S2E3 - Deschooling: What It Actually Is with Rachel Parkinson

When families begin homeschooling, one of the first questions is often about curriculum.

But before the curriculum comes something else. Deschooling. Deschooling is the process of untangling the expectations we’ve absorbed from school about learning — how time should be structured, what progress should look like, and how success is measured. In this episode of the Fearless Homeschool Podcast, Micarlé is joined by homeschooler and homeopath Rachel Parkinson to explore what deschooling actually means and why it’s often misunderstood. Together they talk about letting go of school-based assumptions and recognising how powerful everyday life experiences can be for learning. They also unpack the common myth that deschooling should last a set number of months based on how many years a child spent in school. Instead, deschooling is often an ongoing shift in how families see learning, growth, and what education can look like when it moves beyond the classroom.

Guest Links Rachel Parkinson – Homeopath https://www.rachelparkinsonhomeopath.com.au/

Join the Fearless Homeschool Community Join the Fearless Homeschool Free Community and continue the conversation. https://fearless.live/

=============================================== This Season’s Sponsor Many of you already know Maths Pathway, and I’m really glad to be partnering with them as they evolve into Reflective — a broader ecosystem built around how children actually learn, not how they’re measured. They’ve just launched Reflective Home, a new parent-facing hub designed to help you see, support, and manage your child’s homeschool learning with more clarity and less pressure. You’ll hear more about Reflective throughout the first half of this season.

This episode is sponsored by Reflective Learning (formerly Maths Pathway). Try their learning tools free for 2 weeks and use code FEARLESS10 for 10% off your first bill. Learn more here

=============================================== Join the Fearless Homeschool Community Join the Fearless Homeschool Free Community and continue the conversation. https://fearless.live/ Mentioned in this episode: Summit Promotion! Tickets are now on Sale for the Australian and New Zealand Homeschooling Summit 2026