What happens when a radically unschooled child looks at her free-range childhood and says… “I want to go to public school”?
Hello everybody! I’m Dr. Claire Honeycutt of ClarifiEd and this is Tried & True Homeschooling where we talk with real parents who have actually graduated their kids. They are filled with the most incredible wisdom.
Today I’m talking with the wonderful, incredible Camilla — an unschooling graduate, homeschool mom, former public school teacher, and one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever talked to about education.
Camilla grew up in the 90s on a small family farm. She was raised by a deeply independent mother who influenced by the ideas of John Holt let her spend her childhood roaming outdoors and doing whatever she pleased.
But Camilla wanted more.
She taught herself to read and then did the unthinkable … she put herself in public school.
If you’ve ever wondered whether unschooling actually works — or if children need more structure — you are going to love this conversation.
Camilla shares what it was really like transitioning from unschooling into middle school, becoming the first of her siblings to attend college, finding herself a a public school teacher, and finally navigating homeschooling her own children.
But that’s just where we start.
We talk about:
Which kinds of children naturally thrive with freedom — and which may need more support
How unschooling affects motivation, confidence, and independence
Why modern technology has fundamentally changed the unschooling
How to raise teenagers who truly take ownership of their lives
🌺Thoughtful, honest, funny, and full of nuance — this one is for every parent trying to balance freedom and formation.
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Finally, a quick note.
Tried and True shares real parents stories without commentary or endorsement. I don’t necessarily agree with every method or approach presented in these discussions — my goal is to present real families and their experiences so you can decide what’s best for your children. For my personal advice and approach, head to ClarifiEd.life.
~Dr. Claire
