Educational Philosophy

by Tammy

One of the things that impress me the most about those who live a life without school is their integrity. They know what they believe, and they live their lives according to their values. Or rather, they live their lives according to a personal, family and educational philosophy. It impressed me so much, that I made it a point to understand our own educational philosophy and to see if what we do on a daily basis lives up to our goals.

Having an educational philosophy allows us to stress less because if we aren't sure if we're doing the right thing, we can focus on deciding if it goes with, or goes against, our goals. Also, in our never-ending quest to seek balance, we can use our philosophy (or in other words, values) to make sure we aren't letting the pendulum swing too far in any one direction.

Here is our educational and family philosophy.

• To focus on being authentic, pursuing the things we are the best at and living life to its fullest.
• To learn something new everyday (whatever that might be) and to ask questions about the world around us.
• To be life-time, universal learners. Learning happens all the time, our entire lives.
• To follow the path that works best for us, and to understand, to the best of our ability, the paths that others have chosen.
• To believe in ourselves, believe in others and avoid comparing ourselves to others.
• To see failure as a stepping stone to success, not a judgement of our abilities.
• To define for ourselves what it is to be successful.
• To define for ourselves what it means to be fully human.

What's your educational philosophy?

Tammy Takahashi lives and learns with her three children (10, 7 and 4) and supportive husband in California. She is the author of Deschooling Gently: A Step by Step Guide to Fearless Homeschooling. She also serves as the editor of the California HomeSchooler magazine, a bi-monthly publication for the Homeschool Association of California. You can read more from her about education and homeschooling on her website. And you can email her at tammy.takahashi @ gmail(dot)com.

Comments

[Jodi]

Oh, your philosophy is SPOT ON, so close to my own family's values and outlook on home education. Unfortunately, I don't run into like-minded individuals on a regular basis, but I get this warm, fuzzy feeling when I do.