joyschool
Creativity is as important as literacy.
― KEN ROBINSON
Choosing an Educational Path you feel good with can be so confusing, can’t it?
If you’re here, you’ve probably been told that schools kill creativity. That schools are prisons or that standardization is the enemy of childhood…but if you homeschool them, they’ll be weird!
With alternative schools and home education often meaning a huge expense, and mainstream schools taking a beating in the political arena: Us parents are left helpless and confused. We face immense pressures to grow our kid’s academic skills and more ‘resume building’ at ever younger ages. We’re consistently sold the next ‘educational agenda’ that will give our children an advantage.
And, with the acceleration of technological advancement and the rapid evolution of the global economic landscape – it’s the blind leading the blind. Nobody actually knows what type of education our children need, what type of skills they “must” master for future success.
Further, in our obsession with all these, we’ve eclipsed the only truth we really have:
OUR FAMILY’S JOY
I think it’s safe to say these, among others, are some things we all want for our children to gain throughout their education:
Character
To stand up for what you believe in and bring our unique traits to their best possible manifestation
Friendship
A deep sense of connection with a diverse range of others within a safe and loving community
Skills
The ability to apply ourselves to our goals through a developing strength and capability
Confidence
To be able to overcome the ups & downs in life with a strong sense of self and competence
Knowledge
Retention of a pool of meaningful, useful information that is deeply understood and easily applied
Values
An intrinsic compass that guides them to make productive choices with kindness and compassion
Not to mention: Preserving the magic of a childlike sense of play, creativity, curiosity, imagination…
WONDER
(…and notice I didn’t even mention the infamous “success”)
Contrary to what we’ve been told – there is no ONE truth on how to find joy. It is different for each family, and so it should be.
When you look around the world at the various models of education you find a surprising truth: children thrive in a diverse and varied range of environments. Standardization doesn’t serve us. Diversity is KING.
What if I told you that all of the leading experts are basically unanimous in agreeing that intrinsic motivation trumps external rewards and punishments, every time. In other words a system that relies on grades and tests doesn’t serve us best.
Research shows that doing well in tests only serves to indicate ONE type of future success. Can you guess which type? Doing well on future tests.
The takeaway?
We need to decipher the blend, the mix, the approach to life (and therefore to school) that maximizes joy for us and for our children.
Many of us parents are pressured into believing that we cannot take on the ‘burden’ of educating our children ourselves. And others among us feel a huge pressure not to send our children to school, even if we desperately want and need a valued partner in educating our children. Either way, we’re left feeling guilty and lacking.
The fact is that our children cannot possibly thrive in any type of educational path as long as we are second guessing, stressed or maxed-out. Kids whose parents are confident and consistent will be happier and more secure, every time.
If you’re feeling uncertain about spending big bucks on an alternative school, or about taking the plunge into home education – or perhaps you’re worried about how your parenting style and belief system will mesh with the public school system – all of these concerns are valid, real and important.
Ultimately, though, it’s up to us to resolve these fears and doubts so that we can show and up support our children fully as they learn and grow, without our worries and frustration clouding their experience.
WHAT IS JOYSCHOOL?
Joyschool is a video series that helps you decipher which educational path you’d like to embark on, for now.
WHAT DOES JOYSCHOOL COVER?
- An overview of popular schooling styles.
- An in-depth look at the choice to home-educate and understanding the pros and cons of this choice
- Dealing with choosing curriculums, setting up your space and finding socialization opportunities.
- An in-depth look at the choice to send your children to a school (public, private or otherwise) and understanding the pros and cons of this choice.
- Dealing with separation anxiety and guilt.
- A series of interviews with experts, parents and educators who are much further along this path and who are each inspiring in their own right.
Module 1 – Educational Styles
In this first section, you’ll learn what each of the popular alternative educational style, actually means and what some of the pros and cons are of each: Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio, Homeschool, Unschool
Module 2 – School Education
Sending your child to a school – any school – whether by choice or force is something that literally millions of parents do every single year. It has some in-built benefits and challenges: separation anxiety? Dealing with differences in the approaches of the school and home? This is what this module is all about.
Module 3 – Home Education
A deeper look at the options for home education (provided this is legal, where you live!) and how you can make it work for you. Fears about your capacity? Your self care? You finances? These are normal and healthy, we will talk about them all.
“I feel so much more equipped to deal with difficult behaviors in my class. I would absolutely love to share it with other teachers.”
Bethany
“I can only imagine where I’d be without your guidance. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! It’s a lightbulb moment that his schooling should echo our parenting style. The past year (first year!) of dipping our toe into mainstream public school has amplified this.”