Your Unschooling Success Path
How do you go from overwhelmed to confident when it comes to unschooling?
Sue Patterson shares the strategy that works for hundreds of families
- tackling the big issues one at a time!
Starting unschooling brings up a lot.
It’s exciting, but also kind of scary.
You want to do right by your kids. You want it to feel good.
But some days, you’re just not sure if you’re getting it “right”—or what right even means anymore.
After years of walking alongside unschooling families, I noticed something: most people go through similar stages.
Not perfectly. Not in order. But enough that it’s helpful to name them.
This Unschooling Success Path is meant to give you some calm, some direction—and a reminder that wherever you are, it’s okay to be there.
And if you're looking for steady support along the way, the Creating Confidence Membership is built around these five stages, offering tools and community at every point on the path.
One Quick Thing about These "Stages"
“Stages” and “subjects” both give the illusion of clean categories — but unschooling
(and life) rarely plays by those rules. It’s fluid, contextual, and deeply personal.
I want you to have clarity and structure — if that helps you. But you’re not boxed in.
You might find yourself resonating with parts of more than one stage. You might work on one area today, and focus on something completely different tomorrow. Tune into what your most pressing need is. You're learning how to learn in this more natural way too. ;)
Stage 1: Just Starting Out
This is the wide-eyed,
“What even is this?” stage.
You like the idea of unschooling—but one minute you’re excited, and the next you’re sure you’re going to mess everything up. Sound familiar?
You might be:
- New to the whole idea
- Not sure what questions to ask
- Jumping between hope and panic
- Looking for reassurance that this isn’t totally nuts
What helps right now:
- A steady, supportive group of people who get it
- Hearing stories from parents a little further ahead
- Permission to take it slow
🌻 Inside the membership, you’ll find welcoming spaces, honest Q&A, and gentle guidance made for this early stage. It's so great to be able to ask your questions without worrying about being judged!
"I wanted to send a big THANK YOU to let you know that I’m glad I found Sue! She does a magnificent job helping families around the world and in the sweetest and educational way possible!" ~Vane, Venezuala
"Sue's calming presence and intuitive questioning helped me develop the confidence I was looking for. This coaching group has been a big relief - just feeling that I have a life-line that I can use when times are difficult or doubts arise!" ~Susan, North Carolina
Stage 2: Focused on Learning
Once the panic settles a bit, new worries creep in.
Mostly about education.
What are they learning? Are they learning enough?
What about math? What about college?
You might be:
- Scanning for gaps
- Wondering how they’ll learn the “hard” stuff
- Thinking maybe you should just add a little structure
- Comparing (even if you don’t want to)
What helps right now:
- Seeing how unschooling works for real families
(even in high school! Read Homeschooled Teens) - Learning about deschooling (yes, you too—even if your kids never went to school)
- Letting go of the idea that learning has to look “official”
🌻 In the membership, we dive into deschooling together, explore real-life examples, and ease those lingering fears about “doing enough.”
Sue is professional but personable and patient. She has a sense of humor that keeps heavy things lighter and more manageable to talk about. She’s insightful from so much experience having unschooled/partnership parented her own kids all the way to adulthood.
I love the group coaching, because of its affordability but maybe more specific to the make up of the parents in the group - a group of people who aren't worried about academics at all.
Sue’s coaching gave me an example of how to think through problems with children and spouses in resourceful, creative, respectful, practical ways. ~Rachel, Arizona
I chose to work with Sue because I was feeling a little lost and unsure of my decision to return to unschooling. Her coaching gave me encouragement to research and define for myself what learning and education is and to have the confidence to carry it out in my family, regardless of what other people (the experts, the education industry, other Homeschoolers) thought about it. I gained a greater peace in my family, a focus on family relationships and being available and approachable for my teens, and not constantly trying to hold them accountable for doing arbitrarily defined educational things. ~Kimm, Georgia
Stage 3: Derailed by Critics
It’s not just your inner voice—it might be the people around you.
Family, friends, the school-loving neighbor.
And sometimes? You’re your own worst critic.
You might be:
- Easily thrown off by comments or questions
- Second-guessing decisions you felt good about yesterday
- Feeling isolated, or like no one else gets it
- Tired of defending yourself
When we're surrounded by critical friends and relatives - or if we're our own harshest critic - it's hard to focus on learning more about unschooling. So we've gathered information for those with a lot of naysayers in their lives - we can help you overcome that too!
What helps right now:
- Calm, clear responses for those awkward conversations
- Tools for understanding where the fear is coming from
- A community that reminds you: you are not alone
🌀 In Sue's Membership... We’ve got workshops, worksheets, and coaching calls designed for this exact stage. Plus, plenty of stories from families who’ve been through it and can offer suggestions.
I wanted to work with someone more experienced to support my decision and reassure me during our transition to unschooling. I needed help staying in compliance in my school district. I needed more confidence in my decision too.
Coaching with Sue is a worthwhile investment because she's done it herself. She is an excellent encourager and was a tremendous help in reminding me of the bigger picture. She’s cheerful and understanding and wise. She has a very good grasp of the unschooling landscape. I'm so pleased to have worked with her through my beginner jitters. She is the voice of experience who helped us get of to a good feeling and stable start.
If you’re not sure about coaching, consider the value of having someone on your team. Sue can help you get to a place where you can truly experience all the benefits of the unschooling lifestyle. Most importantly, she can help you through the transition to living more authentically with your family.
~Stevie, VA
Stage 4: Parenting Obstacles
You’re not really worried about the academics anymore. But the everyday stuff? Still hard. Screens, chores, attitudes, messes, family dynamics—this is where it gets real.
You might be:
- Wondering how to handle electronics or bedtimes
- Struggling with sibling stuff or messy rooms
- Unsure how to parent without punishments or control
- Wanting more peace, but not sure how to get there
Sometimes our big hesitations aren't really about the learning aspects at all. We see the benefits of unschooling and struggle with how to apply the principles to our parenting options. From technology use to cooperation in the home - we dive in and figure out how to partner better with our children.
What helps right now:
- Learning to partner with your kids (not just “manage” them)
- Honest stories about what works—and what doesn’t
- Looking at what’s underneath the behavior, not just reacting to it
🌀 Coaching calls and shared experience in the Sue's Creating Confidence Membership give you real strategies—not advice from a textbook, but from real life.
I needed help from someone with grown unschoolers who could guide me through this particular age and issues.
I was familiar with her previous advice to other parents via Facebook and also, knowing she had three grown unschoolers allowing for three different personalities/paths.
Sue listens! She roots out the triggers, provides objective views and offers solutions that you wouldn't see because you aren't "there" yet or you're mired in emotion. She gave me a new perspective and renewed confidence in my role - plus understanding this age (18) and her need for attachment but also independence is normal but can be hard for both parent and child, even with unschooling.
Don’t hesitate to get Sue’s help!
~Melissa, Maryland
Stage 5: Settling into a New Normal
You’ve found your rhythm. You trust the process. You’re not easily thrown anymore—but you still value connection. And you know that new seasons bring new questions. Problem is, there aren't enough people in your local community who get it, let alone unschool.
You might be:
- Feeling steady in your unschooling path
- Looking for deeper conversations
- Supporting others who are just starting
- Wondering how to handle the teen years with the same approach
If you're feeling isolated, this private unschooling community can help so much. Even experienced unschoolers can sometimes need to revisit some of the other stumbling blocks as their kids get older.
Things change. Kids change. Our parenting changes too. It's great to be in a place that has handy access to materials based on the problem that has emerged. It's so important to have an unschooling community you know and can talk with you about the options.
What helps right now:
- A supportive home base of like-minded parents
- Conversations that go beyond the basics
- Resources for teen years, shifting roles, and evolving needs
🌀 Lot's of longterm unschoolers stay in Sue's membership group. It allows them to tap into the resources as needed. This stage becomes about continuing the work—not from a place of stress, but from a desire to keep showing up with intention.
YOU'LL LOVE SUE'S MEMBERSHIP GROUP!
Sue is absolutely fabulous and her group (and her management of it) is beyond extraordinary! ~Kat
You'll love the people!
The people are my favorite part of being in the membership group. I know there are always others who have gone through my issues, they're always supportive, and Sue always has great advice. You come away feeling so much better and confident after the coaching calls. I know that the ultimate goal is to be at the point where we are confident and possess the knowledge and tools to do this well. Sue and the group have ABSOLUTELY gotten us down that path! ~Kelli, Canada
You’re Not Behind
There’s no race. No prize for getting through the stages quickly.
In fact, most of us revisit them again and again as life changes.
Now's a GREAT WEEK to join Sue's Creating Confidence membership group!
Read more about the membership - but don't miss out on the sale price this week!
