#deschool

We have grown to love this new normal. I call it life without school. We have been given an opportunity to raise our son in an environment in which he can choose what to learn and how to learn it. Any information that is important to him is absorbed with a much deeper understanding, because he is able to make personal connections with what he is learning. The information that doesn’t serve him gets left behind, perhaps for another time- or maybe forever. Our kid is getting the rare chance to thrive in a world where academic standards and expectations take a back seat to creative endeavors and soul searching. He get to choose who he wants to be, and is developing an important skill that I never had as a kid- how to learn. He's able to find answers to questions and dive deeply into things that matter. Ryder can switch from one interest to the next without a pause button in between. We do not stifle the experiences; we let him submerge himself deeply in whatever brings joy. In the time that we have been doing this we have noticed an extraordinary difference. The way he lives, the way he sees himself and the world, and the way that he views learning. I don’t know what the future holds for him, or for us, but the truth is- I don’t care. We are holding space for the child that we see right now, and allowing him to fully embrace who he presently is. What an absolute blessing it is to be his parents. 💜