90-Minute School Day

Doors Close In 4 Days

Day in the Life community doors are open right now.
DITL is an intentional community for parents homeschooling neurodivergent, disabled, twice-exceptional, resistant learners through natural learning and self-directed education. It's not a course, it's not curriculum... It's people doing this learning life together.
What's inside:
Weekly live Zoom sessions, recorded 
Asynchronous Marco Polo community 
Small groups organized around where you are
Private asynchronous office hours with Kelly
Resource library of 80+ past sessions, templates, and tools
$35/month. Cancel anytime.
Join the Day in the Life Community →
DITL is a peer support and education community, not a substitute for mental health care. Please keep those professional relationships in place — this community works beautifully alongside them.

Ep. 59 - Unschooling to University with Judy Arnall

What if the years your child and teen spent playing, exploring, and following curiosity weren't wasted time — but exactly the preparation they needed?
Come sit down with Judy Arnall, internationally recognized child-development specialist, bestselling author of Unschooling to University, and mother of five self-directed learners. We talk about what children genuinely need to thrive, why chronic stress is shutting down learning in our kids, and how unschooling can be a legitimate, research-backed path all the way to post-secondary education.
You'll learn:
What children and teens actually need for healthy development and how that foundation prepares them for adult life
The central problem with modern education
What self-directed learning looks like in a real, everyday family 
The "three intentional years" concept: why university prep doesn't require 12 years of schooling
The neuroscience of chronic stress and educational burnout and how play and felt safety reopen the capacity to learn
What the research actually says about screens, gaming, and digital communities
How to tell if your urge to "do something" is coming from genuine facilitation (or parent anxiety)
Practical pathways into university and post-secondary for students without a traditional transcript
Real hope for families of neurodivergent children recovering from burnout
Whether you're just starting to explore unschooling, deep in the deschooling process, or parenting a teenager who is done with traditional school ... this conversation will meet you right where you are.
Resources & Links:
Judy Arnall's book: Unschooling to University 
Connect with Judy via her website
Read Judy's non-punitive parenting blog
Join the 90-Minute School Day DITL Community invite list 
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a family who needs to hear it. And if you haven't yet ... please leave a review. It helps more families find this show. 

Ep. 58 - Unschooling Students with Disabilities with Dr. Gina Riley

What happens when school is not a match for a learner?
For many disabled and neurodivergent children and teens, traditional school environments create anxiety, shutdown, and loss of self-trust.
In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Gina Riley, educational psychologist, Associate Professor of Special Education at Hunter College - School of Education (CUNY), researcher, and unschooling parent to unpack the first peer-reviewed study on unschooling students with disabilities.
We explore why families of autistic, ADHD, learning disabled, and neurodivergent children are moving away from traditional school and toward self-directed education
This episode covers:
Why families leave school (and it’s rarely ideology)
Unschooling as a healing environment
Intrinsic motivation and self-determination
Nervous system safety and learning
How unschooling functions as built-in accommodation
Caregiver fatigue and lack of respite
The need for unschooling-informed doctors, therapists, and educators
Why research matters for advocacy and legitimacy
Dr. Riley brings both academic research and lived experience as an unschooling parent to this conversation, offering insight for:
✔ Parents of disabled and neurodivergent children✔ Pediatricians, therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists✔ Educators and special education professionals✔ Anyone rethinking what meaningful learning can look like
 
Unschooling is not the absence of education.
 
For some learners, it may be the least restrictive and most developmentally appropriate environment available.
 
Resources Mentioned
Dr. Riley’s study: Unschooling Students with Disabilities
Learn more about Dr. Riley
Join Day in the Life Community
Learn more about the 90-Minute School Day
 
Share This Episode
If this conversation gave you language you’ve been needing:
Send it to the friend who needs to hear this.
Send it to your co-parent.
Send it to a concerned family member.
Send it to your child’s care team.
Send it to an educator who wants to understand.
 
Research and advocacy matter.
And conversations like this move us toward educational models that respect both learning and humanity.

Ep. 57 - How Many Friends Do Kids Really Need? with Missy Willis

How many friends does your child actually need?
We’ve normalized early peer immersion.
We worry about socialization.
We measure childhood against birthday party invites and best-friend status.
 
But what if we’ve absorbed a story that deserves to be questioned?
 
In this conversation, I sit down with Missy Willis of Let ‘Em Go Barefoot to unpack:
Peer orientation
Attachment theory
Mixed-age play vs. peer culture
Playmates vs. real friendship
And the question underneath the question: what do children actually need to thrive?
 
Influenced by the work of Gordon Neufeld, Gabor Maté, and Peter Gray, this is a paradigm-shifting look at friendship that challenges cultural norms around socialization.
 
If you’ve ever felt that quiet pressure, “Is my child social enough?” this episode will help you slow down and look again.
 
Connect + Resources
Missy Willis:
https://letemgobarefoot.com/
 
Peer orientation + attachment:
Hold On to Your Kids book by Neufeld and Maté
Should We Rethink the Idea of Friendships for Our Kids? By Missy Willis
 
Mixed Age Play:
The Special Value of Mixed-Age Play by Peter Gray
 
Laughter + connection blog:
Laughter Sparks Learning in Homeschool by Kelly Edwards
 
Join the Day in the Life community:
https://90minuteschoolday.com/day-in-the-life/

Ep. 56 - I'm Not Reading, But Everyone Else Is with Carrie De Francisco

“I’m not reading, but everyone else is.”
If you’ve ever heard your child say this (or felt it echo quietly in your own head) this conversation is for you.
In this episode, I’m joined by Carrie DeFrancisco for a live conversation inside Day in the Life (DITL) community. Carrie is a longtime homeschool parent, former classroom teacher, homeschool coach, and podcaster. And she’s also an accidental homeschooler and the mother of a neurodivergent, dyslexic learner.
Together, we talk about what really helps when a child’s reading timeline looks different.
Not from a place of fixing or rushing.Not from a school-based lens.And not by pathologizing kids who learn differently.
Instead, we explore:
what’s actually happening when a child notices they’re “behind”
how to respond without layering adult fear onto a tender moment
what supports dyslexic and late-reading kids over time (and what creates more friction)
how true learning develops through story, meaning, relationship, and interest
what success can look like when decoding comes later, including into the teen years
This conversation is about reading, yes … but it’s also about trust, identity, and what happens when we let development unfold without a stopwatch.
If you have a dyslexic learner, listen closely.
If you don’t, still listen … because every child has a place where their timeline looks different.
This is a conversation for parents who are done chasing benchmarks and ready to notice what’s already growing.
Resources + Links
Connect with Carrie DeFrancisco and explore her work here
Listen to Carrie’s podcast featuring her son Joe
Learn more about Day in the Life (DITL) and be notified when doors open again
Explore coaching with Kelly 1:1 if you want support meeting your neurodivergent child where they are and navigating self-directed education with confidence

Ep. 55 - Brushstroke to Breakthrough with Cyrielle Tignard

Winter can be a hard season for homeschooling parents...
Especially if you are raising neurodivergent kids while navigating burnout, nervous system exhaustion, and the pressure to “reset.”
In this episode, we explore how watercolor can support nervous system regulation, deschooling, and gentle self-care in real life.
Meet artist and unschooling parent Cyrielle Tignard to talk about releasing perfectionism, creating with interruptions, and giving yourself permission to pause, play, and care for your own nervous system alongside your child’s.
In This Episode:
Watercolor as nervous system regulation and burnout recovery
Deschooling as a practice of process, not performance
Parenting and learning alongside neurodivergent children
Letting go of perfection and trusting growth beneath the surface
Why creative self-care matters in homeschooling families
Resources & Links:
Free 3-Day Introduction to Watercolor Mini Course (Cyrielle Tignard)Learn basic techniques, color mixing, and complete a small project
Day In The Life Community (DITL)Supportive community for homeschooling parents focused on nervous system safety and living well
Private Coaching with Kelly EdwardsDeschooling support, nervous system healing, and sustainable homeschooling(Limited availability)
Enjoying the podcast?
If this episode met you where you are, please rate and review The 90-Minute School Day. Your reviews help other homeschooling parents find support and encouragement. Thank you!

Ep. 54 - Boundaries + Belonging with Rachel Rainbolt

Let's explore how boundaries and belonging work together to create safety, connection, and authenticity in our families. Especially for those of us parenting and home educating neurodivergent and PDA children who need spaciousness, autonomy, and felt-safety to thrive and learn.
Rachel Rainbolt is a therapist, unschooling mother, family guide, and founder of Sage Family. In this episode, Rachel shares grounded, practical tools for navigating real-life relationship dynamics during an emotionally complex season. With her warm, compassionate wisdom, she helps us understand boundaries not as lines drawn to control others, but as choices we make to care for ourselves while staying connected.
Together, we talk through:
What it actually means to set boundaries—and why these are more effective, nervous-system-safe, and sustainable than requests focused on changing someone else.
The Venn Diagram of Needs as a way to reduce conflict, increase collaboration, and honor everyone’s humanity.
Accepting people as they are so we stop fighting reality and start navigating relationships with clarity and compassion.
Responding to words at face value to reduce anxiety, avoid mind-reading, and create more emotional safety for children and adults alike.
Navigating gatherings, expectations, and complicated family systems—and how to prepare yourself, your kids, and your boundaries for a season that often comes with heightened sensory, emotional, and relational demands.
Co-regulation and hard conversations in families recovering from burnout, especially within PDA profiles where pressure, demands, and social scripts can feel overwhelming.
Belonging as celebration—how to create a family culture where every person is welcomed as themselves, not molded into someone else’s comfort.
 
This is a gentle, insightful guide for moving through the next season with more clarity, compassion, and confidence.
Connect with Rachel Rainbolt
Website: sagefamily.com
Instagram:@rachelrainbolt
Connect with Kelly + The 90-Minute School Day
Invite me to Day In The Life Community
Subscribe to the 90-Minute School Day Newsletter
Learn more about our Guide Training™ Program
 
Taking a Break — Recommended Episodes to Revisit
As we take a holiday break from releasing new podcast episodes, now is an ideal time to revisit or check out a few favorites that align beautifully with today’s themes of boundaries, belonging, connection, and preparing for the season ahead:
Episode 11: “Play, Homeschool & Holiday Hooky” — A refreshing take on how to lean into play and freedom during the holidays instead of stress and obligation.
Episode 12: “Chaos to Clarity: The Craft of Personal Retreats” — Dive into the power of stepping away, re-centering, and returning to your family and season with greater calm and intentionality.
Episode 30: “Boundaries 101: Raising Confident Learners with Liana Francisco” — A rich discussion on boundaries in the unschooling context—what they support, how they protect, and how they set the stage for confident, self-directed learners and families.
 

Ep. 53 - [Bonus] What If School Creates DYSlexia? with Je'anna Clements

The conclusion of the “Start Where You Are” series
Dive deep with us into the idea that conventional schools might be contributing to the very struggles many people associate with dyslexia.
This bonus episode originally aired as Episode 38, and we’re bringing it back as the perfect conclusion to our 5-part “Start Where You Are” series (Episodes 48–52). After exploring grief, the joy of slow, learning readiness, math, and writing, this conversation invites you to rethink reading and the ways schools impact children’s learning.
I’m joined by Je’anna Clements, an advocate for self-directed learning and a dyslexic learner herself, to discuss her eye-opening perspective on DYSlexia (school-created) vs. dyslexia (a neurotype).
Je’anna explains how conventional interventions often offer “helpful harm,” leading to poorer outcomes than self-directed educational approaches for dyslexic learners. She shares how shifting our perspective allows all children to thrive in ways that truly honor their unique needs. We also explore the powerful connections between felt-safety, self-determination theory, flow in learning, and consent—and how these elements are key to fostering meaningful, lifelong learning.
We dive into the idea of “inherent wisdom”—the concept that children already possess what they need to find their own learning solutions. Je’anna shares how self-directed learning, rooted in trust and understanding, helps children mature in their own ways—especially those who’ve been labeled as “dyslexic.”
This conversation challenges conventional educational norms and invites you to rethink learning, reading, and the holistic development and respect of children.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The difference between DYSlexia (school-created) and dyslexia (a neurotype)
Why some common reading interventions might actually be harmful
How felt-safety, self-determination, and flow impact learning
The role of consent in a child’s learning process
The importance of connecting learning to a child’s innate interests and curiosity
Why trusting your child’s natural learning process can be the key to thriving in home education
Connect with Je’Anna:
Website and her books
Patreon and mini-courses
Horizontal Communication
Rights-Centric Education
LinkedIn
Resources mentioned in this episode:
What if School Creates Dyslexia? By Je’anna Clements
Free to Learn by Peter Gray
Successful Illiterate Men study by Roger A. Clark
The Art of Receiving and Giving: the Wheel of Consent by Betty Marin
Join the Conversation!This episode is a peek inside our Day in the Life community, where parents support one another in self-directed learning and explore homeschooling through play, flow, and nervous system safety.
🎉Doors are open now! (Thru Nov. 4th)🎉
Want to join us for support, connection, and more conversations like this?👉 Learn more at 90minuteschoolday.com/day-in-the-life/.
Listen to the other episodes in the “Starting Where You Are” series:
Part 1: What Grief Has to Teach Us with Emily Souder
Part 2: Falling Behind is a Myth with Leslie Martino
Part 3: Body Before Brain: Unlock Learning with Sarah Collins
Part 4: What If Math Wasn’t The Problem with Sue Patterson
Part 5: Becoming Brave Writers with Julie Bogart
Follow along at 90MinuteSchoolDay.com or on Instagram @90MinuteSchoolDay.

Ep. 52 – Becoming Brave Writers with Julie Bogart

Ever wonder why it’s hard to express yourself in writing?
Join Julie Bogart, myself, and the DITL community for a down-to-earth conversation about helping the resistant writer in all of us become brave writers.
In this episode, Julie shares her own journey from homeschool parent to national voice for authentic education, unpacking what writing really is and why so many of us, parents and kids alike, carry writing wounds. Together, we explore how to help our children find their voices through partnership, play, and trust, and how parents and kids can begin to heal their own relationships with writing along the way.
So, if you have a child who hides under the table when the pencil comes out or fills notebooks with stories, this conversation will leave you excited, hopeful, and equipped to support writing as a natural form of expression…not a performance.
**This episode is part 5 of a 5-part podcast series, Start Where You Are. (Be sure to catch up with the rest of the series, linked below.)
 What We Talk About
Why writing begins with speech (and what that means for reluctant writers)
The five natural stages of writing development
Why freewriting and messy drafts matter more than perfect sentences
How parents and students can repair their own writing trauma, it’s never too late
What “writing off the page” looks like for kids in burnout or recovery
The role of trust and nervous system safety in a child’s creative growth
 
Connect with Julie
Book: Help! My Kid Hates Writing by Julie Bogart
More from Julie: juliebogartwriter.com | Brave Writer
 
Join the Community
Did this conversation leave you wanting more?
Our Day in the Life members stayed on for a live Q+A with Julie, diving deeper into real-life applications and parent questions. In fact, we studied writing together for an entire month.
If you’re raising an out-of-the-box, neurodivergent, or special needs child, you’ll find a warm homecoming inside the Day in the Life community. It’s a space for parents practicing flow over force, learning to trust the process, and supporting each other through the hard and beautiful work of homeschooling differently.
 
Doors open November 1st by invite only.👉 Join the invite list here.
 
Stay Connected
One-on-one coaching spots are full for the rest of the year, but you can join our newsletter or connect through the community for ongoing support and shared wisdom.
Self-paced course on the 90-Minute School Day method.
Guide Training™ is our signature live group deschooling program.
Invite Kelly to speak about the 90-Minute School Day™.
 
Listen to the other episodes in the “Starting Where You Are” series:
Part 1: What Grief Has to Teach Us with Emily Souder
Part 2: Falling Behind is a Myth with Leslie Martino
Part 3: Body Before Brain: Unlock Learning with Sarah Collins
Part 4: What If Math Wasn’t The Problem with Sue Patterson
Follow along at 90MinuteSchoolDay.com or on Instagram @90MinuteSchoolDay.

Ep. 51 - What If Math Wasn't The Problem? with Sue Patterson

What if math wasn’t actually the problem—just the way we’ve been taught to see it?
In this episode, we welcome longtime unschooling advocate Sue Patterson, founder of Unschooling Mom2Mom, to explore one of the biggest sources of stress for homeschooling parents: math.
Together, we unpack how our own school experiences and fears around math can shape the way we approach learning with our kids—and how shifting that mindset can open the door to curiosity, trust, and genuine growth.
You’ll hear about:
Why so many parents carry math baggage (and how that affects our kids)
What real learning looks like when math happens “in the wild”
How unschooling families handle math resistance and anxiety
Why your child’s reluctance might actually be a sign of readiness
This is part 4 of 5 in our Start Where You Are series, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.
Whether you love math or dread it, this conversation will help you reimagine what learning math can look like when we let go of control and trust the process.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Learn more about and connect with Sue at UnschoolingMom2Mom.com
Learning Math WITHOUT Curriculum
Check out Day in the Life (DITL) Community.
DITL is a community of parents who gather weekly to learn, reflect, and support one another as we homeschool with heart. Each month we welcome a guest expert like Sarah, and every day we build community through shared learning, encouragement, and friendship through our asynchronous video chats on Marco Polo.
Kelly offers one-on-one coaching and a self-paced course on the 90-Minute School Day method.
There is also Guide Training™, a live group learning environment, for those who prefer community learning.
Listen to or invite Kelly to speak about the 90-Minute School Day™.
Listen to the other episodes in the “Starting Where You Are” series:
Part 1: What Grief Has to Teach Us with Emily Souder
Part 2: Falling Behind is a Myth with Leslie Martino
Part 3: Body Before Brain: Unlock Learning with Sarah Collins
Part 5: Becoming Brave Learners with Julie Bogart