Nearly 30 years ago I earned my teaching credential. It was as though I was sleep walking. I knew I wanted to create a supportive environment for my students and I had heaps of compassion, I just had no idea how to address the needs of my students who didn’t get the lessons no matter how hard I tried.
I left education for a bit and when I came back it was to teach preschool. Preschool is all about learning to play fair, taking turns, working out conflicts using your words, using your imagination, and using all your senses to discover the world. Play is where learning really happens and this was the breeding grounds for my current understandings.
Once I gave birth to my twin daughters all theories I had regarding nature vs. nurture in learning were annihilated. These two individuals walk distinct paths and have expanded (and continue to expand) my ideas on cognitive development and the possibilities and opportunities for learning. We’ve tested many scenarios together: same school same teacher, same school different teachers, homeschooling, and back again in different schools by their own choice. The choices they made stemmed from the knowledge they had gained around their own learning dispositions. This continues today for them as young adults taking their own paths, setting their own goals, and working towards self-fulfillment.
I offer my hand to those who desire to navigate the path to their own self-understanding; a path that inspires and continues to open the door to new possibilities.