cramming and regurgitating soon to be forgotten facts for constant tests, or as John Holt named it, “The Charade of Leaning” This is a real gem of a clip from the podcast as Pat was originally a skeptic of John’s ideas of education until he saw the beautiful simplicity of it working in action! Pat can be found continuing John Holt’s legacy here If you are new to the show please sign up for our newsletter for new episodes, where we promise to bring you the brightest lights in the world of Creative Homeschooling, Self Directed Learning and Inspired Living. You can stay in touch with us on twitter @homeschoolclips where we would love to hear of any guest recommendations, articles or personal stories that the wonderful world of Homeschooling would wish to hear. Whether you considering Homeschooling, an established Homeschool family or an educator wishing to change the school system from within please join us! Tell a friend, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a 5 star review as we continue this journey called life.. Cheers!

Discover the many benefits of Homeschooling, as legend Dr Ron Paul talks about his unique life story as a politician and now provider of a Homeschool Curriculum. Hello and welcome! Today it is our delight to bring to you the next in our next in the series of Homeschool Clips taken from our podcast Homeschooling and Liberty. If you are new to the show please sign up for our newsletter for new episodes, where we promise to bring you the brightest lights in the world of Creative Homeschooling, Self Directed Learning and Inspired Living. You can stay in touch with us on twitter @homeschoolclips where we would love to hear of any guest recommendations, articles or personal stories that the wonderful world of Homeschooling would wish to hear. Whether you considering Homeschooling, an established Homeschool family or an educator wishing to change the school system from within please join us! Tell a friend, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a 5 star review as we continue this journey called life.. Cheers!

Homeschooling naturally creates peaceful, voluntary family relationships based in mutual considerations and consent. Trust comes from respect. Homeschooling shouldn’t be a chore! It should not resemble the outdated model of rewards and punishments. It should be a sharing of this journey called life! Homeschooling offers parents and children the chance to grow something new. Say no to the trauma created by strict school environments. Join Skyler Collins and listen to his journey of following his parents footsteps of an authoritarian parental style with little or no success, to embracing the freedom found in Homeschooling. Skyler changed his Homeschooling to incorporate a strong emphasis on Self Directed, Self Motivated Learning, or as it could be called Unschooling! Skyler can be found here https://everything-voluntary.com/ As the podcast numbers continue to grow, we would love for these inspirational conversations to reach as many families as possible. So please, if you could spare 2 minutes head on over to Itunes or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and positive review! Let’s share these wonderful messages of creative and inspired living with all those just now starting to move away from the outdated and harmful model of forced schooling. You make this show, and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing. We shall see you real soon! The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

Self Directed Learning! A lifestyle that allows for your child to know themselves, understand their needs and be seen as a free and powerful individual. Crystal Byrd Farmer is the founder of Gastonia Freedom School, an Agile Learning Center for pre-K to 8 with and without disabilities in Gastonia, North Carolina. Crystal takes us through her journey of discovering the Self Directed Learning philosophies when she became friends with a family Unschooling their children. She tells us of the “deschooling” most parents have to go through to appreciate the endless benefits of Self Directed Education and how she uses those to give her students the respect and support they need to blossom. “Let go of the need to control your child’s future, your child right now is not your child in the future. Watch them grow into something you can’t even imagine! Try and see the child for the human that they are, Supporting the whole child instead of meeting some arbitrary standard.” The Freedom School detailing the ALC philosophies can be found here Learn on Your Terms As the podcast numbers continue to grow, we would love for these inspirational conversations reach as many families as possible. So please, if you could spare 2 minutes head on over to Itunes or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and positive review! Let’s share these wonderful messages of creative and inspired living with all those just now starting to move away from the outdated and harmful model of forced schooling. You make this show, and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing. We shall see you real soon! The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-homeschooling-and-liberty-podcast/id1358493757 Crystal’s article on micro schools of the future can be found here https://www.self-directed.org/tp/micro-schools-the-future/

Steven Horwich quit teaching as he felt 40 kids in a class can never facilitate learning. He now has a Homeschool Curriculum based in honor and respect. Steven Horwich is an Emmy Award-winning writer/director specializing in theater, with works presented in theaters in Los Angeles, Toronto, Detroit, Tampa, Connecticut, Montana, London, and St. Petersberg. He has also been a professional educator for over 45 years, having taught at U.S.C., C.S.U.N., for the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he become deeply skeptical about the damaging ways of test driven one size fits all forced schooling. In 1998, he started creating a comprehensive K-12 homeschool curriculum aimed at the individual student and teaching subjects such as history in a cause and effect time line of events and science where everything can be related. Such a wide ranging and informed conversation today, so please enjoy! Thank you once again for being part of this adventure! Once again, if you could spare 2 minutes please head on over to Itunes or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and positive review. This way we can reach all those families in need of support in these uncertain times! You make this show and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing, we shall see you real soon! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-homeschooling-and-liberty-podcast/id1358493757 The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

The distinguished and respected Professor Boyes expands on his views that the school system is the number one issue affecting freedoms today Professor Boyes takes us through the history the current school model and where it comes from. We ask if there may be more innovative and exciting ways to provide education away from one size fits all. He focuses on the idea of having more choices for parents, resulting in less expensive, more direct, effective and local options for all. Professor Boyes is the Director of the Center for Economic Liberty at Arizona State University, and is Professor Emeritus of Economics at ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business, the largest public university by enrollment in the U.S. A great wealth of knowledge and experience shared today, so please enjoy! You make this show and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing. We shall see you real soon!

Gain faith in your family’s ability to live life by your design! Follow each owns individual passions with unforced learning each and everyday. Tired of the daily routine, today’s guest Martina Tyrell takes us back to her decision to sell everything and buy a sail boat to set off on a family adventure like no other! We gain valuable insight into how to plan for such an adventure and uncover the joys of being outside most of the day and how learning simply happens all the time wherever you may be! Whether this somewhat unorthodox lifestyle approach appeals to you or not, we can all take away great inspiration from Martina’s experiences to live an authentic life full of creativity and joy! As the podcast numbers continue to grow, we would love for these inspirational conversations reach as many families as possible! So please, if you could spare 2 minutes head on over to Itunes or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and positive review! Let’s share these wonderful messages of creative and inspired living with all those just now starting to move away from the outdated and harmful model of forced schooling. You make this show, and we are so grateful! Thank you so much for your support in sharing. We shall see you real soon! The Homeschooling and Liberty Podcast

Homeschooling naturally encourages real understanding by encouraging and offering the time for independent and self realized research. Join us as New York Times bestselling author Tom Woods takes us through the many benefits of Homeschooling, especially the abilities instilled by encouraging independent and self realized research. Tom Woods gained a bachelor’s from Harvard and Ph.D. from Columbia and is the host of The Tom Woods Show. A great deal of his life’s work can be found at his on line university Liberty Classroom, where the emphasis is self directed learning through studying source documents and gaining an Auto Didactic approach to learning and understanding. Tom’s message of having faith in your family’s ability to Homeschool shines through in this inspiring talk, with the support found in many Homeschooling groups and the results speaking for themselves. “Don’t listen to fears about taking your kids out of school everybody’s going to be fine, you will be glad you did it! “ As homeschooling gets easier watch the popularity rise! Liberty Classroom can be found here www.libertyclassroom.com As millions of new families are starting to look for alternatives to school, the best way to help us reach them is to give us a quick review! So please, if you could spare 2 minutes head on over to Itunes, or wherever you get the show, to SUBSCRIBE and leave us a 5 star rating and a short review of any special guest that you have enjoyed so far. You make this show, thank you! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-homeschooling-and-liberty-podcast/id1358493757