Define "Easy"

In our society, sending our children to school when they are 3, 4, or 5 is the default. Every town (or city neighborhood) has a public school with busses that pick up children early in the day and then deliver them back home in the afternoon. Parents can then get on with their day - work and earn money to sustain the household and manage the unending duties related to caring for a home. The system is (mostly) easy --- until it isn’t.

When kids begin to struggle - whether academically, emotionally, or because of bullying, are newly diagnosed neurodivergent (or seeking a diagnosis), or straight-up refuse to go. This is when families begin exploring alternatives because the ease of school has disappeared.

Self-directed learning environments like Deep Root Center are designed to support, nurture, and trust every child to follow their interests and aspirations. Because we understand that every individual is a brilliant natural learner with strengths, challenges, curiosity, and their own internal timeline, the artificial developmental schedule - based on age and grade level - makes zero sense. Neither does the pedagogy that utilizes rote memorization, reward and punishment, competition, and standardized testing. Simply put, the human brain shuts down when it is under stress.

One of the most common statements I hear from parents seeking my help is that they are worried or have been told their child is behind. I can't stress this enough, no child can ever be behind (an artificial timeline) - only on their own unique schedule.

When kids are allowed to seek out accommodations (create their own hacks), take the lead in their education, and make choices built on the things that light their fire - they are happier and make immense strides in understanding their own learning style and accumulating knowledge that is pertinent to their needs and goals. We know that learning happens when we are engaged and feel safe, secure in ourselves, and connected.

The disheartening part of this is that occasionally, once kids get beyond the levels of distress that sent parents frantically searching for alternatives in the first place, they default back to the ease and comfort of public school.

Yes, I get it! It seems much more difficult to manage the multiple details of the alternative - whether homeschooling at home or with a self-directed learning center. Navigating a new paradigm (explaining it to family and friends and dealing with their potential disapproval), travel (drop off and pick up), accessing resources, technology, and devices, and seeking social opportunities can add to an already seemingly impossible load.

I will argue, however, that the ease of the default may be deceptive. Having happy, fulfilled, and engaged kiddos - as opposed to just OK or even compliant, stressed out, and miserable - makes all the difference in how a family unit functions.

This concept applies to anything that we take on; easy isn’t necessarily always the best option. Growth happens when we are challenged out of our comfort zone to do the “hard stuff.”

Nonetheless, I understand that ease can only be defined individually, or as the saying goes, you get to "choose your hard."

DRC News

We totally forgot to take photos - again this week. Here's hoping we will do better next week!

Three DRC kiddos had an adventure at the SLU Volunteer Fair on Thursday. We set up a table in the Student Center and talked to students about volunteering at DRC.

They also navigated the Pub after asking some helpful folks how to order our lunch. Turns out there's an app for that.

Thank you, @sluserves, for organizing this opportunity.

The Center will be closed on Monday in observance of MLK day.

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The DRC Pop-Ups Crew had a great time on Wednesday & Thursday at the Norwood and Massena Libraries. They worked on individual projects, invented games, and spent time learning a coding app.

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These two resources were designed to help families new to self-directed learning navigate this paradigm shift. 

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