“For children do not acquire knowledge, but make it.”~John Holt
"The saddest thing for me about the education system, as I have witnessed it, is that it seems almost intentionally calculated to create anxious children, parents and teachers. Matt was only four the first time I was told he was “behind the benchmark”, which I still think is an obscene and revolting way to describe... Continue Reading →
A2Z Homeschooling: Where Do I Start According to a recent USA Today/Ipsos poll, 60 percent of parents surveyed said they will likely choose at-home learning this fall rather than send their children to school even if the schools reopen for in-person learning. Thirty percent of parents surveyed said they were “very likely” to keep their children... Continue Reading →
"What if I told you that slow pace of life you crave is achievable? What if I told you you don’t need to be a teacher, or have all the answers? What if I told you that your children could follow their own interests instead of a standardised curriculum? What if I told you that... Continue Reading →
I first learned of John Holt when I came across this book: Better Than School by Nancy Wallace. At that time our children where in diapers. Today, they have graduated college and are leading happy, successful and productive lives. John Holt has written many books. The following are my favorites: Learning All The Time, How... Continue Reading →
Our children attend school at earlier ages and graduate at older ages than they did in previous generations; we make going to college a modern, tribal ritual that socially shames those who can’t afford it or who don’t thrive there; we focus on degrees awarded but not on competencies earned outside of degree programs; we... Continue Reading →
Imagine if when you told people you had chosen to send your kids to school, you were met with the kind of assumptions, judgement and questioning that is typical of families who have chosen to homeschool. “I knew someone who was schooled and they were freaks” “Oh I don’t know if she would suit school,... Continue Reading →
"Nothing could be more simple - or more difficult. Difficult, because to trust children we must trust ourselves - and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted." Deborah Meier
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” ~ Mr. Rogers Play is such an integral and natural part of childhood. It is how all children learn. Play was one of the main reasons we... Continue Reading →
If you don’t know John Taylor Gatto, I would like to introduce him to you. He is an excellent teacher, thinker and an advocate for youth, school reform and home schooling. I came across John Gatto's speech "Why Schools Don't Educate" at the website The Natural Child Project back in the early 1990's. As a... Continue Reading →
Our daughter just graduated Salutatorian from a major university! We home schooled all the way through high school. I remember fearing our children would never learn to read and write. It seemed as if everyone's children where reading novels and writing novels while our children where busy with self directed imaginative play and artistic activities.... Continue Reading →
Learning All the Time 