When I was 11 I stopped speaking. I did not know it at the time, but what happened to me is known as selective mutism. Because it only happened at school, my darling immigrant parents probably didn't even know it was happening. People would just say I was "shy." There is no shyness in the inability to make a sound. We had immigrated to the USA when I was 11. That upheaval, a new country, a new language, a new everything, is what caused the mutism. A wise school counsellor, a

Curiosity saves lives. It has certainly saved mine. Let me explain. I recently spoke at the Oxford International Schools Conference on one of my favourite topics: CURIOSITY! And as a home educator myself, curiosity is a way of life! I try hard to make it a daily habit: reading all sorts of books (or listening to podcasts) on random topics, exploring new places, letting my teen choose new 'music' for me to enjoy (if migraines were a sound...)… or following mine and my kids' ra