We are – Free To Learn

Have you read Free to Learn? I have been getting stuck into it and cannot recommend it highly enough! I am yet to pull quotes from it to share and quite frankly, It’s been THAT great that I couldn’t say some parts are more stand out than others… so I’m just going to say… It’s a MUST read for home educating families, or those considering it!

I just want to pop in today to share some encouragement for those who have been reaching out who are now registering for home education. I’m so honoured to be one that others feel they can reach out for to support them in this leap! I get all sorts of questions (as most of us surely do quite frequently). One of them is about having the “patience”. My instant thought around this is, around perception.

So many people seem to perceive home education as an “all day” thing just like school. You tend to imagine sitting around the table with your children for as long as a class is in sitting… which if you ask me (I know you didn’t but while I’m here), it’s terrible! Who wants to sit for the most part of the day! It’s horrid and HARD! We see so many clients in our Myotherapy clinics with physical issues from sitting, so I know all about that!

I know students don’t sit for the WHOLE day BUT, It’s a huge chunk for a little person! Anyway, I seem to find it hard to talk about school without mentioning that so I couldn’t help bring it up. My point is, you DON’T sit for THAT long, in fact the brain finds it more challenging truly learning that way! Especially for children! Children (we ALL) learn so much better when we’re having FUN! Believe it or not. “Brain Rules” is a wonderful book to demonstrate that if you want to find out for yourself.

I’m passionate about this stuff. How the mind works, the power of perception and human behaviour… what essentially makes us “tick”. So, naturally, home education feels right for me as a gentle parent. So, I just thought, this is a subject that needs to be brought up. So many people appear to perceive homeschooling as requiring great effort!

BUT… If you don’t bring the school environment into your home…it’s completely different! We don’t do school because we don’t see it as a good fit for us and our values. Why then bring it home? One of the issues that “Free to Learn” author discusses is, how “free” play is an essential aspect of childhood! Not a “luxury or privilege” at all, but a must! For one, it prepares (psychologically) one for adulthood and it’s many possibilities.

Even children in the Holocaust played! And so, we discover that free play, for a child is the foundation for the development of impulse control! And that right there cannot be underestimated… for me anyhow. Why? Well, just take a look at the chronic problem in our world today around violence, bullying, suicide, drug addiction and crime.

I certainly don’t blame it ALL on the “school” system alone, but there’s no denying that children are not permitted to play as much as they would NATURALLY in schools. Any my issue is, people don’t seem to understand the value of play. In mental health, being a learning TOOL and facilitator. My goodness, I could go on. But… I’ll leave it there for now.

Just wanted to say how excited I am to see more and more friends jumping ship to homeschool! Let it be an opportunity to discover that true learning is actually fun. And fun… Is the BEST learning!