Dear Children, Speak your truth. Say it boldly. Say it with your eyes, your demeanor, and your inside voice, if necessary, but say it. Do not shrink or dull yourself because someone else feels uncomfortable in your light. That is on them. Either they need to put on sunglasses or find another spot to inhabit. […]
I woke up before 5:30 this morning to check my daughter’s blood sugar. Well, I set my alarm to wake up but seems I have some kind of superpower and can wake up within minutes of my actual alarm going off. What kind of witchcraft is that? I spoke softly to her, letting her know […]
I have been in the classrooms of our public and private schools. I have been on the administrative side. I have seen amazing people work magic with “difficult” kids, I have seen teachers who love their job and joyfully show up each day to be in the midst of the children they serve. I have […]
By social standards, we have taken a non-conventional path to education, but biologically speaking my children are doing exactly what nature intended: learning by engaging in activities and topics that intrigue them, draw them in, and pique their curiosities. Read the full article on ASDE’s Tipping Points here.
Promises I hear it in the way you speak, the words you use, the tone you choose. The anger, disgust, contempt are like spikes in my soft skin. I have made you mad, again. It seems I am built defective, wired wrong a mixture of thoughts, ideas, opinions, and hopes misfiring daily. Then, you smile […]
“What if war was not inevitable? What if tyranny, human rights abuses and ecological destruction were not inescapable? And what if the means to prevent them were in the hands of ordinary mums and dads, and all those involved in the care and education of children? Are these idealistic or Utopian flights of fancy? Not […]
If you’re not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you’re determined to learn, no one can stop you. -Unknown It happened. The Amazon cart filled with computer parts for well over a month was finally emptied. On his 15th birthday, the money he saved from summer jobs combined with monetary birthday gifts […]
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” –Nelson Mandela Kindness is something we all respond to. When we come into contact with kind people, our radar goes up, we take notice, and we are affected–positively. Biologically speaking, being the giver of a kind […]
Summer is probably the most dreamed about, written about, and longed for season in America. For most of America’s children and young adults, summertime means freedom. The school year schedule fades away and the longer, warmer days are replaced with uninterrupted sleep, exploration, visiting with family and friends, vacationing, and learning new information simply because […]
”Guilt, the sense of anguish that we have fallen short of our own standards, is the guardian of our goodness.” In a 1983 article written by Jane E. Brody for the New York Times entitled, Guilt: Or Why it’s Good to Feel Bad she reviews the work of Dr. Willard Gaylin, a psychotherapist, who made the […]
Once upon a time, when our family first made the decision to forego the traditional schooling options, I dreamed of being a fabulous teacher to my kids. We would come together every morning, still dressed in our pajamas, sipping cocoa or nibbling on the morning breakfast I lovingly made while their sleepy bodies were still […]
