101. When Your Child Is Struggling in School

When a child starts shutting down, refusing school, exploding after class, losing curiosity, or saying they hate learning, it is easy to assume something is wrong with the child.But what if their behavior is actually a healthy response to an unhealthy system?In this episode, Sari and Becka return after a long break to talk about what happens when young people collide with the school system. They explore school refusal, behavioral issues, loss of motivation, neurodivergence, pressure, compliance, and the ways children often protect their autonomy, creativity, dignity, and sense of self.This conversation is for parents who are watching their child struggle in school and wondering what is really going on underneath the surface.We explore:• Why children who once loved learning can begin to shut down in school• What might be underneath school refusal and “behavior problems”• How school can affect curiosity, creativity, autonomy, and initiative• Why some children struggle more than others to fit the school system• What changes when we ask what our children are protecting instead of what is wrong with them• Why listening to our children can change how we understand their struggleLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full listAnd here is a list of the best unschooling podcasts by Feedspot Podcasts - we are number 6!

Have you ever known something needed to change, but found yourself waiting until you felt less afraid?Whether it's leaving school behind, changing careers, moving across the world, or simply choosing a different way of parenting, many of the biggest decisions we make ask us to step into the unknown before we know how things will turn out.In this 100th episode of Radical Learning Talks, we reflect on the role courage has played in our own lives. We explore why fear isn't always a warning sign, how courage grows through practice rather than certainty, and why the life we're longing for often begins just beyond the edge of what feels comfortable.We explore: • Why courage and fear always seem to arrive together• How our relationship with the unknown changes over time• Why waiting until you feel "ready" often keeps us stuck• The connection between courage, dreaming and personal growth• How choosing a different path transforms not only us, but the people around usLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

Have you ever found yourself questioning the school system, only to worry about what your family, friends or the teachers in your life might think?For many parents, stepping away from conventional education isn't just about making different choices for their own children. It also changes how they see the world around them. Conversations about school can suddenly feel loaded, especially when the people we love have dedicated their lives to teaching or hold very different beliefs about education.In this episode, we examine how to question educational systems without losing empathy for the people within them. We talk about the difference between criticizing a system and criticizing the humans working inside it, why many of us become more binary in our thinking at the beginning of our deschooling journey, and how curiosity and relationship can create more meaningful conversations than trying to convince others.We explore: • Why conversations about school often become deeply personal• The difference between criticizing systems and criticizing people• Why empathy matters when discussing education• How to navigate family relationships when your views on schooling differ• Supporting children to make their own educational choices—even if that includes schoolLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

Have you ever imagined who your child might become?Most parents do.We picture their future, notice their potential, hope they'll use their gifts well, and quietly carry dreams for the life we want them to have. But what happens when those dreams begin to shape how we relate to the child standing in front of us?In this episode, we look at one of the most subtle forms of control in parenting: our expectations. We talk about the difference between modelling our values and moulding our children, why fear for the future can make us project our hopes onto them, and how unconditional love asks us to see our children for who they already are—not who we hope they'll become.This conversation is an invitation to notice the expectations we all carry, not with guilt, but with curiosity.In this episode we explore:• Why even positive expectations can limit a child's freedom• The difference between modelling values and moulding children• How fear for the future shapes our parenting• Why unconditional love means making space for your child's own path• Supporting children without attaching them to outcomesLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

What if the biggest obstacle to creating a more compassionate world isn't a lack of knowledge—but the wounds we haven't yet healed?Whether we're rethinking education, parenting, activism or the systems we live within, it's easy to focus on changing what's around us. But what if lasting change also asks us to look inward?In this conversation with our dear friend Chemay Morales-James from My Reflection Matters Village, we explore the relationship between healing, liberation and self-directed living.Together, we unpack why unschooling often becomes a gateway to questioning much more than school, how oppressive systems can quietly recreate themselves even inside liberation movements, and why community, intuition and inner work are essential if we want to build something genuinely different.This episode also takes an unexpected turn as we share a live Sense Thinking exercise exploring fear, intuition and the wisdom of the body—a beautiful glimpse into one of the practices that has deeply influenced our own work.In this episode we explore:• Why healing is an essential part of liberation• How oppressive systems recreate themselves when we don't examine our own patterns• The connection between unschooling, decolonization and personal transformation• Why intuition, community and the body matter as much as knowledge• A live Sense Thinking process exploring fear and the unknownLearn more about Chemay’s land project in Puerto RicoLearn about SenseThinking w/ AitabéLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

"Just trust your child."It's advice many parents hear when they begin questioning conventional education or exploring self-directed learning—but what if trust doesn't come naturally?What if your own experiences have taught you the opposite?In this episode, we answer a beautiful question from one of our listeners: How do you actually learn to trust? Beyond asking for reassurance from friends or reminding yourself to "stay calm," what helps trust become something you can genuinely feel?We share personal stories from our own parenting journeys and explore how trust isn't something you either have or don't have—it's something you gradually build through experience. We talk about fear, surrender, intuition, nature, and the small everyday moments that slowly reshape how we relate to our children—and to ourselves.In this episode we explore:• Why trusting your child is often harder than it sounds• How fear quietly shapes our parenting decisions• Why trust grows through practice, not certainty• The role of nature, intuition and slowing down• How surrender and observation can transform your relationship with your child• The difference between trusting your child and being negligentLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

What happens when hundreds of parents and young people ask the questions they've been quietly carrying?After sending out a community survey, we invited people to ask us anything. The result was a rich conversation that touches on some of the biggest questions we hear—from navigating criticism and trusting your intuition, to burnout, screen time, community, public education and what it really means to live without school.Rather than offering one-size-fits-all answers, we explore the questions underneath the questions. Together we reflect on discernment, family culture, recovery from burnout, raising young people with agency, and why so much of this journey is less about having the "right" answer and more about learning to ask different questions.Whether you're just beginning to question conventional education or you've been on this path for years, chances are you'll hear a question that resonates with your own experience.In this episode we explore:How to navigate conflicting advice and trust your own discernmentCreating a family culture where everyone's needs matterFinding community when there aren't many like-minded families nearbyHelping children recover from burnout after schoolScreen time, trust and supporting children without controlling themWhether public education can truly changeWhy "unschooling" sometimes feels too small a word for what this journey becomesLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

What if you make the wrong decision?It's one of the biggest fears parents face—especially when they're considering stepping away from conventional education or choosing a different path for their family. What if your child resents you? What if this doesn't work? What if you've made a mistake you can't undo?In this episode, we examine why these questions feel so overwhelming and what they reveal about the way many of us have been taught to think about parenting, certainty and success. We talk about the difference between decisions that come from fear and those that come from deep alignment, why no decision has to be permanent, and how learning to live with uncertainty is part of raising children—and being human.Rather than searching for guarantees, we invite parents to think about decision-making as an ongoing process of listening, adapting and responding. Because perhaps the goal isn't to get every decision right. Perhaps it's to stay present enough to keep making the next one.In this episode we explore:Why the fear of "getting it wrong" feels so powerfulThe illusion that conventional paths guarantee safety or successWhy parenting isn't about finding the perfect answerHow uncertainty can become a place of growth rather than fearMaking decisions that align with your values instead of social expectationsWhy every decision can be revisited as your family grows and changesLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

Can I really do this?It's one of the first questions parents ask when they begin exploring unschooling. But underneath it are so many others: Am I doing enough? What if I get this wrong? What if my child falls behind?In this episode, we explore why beginning the unschooling journey can feel so unsettling—and why that's completely understandable. Stepping away from conventional education isn't just a change in where learning happens. It's a shift in how we think about children, learning, relationships, time, success, and even ourselves.We talk about why so many parents feel pressure to "do unschooling right," why the first season often needs to be one of healing rather than productivity, and why the real work isn't about creating the perfect learning environment for your child—it's about learning to relate to them, and to yourself, in a different way.If you're standing at the beginning of this journey wondering whether you're capable of doing this, this conversation is for you.In this episode we explore:Why unschooling is a paradigm shift, not just an educational choiceThe pressure parents feel to "do it right"Why healing often comes before learningLetting go of productivity and making space for beingWhy relationship—not curriculum—is at the heart of unschoolingHow uncertainty can become an invitation instead of a threatLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list

What if the hardest part of unschooling isn't leaving school?What if it's learning to live without certainty?Many of us have been taught that there is a right path, a right answer, or a blueprint for how life should unfold. But what happens when we begin questioning those assumptions? And what becomes possible when we stop trying to control every outcome?In this deeply reflective conversation with Chevanni Davids from the Reimagined Learning Community in South Africa, we wander through questions of learning, uncertainty, initiation, community, decolonization and imagination. Together, we consider what it means to let go of inherited ways of thinking without simply replacing them with new certainties, and why the practice of unschooling might be less about education than about learning to be in relationship with life itself.Some of the themes we sit with include:Why uncertainty can become a place of wisdom instead of fearUnschooling as an ongoing process of initiationThe difference between moving away from something and moving towards somethingWhy we so easily recreate the systems we're trying to leave behindThe role of gentleness, silence and spaciousness in learningRemembering our connection to life, community and the more-than-human worldYou can contact Chevanni here:IG: @che_reimagined, @reimaginedlearningLooking for support as you navigate learning outside school? Explore free masterclasses, resources, and a community of parents asking similar questions → Join UN-SKOOLWondering what keeps shaping your reactions when parenting gets hard? → Discover Your Parenting ArchetypeHave a parenting, homeschooling, or unschooling question? Send it to us and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter: → Dear Sari & Becka→ Follow us on Instagram and come hang out with us between episodes.→ Check out our website and explore more of our work, resources, and support.Radical Learning Talks was named the #2 Democratic Education Podcast to Listen to in 2026 by FeedSpot. See the full list