Trauma can touch anyone, no matter their age or background, and it can seriously impact a person’s ability to learn, trust others, and communicate openly. For neurodivergent and disabled learners especially, trauma-informed practices play a vital role in creating...
The year I won the award for perfect attendance, I was absent to accept it. I imagine the adults in the room swapped glances and chuckled at the irony of it all.⠀ When I was given the award along with my report card, I felt I didn't deserve it. I couldn't believe my...
We are all designers.⠀ Of our own lives.⠀ Of healthy learning environments.⠀ Of accessible education.⠀ Of the sustainable functionality of schools.⠀ Of the education we hope for future generations.⠀ Whether we are parents, teachers, students, administrators,...
As I transitioned from being a public school teacher to a homeschooler, I faced additional resistance within my home. My son has never been formally schooled. He's never been in daycare or preschool either. He doesn't know what it's like to be forced to follow...
I experience resistance to anything forced upon me. On Sunday evenings, I experience the grief of switching from the freedom of the weekend to the restrictions of the weekday (and, at times, both). Many adults are finding newfound flexibility in working...
If classrooms are meant to be learning spaces, why are we endlessly testing?⠀ ⠀ Why aren't students granted adequate time to discover and develop ideas, thoughts, and concepts at their own pace?⠀ ⠀ Why do the adults in the school system decide when and how a student...
I have wanted to be a teacher since the age of five. I was the ideal student, so it was no wonder that the school structure appealed to me at the time. When I finally became a teacher, I initially stepped into the role with ease. I taught in the way I was...
The number one question I receive is what to do about motivation. The child is either unmotivated or is easily bored. ⠀ I don't believe in forcing children to do anything. The child's resistance in learning is a message. What is that message? Do they...
I experience resistance to anything forced upon me. On Sunday evenings, I experience the grief of switching from the freedom of the weekend to the restrictions of the weekday (and, at times, both). Many adults are finding newfound flexibility in working...
If classrooms are meant to be learning spaces, why are we endlessly testing?⠀ ⠀ Why aren't students granted adequate time to discover and develop ideas, thoughts, and concepts at their own pace?⠀ ⠀ Why do the adults in the school system decide when and how a student...
I have wanted to be a teacher since the age of five. I was the ideal student, so it was no wonder that the school structure appealed to me at the time. When I finally became a teacher, I initially stepped into the role with ease. I taught in the way I was...
The number one question I receive is what to do about motivation. The child is either unmotivated or is easily bored. ⠀ I don't believe in forcing children to do anything. The child's resistance in learning is a message. What is that message? Do they...