Nobody’s Friend: How School Deprofessionalises Teachers and Damages Childhood

Anna Dusseau | 22nd September 2020 Here we go again. One minute it’s “back to the office”, the next it’s another 6 months of working from home. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s…wait, what? The pandemic, quite clearly, is a game changer, but this is the first time I’ve had to double-check the headlines each morning to actuallyContinue reading “Nobody’s Friend: How School Deprofessionalises Teachers and Damages Childhood”

Children Need to be with their Friends? How Convenient.

Anna Dusseau | 26th August 2020 Most – not all – children thrive through contact with playmates. Let us agree on that. Back in June, we formed a bubble with another family and this created a regular opportunity for my 3 to indulge in long afternoons of tree climbing, stinging nettle battles, and what IContinue reading “Children Need to be with their Friends? How Convenient.”

“Mum, How Tall’s a Hobbit?”

Anna Dusseau | 5th August 2020 “Mum, how tall’s a Hobbit?” my eldest wants to know. Good question. She puts the book down and examines me in an Attenborough-kind-of-way; coffee cup in hand, baby on my hip, trying to pick up a slinky with my left foot. “I…ummm…” I falter. Aha! Got the slinky. “IContinue reading ““Mum, How Tall’s a Hobbit?””

Homeschool Therapy: Working on Ourselves

Anna Dusseau | 1st July 2020 “As can happen when you stop doing something, you wonder why you ever did it.” Tobias Jones, School’s Out, The Guardian, April 2020 For most homeschooling families, Mondays are no longer a downer. Sorry, Garfield! This morning, like every morning, begins for us with pop music and marmalade, spreadContinue reading “Homeschool Therapy: Working on Ourselves”

What Grandpa Bob Taught Me About Raising Rockstars

Anna Dusseau | 18th May 2020 I have this memory of my dad putting me to bed. I didn’t like the dark, so he would stay by me until I fell asleep. After a story, I would lie awake looking at the long shadows on the ceiling, listening to my dad’s voice. “Get to sleep,Continue reading “What Grandpa Bob Taught Me About Raising Rockstars”

Playing on Bombsites: Interview with Grandpa Bob

Anna Dusseau | 24th April 2020 Grandpa Bob isn’t your average octogenarian. A hangliding, homebrewing, pak-choi-kenobi who only recently ditched the ponytail, he is more likely to recommend a good book or tell a bawdy joke than complain about his joints. Which could be why I called him this week. Floundering in the midst ofContinue reading “Playing on Bombsites: Interview with Grandpa Bob”