It was such a treat to interview my son Jo about his thoughts on his unschooling life. He describes how his very sense of self is defined by being a home schooler. He talks about his ‘self actualised’ childhood and how ‘unless I missed the memo, I was just enjoying my life which is meant to be the point of being alive, isn’t it?’

He gives a blunt no holds barred assessment of our school system from his own experience when he went in at 14 to take his qualifications. He concludes that school ‘hinders people from professional skills’ and labels it ‘cruel’.

As an unschooling parent I had the great pleasure of being thanked by my 31 year old son for the life we gave him. He asks me how I felt when he went back to school at 14 and I describe the confidence I felt in him to take what he needed - his motivation was what it was all about. He chose it.

His advice to unschooling parents is to have easy ongoing access to many creative resources simultaneously around the house and to relax and have fun.

Jo concludes by throwing down the gauntlet to parents: ‘A happy person can do anything but a miserable person - their options are really limited’.

As always, feel free to email me with any comments, thoughts or questions on this educational and parenting philosophy. [email protected]

My heartfelt thanks go to my daughter Nell for producing this series.

Jo mentions his publication at the start of the lockdown: ‘A homeschooler’s guide to parents for surviving school closure’https://medium.com/@Jo_Burnham/a-homeschoolers-guide-to-parents-for-surviving-school-closure-571320832053