100. When You Know School Isn't Working — And You're Still Waiting for Permission to Leave

100. When You Know School Isn't Working — And You're Still Waiting for Permission to Leave

From ADHD Mums by Jane McFadden

April 27, 2026 · 38 min · Season 3 · Episode 100

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and fears parents face when considering homeschooling as an alternative to traditional schooling.

You've spent more time on drop-offs, pickups and meetings this week than your kid has spent actually learning. You keep telling yourself the routine is good for them. They come home flat anyway. You can see it isn't working. You just can't picture what else looks like. So you stay on the fence. Another term. Another meeting. Another 11pm google. What we cover Why most homeschoolers in Australia didn't plan to homeschool — and what 'accidental homeschooling' actually means The two competing fears keeping you stuck — and which one usually wins in the end What 'enough is enough' really looks like (it's rarely one big moment — it's bankruptcy logic: slow, then very fast) What a homeschool day actually looks like when you're not running school-at-home The legal stuff schools won't tell you — you don't need their permission Why $50k a year still doesn't fix this, and what you might actually be paying for How to take a term off without making a forever decision Why bullying gets reframed as 'resilience-building' at school but is illegal at work Why this episode matters The fence is the hardest place to live. Most parents sit there longer than the kid can afford. Rebecca has spoken to…

People in this episode

Host: Jane McFadden

Topics covered

  • homeschooling
  • education
  • parenting
  • decision making
  • mental health

Keywords

  • homeschooling
  • education
  • parenting
  • decision making
  • mental health
  • bullying
  • resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australia

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