Shouldn’t learning be happening ALL DAY everyday!?

I LOVE learning. It is almost obsessive for me. I could read and study various subjects all day long and be completely content, of course with delicious meals in-between breaks. Some people thrive on learning by experience which I don’t mind either… hello cooking course in Italy !!! 

Bottom line is if we are open to it we can all be learning and growing all day everyday from every situation and experience that occurs.

I want my children to have this same love of learning and knowledge. I don’t want them to be conditioned to believe that learning only happens when you are sitting down with a work book and a teacher telling you if you are right or wrong. I want learning to mean being inquisitive and thoughtful. I want it to mean taking in different sources of information and developing ones own theory and opinion. Also knowing that there are multiple ways of accomplishing a single task.

I have a Masters in Environmental Education and taught in the classroom for 6 years. I have seen first hand the suppression of the boxes our public education system has created, not only for the students but also the teachers. So many brilliant teachers are being stifled by bureaucracy.  

We pigeon hole our children to believe they have to be exactly like every other child their age or they aren’t smart, and worse that they are smarter than other kids who don’t know as much as them. Not to mention the forced rote memorization of facts and the lack of choice in learning about topics that interest you.

There are some incredible alternative education systems and schools out there. People are creating beautiful learning environments sending life long learners into the world. If I was near one of these establishments I would consider sending my children. We live in the “country” on the North Shore of Oahu. Unfortunately our choices of education are public school or catholic/ religious indoctrination, which is where I spent 1st- 12th grade.

We have made the decision to home school our children. This is a commitment and sacrifice that I have chosen to make. I also realize it is a gift to be able to make this choice. I am blogging about this today because last night we had a family meeting, including grandparents and uncles, to discuss Barrel’s (5 yr old) education, 

Why did we need a meeting about this? Because after weeks and months of interesting comments and questions I realized how much conditioning ALL of us have from our years in various education systems. We have all been programmed with certain beliefs of why we have to go to school, what it means to go to school, and what “school” looks like.

I invite all of you to take a moment and contemplate your beliefs about “school” and figure out where they come from. Just sit with it so you can have a deeper perspective on why you think the way you think about the subject. It might bring up reasons why you are resistant to reading or learning, might bring up deep routed issues with being right or wrong etc. It is just something to look at especially if you have kids.

When I started out with these blogs I didn’t want to write or share anything that I couldn’t offer practical solution/ advice etc. I realize that most people aren’t in a position to homeschool and I realize that some people flat out don’t want to homeschool. It is not for everyone. 

The most important thing we can do for our children, no matter what their education looks like, is constantly remind them that they are unique individuals and not meant to be like anyone else in the world. That each of us has a super power and we are here on this Earth to figure out what it is. Remind them daily when getting out of the car to walk into the school building. Let it be OK to not be the smartest or to be the SMARTEST. Provide them the tools to survive in a system that wants to keep them in a box and be judged constantly.

Keeping open communication about school is SO important. Providing a safe environment where they can let you know whats happening and how they are feeling. AND most important make learning at home FUN!!! Cook together, measure the ingredients together, garden together, build together, anything can be turned into an amazing FUN teachable moment. 

If you are considering homeschool there are INCREDIBLE curriculums out there that have done most of the work for you! If you are interested send me a message and I can share my favorite.

May today bring copious amounts of FUN learning experiences your way!