UnNanny is certainly the right name for what Dayna does, because she is the polar opposite of the nannies on t.v. Within moments of arriving at my home, it was clear that the rest of my family felt the same way. Dayna’s warmth, openness and encouraging demeanor set me at ease and kindled my enthusiasm. Right away, I knew the next two days were going to be invaluable. The morning of her visit, I picked her up from the hotel so we could have some uninterrupted time to talk before diving into the day. Dayna was indeed available and willing to come. I had no idea how many requests she got or how she decided whose she would accept. Like someone on one of those dating shows, desperately hoping to get picked.

Nevertheless, I threw caution to the wind, checked in with my husband and then dashed off a heartfelt email requesting help from the UnNanny. I’m a whole lot more comfortable with a “sit back and watch everybody else without giving away my position” kind of approach. I am not one to open my life to scrutiny. If you know me at all, you’d sense how out of character this was for me. When I learned that she was offering her services to those wanting some coaching in living the unschooled life, I found myself compelled to write in. I was intrigued by the philosophy and inspired by her practical wisdom.

I had read Dayna’s book about radical unschooling a few months back, and had been timidly testing out the unschooling life since. I followed her link, which led me to a blog about Dayna Martin and her unschooling family. Can’t wait!” Browsing through my Facebook news feed, I came across this intriguing post from a friend. As with any paid service, it is recommended that you research before reaching a decision. As of this writing, Dayna Martin has announced that she is suspending her UnNanny service.

Sadly, in the past month, many people have come forward to share far less positive experiences. The article below is an account of the UnNanny experience of my family in July, 2010.

Radical Unschooling by Dayna Martin