Teach With Joy and Wonder

My story

After homeschooling for 15 years, trying out every approach from pre-fab curriculum, to eclectic, to the classical model, my children eventually grew up and no longer needed me to be their teacher. (It’s so sad how that happens.) As lovely as staying at home doing whatever I want sounded, it wasn’t the most feasible or realistic option, so I decided it was time to have a career. But what could I do after all those years at home? My only marketable skill it seemed was teaching. And I did enjoy it. So back to school I went for a Masters in Education and a teaching certificate. An unpleasant reality check about teaching in public schools (which you can read about in my initial blog) and a completely unexpected chain of events finally landed my husband and I in North Carolina. It is there where I found a sweet little private school which practices the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education, and where I have made my classroom home.

My approach

Over the years I have come to realize that the most important thing about teaching is slowing down and letting go of unrealistic expectations: expectations we put on ourselves as educators, and expectations we put on our children and students to learn and express themselves in a certain way. Each child is an individual with unique talents, unique ways of seeing the world, unique ways of learning, and unique ways of expressing their thoughts and ideas.

I believe that learning should be hands-on and relevant to our students’ lives. It should be directed by their interests and passions, and full of great literature, activities that inspire wonder, and enriching experiences from which they can draw understanding about the world around them. And children (as well as adults!) should be allowed to explore the natural world whenever possible, for as Einstein said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

Above all, I believe in slowing down. Take time to breathe, to dig deeper, and to explore.