Child Led Education - Why It Is Soo Important
Yesterday I wrote about memories of my education and today I attended a meeting about my girls education. I have been homeschooling my girls, but my two eldest now want to attend the local child led, kids space. Trusting their decisions, having faith in their choices allows them to be in control of their learning. Yes it is all about trust, but when you allow them to make those decisions, then they become more confident in themselves.
The most important thing for me is that my girls get to grow up in a stimulating environment and that they have access to all the resources that they need. I also want to respect their wishes when it comes to their learning. It is after all their future, why should they not be allowed to make the decisions. They have proven to me time and time again, how capable they are at learning things for themselves, in their own time and in their own way. My two eldest girls could not be more different in the way that they learn.
My eldest learns visually, she needs to see things being done, to act out the things that she wants to learn, be it letters of numbers. She has this wonderful way of bringing everything to life, she uses her imagination so brilliantly for this. She has found the best way for her, in which to learn new skills and it is exciting to watch. She takes her time and does not liked being rushed or put under pressure.
My second oldest, has a wonderful memory and she only needs to say something or look at it once or twice for her to remember it. Her learning is all from memory and she picks things up quickly. She can get bored easily though, so she is always looking for new things to do.
I think about how both of them would do in mainstream education, where there is no time for those who like to find their own way and also no time for those who pick things up quickly. There is this pace that is set in schools and everyone is expected to follow that and if you don't you can easily get left behind or become bored and lose interest.
There is this idea that there is one one way to teach, and that everyone should learn this way, yet every single one of us is different. The way we approach life, the way we express ourselves. But all of that is thrown to the side when you enter school. This is one of the main reasons why I am against mainstream education. Everything has to be done by the book and there is very little room for individual growth and expression, there simply are not enough teachers to facilitate that sort of learning.
I do understand that there are some amazing teachers out there that do the best that they can under the circumstances, but I really feel that when children are in that environment they are learning more about conformity than anything else and from such a young age.
I will always, follow my children's lead, because they are intelligent enough to know what they want and need. But that of course also depends on the environment that they grow up in, they need to be stimulated, they need to be around people who are being active and creative, they need to see what it takes to live in this world. My two eldest kids are growing up off grid, they help to get water from the springs, they help me in the garden and they know what plants they can forage locally.
They can use most power tools and have of late been attending workshops where they have build stools and boxes. They cook and sew and they make amazing shelters. These things are what are important, yes they are reading and writing but there is so much more to life than that.
We need our children to know how to interact with the world, to grow up with a full appreciation for our natural world. They need to know how to communicate with people of all ages. We as adults need to trust them and give them they respect they deserve. How can we expect them to grow up being resourceful and respectful if we are not showing them how it is done.
I have learnt so much from my children, we are both the teachers and the students and I love nothing more than discovering new things with them. This idea that we need to teach them, that we need to show them the way, is so misguided. The way forward is together, learning side by side, it is a relationship built on love and respect.
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Your kids are so lucky to have so many opportunities to develop their interests. We live in the city so I'm struggling to find interesting activities for my 11yo son. He's more into technology and learning new stuff on the computer, all on his own. I must say I do not yet trust his instincts and I'm sort of nagging him to do more, without much luck... You're right to say we should trust our children more, but it's hard not to worry about their future sometimes.
That is the hardest thing I think, trusting them to make the right decisions. it is amazing that your son is learning all that by himself. Things change though and so will his interests, supporting him in what he likes is really important. That support and trust you give him will stand to him, he will be a lot more confident in himself for one. It is us that need to be unschooled at the end of the day xx
You're so right with that... but my eldest was in public school for 8 years before she quit and although I've changed a lot since those days I still sometimes wonder if the young one is getting enough of an education.
They are learning all the time and if he decides he wants to study something then he will do what needs to be done to make it happen, it may be that he wants to work in computers so then you just have to make sure he knows what other things are needed in order to do that, but he is still young and too young to know what he wants more long term, or maybe not. So much is about trust xx
This is amazing that you can do so much for your kids and have them learn like this! 👍🏻 however I’m not good at setting routine and giving him appropriate things to do, so I do need the help of a school, I’ll see how he goes when he starts school, he seems to be the type that memorises things well so far :) (he’s 3) so far I let him self learn on his iPad with educational apps and we take him to the park and oval to let him run around.
thank you @vincy, we all do what we can at the end of the day xx
So true, as you know, I'm part of that system and I hate it. I try my best to foster individuality and creative expression but half the time they're already brainwashed and wanting to be spoonfed - and that's just from the parents!
yeah I can imagine, a lot of people are being educated to work within the current system, which of course works well for some but then this system does need to changed. Thanks @riverflows
There are so many educational variations now, especially here in Asia. "Child led" vs "Cog in the System" most definitely NOT the only choices. At my daughter's bilingual school there re numerous kids who only attend for part of the curriculum and come for a few hours each day - they're homeschooled or self schooled online for the rest of the time. Ploi's school has splinter groups in every level for kids who do not cope with either dominant language. They also have an A, B ad C class for most levels. The C class is for kids who don't learn in "traditional" ways and who do better in small groups, with no homework, more art, more tactile etc. I'm always sad when I read your education posts as the feeling is soooo strong that YOU had miserable and poor-ineffective schooling. What matters in the end is that you equip your kids to do what THEY want. If they want to be doctors or vets later on and can't as they lack the credentials, that doesn't work either. Nice that you have a child-led group locally, as long as those kids have ways to see beyond their own little pond. Cos there is SO MUCH MORE out there! Enjoy the moments with your girls, for they are brief.
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Thats great that there are so many options, in Europe kids have to attend school full time there is no part time and yes there are other options which is great also, stenier and the like. you shouldn't feel sad when you read about my education, I have no regrets I would not be who I am today if I did not have that education, I am well aware of that. As a child I always felt deeply about nature and that was not something that was nurtured within the schools I went to, yet I managed to nurture it myself. If my girls wanted to attend mainstream education then I would respect that. I see it as their choice. I am curious as to why you think they would not have the credentials to become a vet or a doctor, many homeschooled kids have gone on to have such careers. And yes there is so much out there. beyond their little pond? this statement I am not so sure what you mean. My girls are aware of what goes on in the world, they have survival skills, they also spend time in the city (Paris)with their extended family, so their pond is not so small, they have been to Morrocco, Portugal, France and now we live in Spain and we Travel back and forth to Ireland a lot. I also done a 2 month trek with them in the mountains a couple of years back x