Is anyone else tired...
of all the “back to school” noise?
Link to original newsletter.
Newsletter Content:
- New Unschooling Book Release
- FREE GUIDE from Radical Learning
- The Fearless Play & Parenting Library
- Not Back to School Support and Resources!
- Latest Additions to the Resource Directory
- Featured Organizing Partners
I walked into a bookstore awhile back and the “BACK TO SCHOOL!” book display flashed out at me. Over the next week, I saw these displays and ads at a grocery store, a kids’ toy store, and my YouTube channel (you’d think the algorithm would know better). And of course, there is the “Back to School” ad that played on my music app as I was literally writing this newsletter. Let’s preface this by saying: we are not talking about “going back to” SDE centers or SDE schools. That is an entirely different thing that feels outside of (and is hopefully rarely touched by) the marketing and sales vibes of “back to school” displays, events, and ubiquitous ads. Of course, this kind of marketing isn’t present in every culture. But, in the places that it is present, when a life event or holiday reaches such a level of ads and displays everywhere you turn, it’s a sign of its prevalence in our society and the general acceptance with which many people just say “yep, school is happening again.” It also baffles me that “back to school” starts happening in mid-July when, on the West Coast at least, we have barely even started summer. Let the kids play! Let the parents rest! Stop bombarding us with these messages of what’s to come and what we need to prepare for. For those who are still stuck with the conventional school paradigm, for whatever reason, this bombardment is especially exhausting. Why can’t society just let kids play or enjoy their not-school camps or activities? Why can’t parents have a break from thinking about school? Why can’t we just let summer be summer?
The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself: New Book Release!
Esther Jones is a mindfulness teacher, unschooling mother of three and host of the podcast The Unschool Space. She works with parents to help them navigate their own deschooling journey so that they can create a space within which they and their children can thrive together.
Her book The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself: A Mindful Guide to Embracing a New Way of Living and Learning With Your Child was published on August 21st. It is intended to be a helpful and reassuring companion for anyone who has stepped away from mainstream education or who is thinking about stepping away and is packed with practical suggestions and exercises, as well as stories from parents who have walked this path before, including Esther’s own lived experiences.
“In unschooling families, the problem of learning is about the parents’ learning, not the children’s. To support their children, parents must unlearn old, habitual ways of thinking and learn new, mindful ways. Esther Jones provides here a wonderful guide for doing this.” – Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn
The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself is available to order directly from the publisher on either their UK site or their US site, with the code %UNSCHOOL20 for a 20% discount.
To find out more about Esther’s work and her upcoming Mindful Deschooling courses, visit www.esther-jones.com.
Esther also wrote a recent piece on deschooling for Tipping Points Magazine: check it out here!
FREE GUIDE: Start Here: What to Do When School Stops Working.
Our Organizing Partner Radical Learning just dropped an amazing free resource!
When school stops working, it can feel overwhelming — for both kids and parents, as well as educators. Often we face pressure, fear, and uncertainty about what to do next.
To support this transition, our friends at Radical Learning created a FREE GUIDE: Start Here: What to Do When School Stops Working.
This practical workbook isn’t a checklist or a quick fix. Instead, it offers space to:
Get clear on what’s not working
Name the fears that often drive decisions
Reconnect with their values — and with their young people
Whether you are just beginning to question school or are already stepping into deschooling and self-directed education, this guide meets you where you are.
➡️ Download your FREE COPY HERE.
And share the link with others who may need it!
The Fearless Play & Parenting Library
We are excited to share a meaningful fundraising initiative that aligns deeply with our values of supporting children and families through safe, empowering environments.
Dr. Sonia Khost, who has been a researcher and practitioner of creating safe spaces for children for well over a decade, is launching a new project: The Fearless Play & Parenting Library, based in Cluj, Romania.
The mission of the Fearless Play & Parenting Library is to provide resources and create emotionally safe spaces during the crucial first seven years of a child’s life — from pregnancy through the early school years. This initiative builds on over a decade of grassroots work and aims to extend support from a single home and garden into the broader community of families in Cluj.
The library will be curated with a selection of books on parenting, psychology, education, and emotional coaching, and a Play Library from which families can borrow for free: toys (from sensory toys to telescopes and microscopes), games, tools (saws, sewing machines), and books.
The library will open its doors in December, 2025. By then they need to raise €4,000 (about $4,600) for the initial materials and space. The library will share space with the already existing project Verzui (Romanian for “greenish”), a nature playground for 0-6 year olds and their parents.
This project provides support for youth rights in a way that merges the safety of the child with the safety of the parent. So often projects focus on one or the other, but this one is the wonderful merger of the care provider’s needs and those of the child. You can read more about the project here.
If you have the means, please consider a small donation to help this wonderful project get off the ground. No donation is too small or too big!
Not Back to School Resources and Support
SDE and unschooling folks have found many ways to respond to all of the Back to School noise with support, reflection, meetups, and, altogether, recentering on our “why” for NOT going back to conventional schools this season. Here are some of the resources we have gathered for you all. If you have something to share, please email us. And don’t forget to check your local homeschool resources for fun Not Back to School adventures, deals, and days at local attractions!
Podcasts, articles, blogs:
Exploring Unschooling Podcast: Not Back to School with Anna Brown
Four Ways to Celebrate Not Back to School Day!
Fare of the Free Child Podcast: It Ain’t About Just Doing School Tings at Home!
It’s that time of year again, folks
Not Back to School, But Always in Love with Learning
Not Back to School Thriving
Out of Line Podcast [Not] Back to School Series
Throwback Tuesdays: Enjoying NOT Back to School Time for Us Unschoolers
Events and Cohorts:
NOT BACK TO SCHOOL! FINDING (OR REMEMBERING) YOUR WHY
August 31st, 8pm-9.30pm (UK time)
It’s easy to feel isolated or doubtful when school starts up again. Come and reflect with us on why this path feels right for your family and how the wobbly moments can be a help not a hindrance.
Not Back to School 2025 Cohort
A 30-day reset for families to leave school behind.
Newest Additions to the Resource DirectoryLisa Rothman, Conflict Prevention and Repair Specialist
Lisa gives parents practical tools for making collaborative decisions with their kids.
Yuegu is a self-directed learning community based on SDE, where members grow freely in an unstructured mixed-age environment. This ecology fosters autonomy, self-discipline, confidence, responsibility, and lifelong learning.
Featured Organizing Partners
Agile Learning CentersLiberated Learners
With a combined 40 years of experience running self-directed education centers, Liberated Learners can help you plan, build, and sustain your own program.
For a full list of our Organizing Partners, check out the bottom of our home page here.
In Solidarity,
The ASDE Organizing Team
Alliance for Self-Directed Education, Inc.
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Tipping Points Magazine amplifies the diverse voices within the Self-Directed Education movement. The views expressed in our content belong solely to the author(s). The Alliance for Self-Directed Education disclaims responsibility for any interpretation or application of the information provided. Engage in dialogue by reaching out to the author(s) directly.