Book Club

December Book Club: Unschooling Yourself

2025-10-25 19:45 Upcoming
Please join us on December 3rd at 7:30pm ET - 4:30pm PT for the Sudbury Community Book Club discussion, Unschooling Yourself
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This month we explore the journey families take when their children become self-directed learners. Our primary reading to support this discussion is the 2025 book by Esther Jones, The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself - Jessica Kingsley Publishers
“To unschool your child, you must first unschool yourself.”
When a student joins a self-directed learning program, the entire family needs to be prepared to examine their pre-existing beliefs about schooling.

  • What are popular assumptions about learning and achievement that are hard to let go of?
  • What are fears and worries about self-directed learning that nag at us?
  • What is your “job” on this journey?
  • How do you know if it is “working”?
  • How do you make space for your child and yourself?
  • Why affording yourself self-compassion might be more important than you realize.

Join us for stories, strategies, and conversation.

The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself is available in print and digital through libraries and independent booksellers.
Abe Books | Bookshop.org | WorldCat

No time to read the book? Here are some suggested short cuts.

Podcasts:

The School Can’t Experience : #35 - Unschooling Ourselves with Esther Jones (46 minutes)

The Unschool Space: Deschooling and Moving Beyond our Limiting Beliefs (51 minutes)

Articles:

Beyond rules, expectations and control - an uncomfortable and endlessly rewarding space - Esther Jones

Things I Wish I Had Known - Esther Jones

Ready for a deep dive? Here is some of the research behind The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself.