When School's Not Working

04/10/2021

In our final episode of When School's Not Working, our hosts chat with 17 year old Olivia Barnes. By every conventional measure of grades and test scores, Olivia was thriving in the public school system. But was she really?

We talk about her motives for transitioning to fully self-directed learning, and how designing her own education has provided opportunities to pursue her interests full time.

Learn how her passions of marine conservation, athletics, and art inspired a two-fold dream: inspiring other teens and youth to pursue their interests in unique ways and exploring marine biology and environmental conservation.

Did we mention her upcoming book, "Overlapping Worlds: Exploring How Nature Can Support the Mental Health of Elite Athletes"? It's set to be published in winter 2021.

Learn more about Olivia in our full interview here.

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27/09/2021

Last week on the show, we met Shannon Falkenstein, the founder of Acton Academy El Salvador and host of The New Schools Podcast.

We covered Shannon's own education trajectory, her inspiration to become an educator, how school failed to prepare her as an entrepreneur at a critical point in life, her discovery of the Acton model, life in El Salvador, and much more in this fascinating interview.

Check it out on our YouTube channel, and don't forget to subscribe for more each week with When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

21/09/2021

We'll be fielding your questions live in our Facebook group now for our guest, Shannon Falkenstein!

Shannon is the Founder of Acton Academy El Salvador, a Montessori preschool and learner-driven micro-school. Acton is a blended, learner-driven education model that started in Austin, Texas in 2009 and now has more than 300 affiliates around the globe. El Salvador was the 10th Acton affiliate.

Shannon is the host of The New Schools podcast whose target audiences are families and educators who feel frustrated and limited by conventional education or - even better - inspired to make learning way more fun during their children’s K-12 years. It’s part primer, part survey of the possibilities that other people are inventing, and Shannon's role is the curious parent who wants to know more.

A freedom-lover, explorer and anthropologist at heart, Shannon has lived, worked and studied all over the world, in careers and projects as diverse as anthropology, public health, finance tech, education, life coaching, craft beer and rock music. She is also the founder of Expats in El Salvador, which connects and equips foreigners living in El Salvador and has more than 6.5K members.

Shannon earned her Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Human Biology from Emory University and her Master of Arts in Secondary Science Teaching from NYU's Steinhardt School and her Montessori certification from North American Montessori Center.
She lives in El Salvador with her husband, David Falkenstein, creator of Cadejo Brewing Company, and their two joyful children, who are their inspiration.

She lives in El Salvador with her husband, David Falkenstein, creator of Cadejo Brewing Company, and their two joyful children, who are their inspiration.

20/09/2021

Last week on When School's Not Working, we met community organizer Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, a former homeschooling mother and co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES).

BFHES is a pioneering educational research group that integrates research and community practice through the publication of scholarly work and engagement of homeschool practitioners. BFHES is the first US-based research and education group dedicated specifically to the topic of black family homeschooling.

Dr. Ali-Coleman found homeschooling a natural choice for her family because she has taught as a teaching artist for decades and began teaching college courses in 2011.

We talked about Dr. Ali-Coleman's experience in public school as a child, her choice to homeschool as a mother, her community activism in the homeschooling arena, the politics of homeschooling, and much more.

Check out our full interview with Dr. Ali-Coleman on our YouTube channel, and remember to subscribe for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

16/09/2021

Meet Emma Strong, age 17. Emma's been homeschooled her whole life, never having stepped foot in a public school. Homeschooling provided her a great deal of flexibility to explore passions through internships and volunteer experiences. While public school conditions kids to remain passive and follow preset rubrics, Emma's proactive. She's bootstrapped herself into a successful social media marketing career with several major clients.

And after all this, what's the point of college?

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13/09/2021

Tonight at 8 PM ET: Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is a former homeschooling mother and co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars (BFHES).

BFHES is a pioneering educational research group that integrates research and community practice through the publication of scholarly work and engagement of homeschool practitioners. BFHES is the first US-based research and education group dedicated specifically to the topic of black family homeschooling.

Dr. Ali-Coleman found homeschooling a natural choice for her family because she has taught as a teaching artist for decades and began teaching college courses in 2011. She has taught Communication studies and Fine and Performing Arts at numerous institutions including Morgan State University, Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), Prince George's Community College (PGCC), Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and Montgomery College.

BFHES continues to engage with our community through monthly “tea talks” and maintaining a burgeoning community of homeschool educators via Facebook. Their mission is to provide ongoing community engagement regarding black homeschooling through (1) the publication of scholarly and trade work on the topic, and (2) the production of community events targeting black homeschool families and entrepreneurs engaged in the practice of black homeschooling.

Join us tonight in our Facebook group at 8 PM ET, where we will field your questions for Dr. Ali-Coleman live! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whenschoolsnotworking

13/09/2021

Last week on When School's Not Working, we met Emma Strong, niece of our host Michael Strong.

Emma, age 17, was homeschooled her whole life. Like most teenagers, Emma spent much of her time on social media, but she was able to utilize the skills gained to bootstrap her own way into marketing via Instagram and TikTok, building a network to gain major clients as well as several minor ones.

Learn Emma's thoughts on school, college, and more in our full episode on our YouTube channel, and remember to subscribe for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

09/09/2021

Fear. Many parents know the public school system isn't serving their child's individual needs. But public school is still the "safe choice" they're familiar with. After all, most parents attended public school. Alternatives just seem to risky. Many wonder, "What if I damage my child permanently?"

Meet our co-host Matt Barnes.

Matt has an alert for parents: "School Is Not Working."

For 20 years, Matt has studied the entire disjointed school system -- pre-k thru university -- through his service on nine educational boards, running an education reform nonprofit, and especially through his educational coaching with thousands of parents. Few students are prepared for the realities of the 21st century but his work helps parents become their child's "Head Coach."

So what is Matt's message to parents afraid of making the leap into the unknown of alternative education?

Check out our full interview with Matt on our YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe for more each week from When School's Not Working.

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

01/09/2021

Last week on the show, we met Trevor Eissler, author of the book, "Montessori Madness." The book asks parents to take a look one thirty-minute observation at a Montessori school. Your picture of what education should look like will never be the same.

Trevor has a unique philosophy around parenting. He provides his children with a high level of autonomy to make choices about their own lives.

"I think of two people looking at each other, teacher teaching a student, or a parent telling a child what to do or asking if they did their homework or their chores. What I want to do as a parent is not to be in that orientation, but to actually both be facing the same way, walking with that person... You're both together sharing a space, you both care about each other, but you're doing your own thing.

The child has his or her thing that she needs to be doing that hers or his. It's not the parent's or the teacher's. They're on their own path. You're just with them."

Check out the full interview on our YouTube channel, and remember to subscribe for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

31/08/2021

Last week on the show, we met Trevor Eissler, author of the book "Montessori Madness!: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education." We talked about his discovery of the montessori school model when his children were young, his general parenting philosophy, his attitude toward his kid's grades, and much more!

Check out the full episode, now available on our YouTube channel.

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

30/08/2021

Tonight at 8 PM ET: Shannon Falkenstein is the Founder of Acton Academy El Salvador, a Montessori preschool and learner-driven micro-school. Acton is a blended, learner-driven education model that started in Austin, Texas in 2009 and now has more than 300 affiliates around the globe. El Salvador was the 10th Acton affiliate.

Shannon is the host of The New Schools podcast whose target audiences are families and educators who feel frustrated and limited by conventional education or - even better - inspired to make learning way more fun during their children’s K-12 years. It’s part primer, part survey of the possibilities that other people are inventing, and Shannon's role is the curious parent who wants to know more.

A freedom-lover, explorer and anthropologist at heart, Shannon has lived, worked and studied all over the world, in careers and projects as diverse as anthropology, public health, finance tech, education, life coaching, craft beer and rock music. She is also the founder of Expats in El Salvador, which connects and equips foreigners living in El Salvador and has more than 6.5K members.

Shannon earned her Bachelor of Science in Anthropology and Human Biology from Emory University and her Master of Arts in Secondary Science Teaching from NYU's Steinhardt School and her Montessori certification from North American Montessori Center.

She lives in El Salvador with her husband, David Falkenstein, creator of Cadejo Brewing Company, and their two joyful children, who are their inspiration.

Join us tonight in our Facebook group at 8 PM ET, where we will field your questions for Shannon live! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whenschoolsnotworking

27/08/2021

What do you think?

26/08/2021

A common concern for many parents considering a homeschool transition is the fear that their child may be disadvantaged relative to peers in the college admissions process.

For many homeschoolers, community college is an ideal stepping stone to make the transition to a four-year university, particularly as a formal transcript is then established.

Brandice Nelson took this route, starting at a local community college on her way to bachelor's and master's programs at Baylor University.

But what was the transition like for her, going from a lifelong homeschool environment at 17?

Check out our full interview with Brandice Nelson on our YouTube channel, and make sure to hit the subscribe button for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

25/08/2021

‼️90 SUBSCRIBERS‼️

This week, we crossed the 90th YouTube subscriber mark. Can we get to 100 by Friday?

SUBSCRIBE at the link in our comments section. 💻

24/08/2021

Last week, we met Brandice Nelson. Passionate about history from a young age, Brandice competed as a state finalist in the National History Day competition as a teenage homeschooler. She went on to earn both bachelor's and master's degrees in history at Baylor University, the first homeschooler in her family to do so, accomplishing a career as a history teacher and museologist.

But how was she admitted to Baylor without a traditional high school transcript? How was the admissions process? What about the transition from homeschool to college campus life? What about community college at the age of only 17?

Check out our full interview with Brandice Nelson on our YouTube channel, and make sure to hit the subscribe button for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

23/08/2021

Join us tonight at 8 PM ET in our Facebook group for a chat with Trevor Eissler, author of the book “Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education.”

We know we need to improve our traditional school system, both public and private. But how? More homework? Better-qualified teachers? Longer school days or school years? More testing? More funding? No, no, no, no, and no. Montessori Madness explains why the incremental steps politicians and administrators continue to propose are incremental steps in the wrong direction. The entire system must be turned on its head. This book asks parents to take a look one thirty-minute observation at a Montessori school. Your picture of what education should look like will never be the same.
Montessori Madness follows one family with young children on their journey of determination, discovery, and delight. Learn the who, what, when, where, why, and how of Montessori education.

This book makes an aggressive, humorous, and passionate case for a brilliant method of education that has received too little attention, very likely because it is based on a revolutionary, dangerous, and shocking concept: children love to learn!

Trevor and his wife, Robin, live with their three high school seniors in Georgetown, TX. His career is in aviation as a business jet pilot.

Join us tonight in our Facebook group at 8 PM ET, where we will field your questions for Trevor live! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whenschoolsnotworking

23/08/2021

Last week on the show, we met Brandice Nelson, a history teacher at WarpAndWeftHistory.com, museologist, and lifelong homeschooler!

We discussed feeling "odd" as a homeschooler, being the "guinea pig" as the first homeschooler in the family, attending college as a homeschooler, the socialization question, history curriculums for homeschoolers, and more! It's a must watch interview as always.

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

19/08/2021

Last week on the show, we met Blake Boles, the author of "Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids To School?" and founder of Unschool Adventures, a company leading trips both domestic and abroad for unschooled teens.

Here, our host Matt Barnes asks what many considering the option of ponder: What is the proper balance between freedom and structure in an unschooling or homeschooling environment?

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

18/08/2021

Last week on the show, we met Blake Boles, the author of "Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids To School?" and founder of Unschool Adventures, a company leading trips both domestic and abroad for teens.

Blake grew up thriving in a setting, but began pondering some of the orthodox premises of the traditional model stumbling upon the writings of John Taylor Gatto in adulthood.

It was a great conversation, covering the age-old question of the tradeoffs between freedom and structure in an setting, motiving teens, video game addiction, the pros and cons of , and more. It's just one more of our must-watch episodes!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

17/08/2021

Fear. It's the first obstacle facing families considering a transition to homeschooling or unschooling, even when realizing the traditional model isn't best serving children.

Meet Blake Boles, author of "Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?" The naysayers will tell you you're "damaging" your kids irreparably by pulling them out of school. And how does a homeschooler manage to attend college anyway?

What does Blake have to say to parents apprehensive about making the transition in the face of this criticism?

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

16/08/2021

Previously on the show, we talked to Nichelle Nelson, veteran homeschool mom of four with 25 years experience. Tonight at 8 PM ET, meet her incredibly accomplished daughter.

Brandice Nelson is a homeschool alumna who, from a young age, had a keen interest in history. As a teenager, she was a state finalist in the National History Day competition. She earned her BA in History and MA in Museum Studies from Baylor University. While in graduate school, she interned in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and received special funding from the Smithsonian Minority Awards Program.

Brandice has both curated and assisted with exhibits that have been featured in the Dr. Pepper Museum (Waco, TX), Fort House-Historic Waco Foundation (Waco, TX), the Witte Museum (San Antonio, TX), the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum (College Station, TX), and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (Austin, TX). She served as the Heart of Texas regional affiliate coordinator for Texas History Day, and has judged multiple categories at every level of competition preceding National History Day. She is curator of the map collection for the Texas General Land Office, and is a member of the Texas Map Society. She is also a member of the Junior League of Austin and Austin Young Nonprofit Professionals, and serves on the board of directors for Camp Agape and Pop Up Birthday.

Join us tonight in our Facebook group at 8 PM ET, where we will field your questions for Brandice live! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whenschoolsnotworking

09/08/2021

Last week on the show, the tables were turned as Matt Barnes and Michael Strong chatted with our usual co-host Catherine Fraise about her new online co-learning space, Workspacesky Teens.

Catherine told us how she was first motivated to become an educator to reform the system from within, eventually realizing this was fruitless whilst witnessing how her own children suffered in the school system. She created the physical Workspace Education location near her home in Bethel, Connecticut, intending to provide a space for children to thrive and pursue their own passions. It was a huge success, that is until COVID came along. But with the closure of the physical Workspace location came the realization of what might be possible in a virtual format.

Check out our full interview with Catherine on our YouTube channel, and be sure to hit the subscribe button for more each week from When School's Not Working!

JOIN our Facebook group for the LIVE show: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1043028029548536FOLLOW us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whenschoolsnot1​​FOLLOW ...

09/08/2021

Tonight at 8 PM ET: Blake Boles is a writer, speaker, adventurer, and advocate for self-directed learning. He has spent more than a decade working with unconventionally educated teenagers through the trip-leading company he founded, Unschool Adventures.

Originally from California, Blake has lived and traveled across the world. His previous books include The Art of Self-Directed Learning, Better Than College, and College Without High School, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Psychology Today, Fox Business, USA Today, NPR affiliate radio, and the blogs of Wired and The Wall Street Journal.

Join us tonight in our Facebook group at 8 PM ET, where Blake and our hosts will be fielding your questions live! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whenschoolsnotworking

04/08/2021

While many families make the transition to homeschooling or unschooling when the public school system has truly failed their children, Logan Albright's unique. He was 100% unschooled from childhood up to college, as was his sister.

Logan's parents decided to after reflecting on their own damaging experiences in school.

Ask any adult about their school experience. "You couldn't pay me to go back to that place." Yet school continues to do this to kids.

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