HOST JACKIE TANTILLO - Unconventional And Selfless with Guest Roya Dedeaux

<p>As a licensed Marriage and  Family Counselor, author and public speaker, Roya Dedeaux hears lots of 'mom' stories. The one she's most proud of is the story of her own mother, Pam. Pam and her siblings as well as her mother, Roya's grandmother, were all educators.  Education and learning was always a topic of concern whenever they got together.   So when Roya's mom said she wanted to 'unschool' Roya and her sisters, the girls were all very confused.</p><p>Roya was just finishing up 4th grade and mom said  "I'm not sending you back to school next year." Well you can imagine the confusion amongst the siblings, especially Roya who was going to be starting 5th grade.</p><p>Mom was determined to make this work and pleaded, " just trust me for 3 months, if you don't like it, you can go back to school." </p><p>I am not an expert by any means, but what I do know is that 'Unschooling' is all about encouraging your child or children to pursue their passions and follow their dreams, whatever they may be. For example, if your child loves animals or marine life, study animals and marine life-take them to zoos and aquariums, do projects-indulge them in their interests. And the same is true for any interest or field of study. "Supporting your children's interests, helps promote better mental health and fulfilled relationships," believes Ms. Dedeaux.</p><p>This project of unschooling worked extremely well for my guest. Roya started taking college classes at the age of 13-always taking classes that she was interested in and she had full support from both her father and her mother. She says this was " a celebration of doing things differently, always keeping an open mind about possibilities."</p><p>This process encourages and engages kids because these are topics of interest not mandatory subjects of study where tests are required.</p><p>The bottom line is that it requires full attention from the parent and your children are happy. Make every adventure and  trip a hands on learning experience-as though learning through osmosis.<