Compositions & Coffee Presents: "Creative Soul Digest"
Mindful Movement Monday
Hello All! Welcome back to Mindful Movement Monday where we are centered around health, change, and awareness. August we’ve been focused on the kiddos since getting into the swing of Back 2 School. If your littles have started school I hope it has been a successful transition. If your littles have yet to start school, I wish you all the best and hang in there parents! My little guy is now on his third week of Kindergarten and the transition was smooth, minus a few tears. He’s loving it but I have been considering what my options are for next year. In all my research 2 options have stood out strongly and 1 I’m definetly pursuing….World Schooling. Anybody heard of it? Well if you have not don’t worry, today’s ‘MMM’ is dedicated to schooling alternatives. Ready? Let’s get it!
School Alternatives
Traditional vs. Non-traditional School
Growing up I found myself in a few different types of schools. I started my education in public schools, then a charter school for 1 year, then private school, and finished in public school. Traditional school, is public school where students are divided up by grades and the school is governed by school districts that follow the Board of education. Non-traditional schools often refers to charter schools which are not part of school districts and are governed by parents and educators. In charter schools, students are grouped by their ability rather than by age when it comes to subjects like math and reading. They're also online charter schools that allow students to study from home. This allows students the opportunity to learn at their own pace and take their time on subjects that may be more difficult. The classes for online schools can be self-guided ad some have lessons you can watch on your computer or ones that have been previously recorded. Other’s offer classes that you attend at a specific time of day. Many families favor the online method over traditional schools since they offer more electives and parents have the opportunity to educate their children at home when they don’t have the resources to home school. With that shift let’s take a look at home-schooling.
Home School
The number of students being homeschooled has risen over the years and even more so in the past year with the pandemic. Most parents have 2 main reasons for homeschooling: dissatisfied with their local school district and wanting involvement in their children’s learning and development. I know for myself it’s wanting more involvement but also knowing what my son needs, and it’s not going to be found in traditional schooling. To get started you have to understand your philosophy and the teaching method that works for your family. Those styles and philosophies are: classical education, Charlotte Mason education, Montessori Method (theory of multiple intelligence), unschooling,Waldorf education, school-at-home, or Thomas Jefferson Education. There are also some that are blends of curriculum from local schools and dual enrollment options (enrolled classes in school or college and home school). Your home may also utilize more than one of the styles. I took a quiz and discovered we are a Charlotte Mason and World schooler. I’ll leave the quiz below so you can discover what your families preferred method is. I also have the links attached to each of the philosophies so you can learn more. Next up…unschooling.
Unschooling
This method of homeschooling has grown in popularity over the years. Why? This method is more flexible and requires the least amount of planning. It’s simple because it’s child-centered and child-led with no schedule in place. Very similar to Montessori, unschooling involves learning through life experience, play, interest and curiosity, elective classes, travel, social interaction, and family. The term itself was coined by John Holt in the 1970s with his book Teach Your Own: The John Holt Manual on Homeschooling. John Holt believed that personal learning is more meaningful and questioned the usefulness of standard curriculum which has been fixated on grading and standardized testing. Many families share this concern and have chosen this method for their children. What drives unschooling is curiosity and children’s natural desire to learn while incorporating the hands on method facilitated by parents as their guide. Was this your learning style? If so, share some thoughts in the comments and if you are an unschooler share some unique tips that have worked for you? Next up World Schooling.
World Schooling
One of my dear friends put me on World Schooling earlier this year and I’m so grateful because this is where my heart was the whole time. World schooling literally follows the statement, “The world is your classroom” or “the world is your oyster.” The movement of world schooling carries with it a holistic approach to learning combined with experience and one’s love of traveling. Of course, it’s not something you just simply up and do, it takes planning and resources. I, myself, have made it a goal of mine to start at the end of June 2022 in the hopes of doing so for 1 year then re-evaluating after. World Schooling consists of learning through history, cultures, and traditions. Instead of taking the children with you while you travel you become their chaprones as they travel and immerse themselves in other cultures. Some parents also enroll their children in different schools around the world for language enrichment. Others choose to continue home schooling but may enroll their child in 1 or 2 classes such as a history class or language course. If you are interested in learning more or how to begin the process, you are not alone. There are communities out there for us and one can be found through Liberated Minds by Queen Taese. I missed her World School webinar but be on the lookout I’m sure another one will pop up soon. Besides World School they are also a fantastic resource for families who want to homeschool in general.
The shift to alternative schooling methods has been going on for quite some time but the movement surrounding home schooling and unschooling has begun to take off. Many of you may think it’s not in the cards for you and yours and maybe it’s not, but I highly recommend looking into some of the resources anyway just to learn something new. Our world is constantly changing and with that we are shifting as well. Movements are just that…shifts in one way of doing and thinking to another way of being and doing. We move with the tide family!
I hope this was helpful and sparked some curiostity for you and your family. I have recommendations below and don’t forget the links above as well. See you back here for more! Continue to…
--Live Free
Your family at Eclectuals
"Where we mind your mental diet!"
Support Black Owned & Operated
Book Recommendations
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Coffee Recommendations
A sumatra and Indonesian coffee from the Ketiara collective (women farmers). It's a dark, earthy, deep, full bodied, and complex coffee. It's flavors are creamy, sweet, spice, and butterscotch.
We Are Someone You Should Know
--We are purveyors of literature, gourmet coffee, fashion, style and art." We believe in cooperative economics in the black community locally and nationally thereby promoting and/highlighting other black artisans and black owned businesses through our book subscription Eclectic Crates and our Artisan Market of goods and services.
