We believe education should equip kids (and adults) for the life they were born to live. To help them develop the life skills and emotional awareness they need to be successful, kind, respectful and compassionate individuals. To instill them with curiosity and to cultivate the mindset necessary to learn independently. To give them the ability to think critically, express themselves creatively, and to adapt as the world around them changes.
In other words, our goal is to grow amazing, capable humans ready to take on the world.
Easier said than done.
There are so many ways to approach education, and each method has its benefits and drawbacks. As educators, it’s our job to figure out how to adapt our teaching to our students’ natural learning method. After bouncing back and forth between several different philosophies over the years, I’ve learned that the best approach is the one that works for the student you have in front of you.
Adapt or Die
If the goal is to prepare our kids not only for success in whatever career they might pursue, but for life in general, then we have to teach them how to learn, not just how to fill in the blanks and regurgitate information for a test. This way they’ll have the tools they need to continue to educate themselves throughout their lives, whether it’s to pursue a personal interest, to handle an unexpected career change, or to survive the zombie apocalypse. This goal guides every choice we make, both for our own kids’ education and for the resources we create.
I can’t predict what the future holds, but I know it looks very different than it did when we started homeschooling a decade ago. It’s not enough to keep on doing what we’ve always done. We have to constantly adapt.
Adapt or die. Like the dinosaurs.
This means we can’t just rely on what other people tell us our kids need to know. We have to know our kids well enough to help them discover what they actually need to know to reach their full, unique potential. To stop and think about whether the things we’re asking them to learn are actually relevant to them, and are going to support their ability to pursue their best life.
Maybe your kid never learns to write a perfect 5 paragraph essay, but they’ll master the art of writing kick ass website copy.
Maybe they never make it to calculus, but they become an expert in personal finance.
We homeschool so we can give our kids the individualized education that allows them to grow into the people they’re meant to be, with the confidence, competence, and courage to follow whatever path lights a fire inside of them and to create their own definition of success.
After all, isn’t that the point?