Episode 7 - Trusting the System
I attended the World Education Summit a few weeks ago. World Schooling is a method of education that many people think is about giving up on the traditional system and travelling forever, but with children.
Perhaps some people appear to be travelling perpetually, but one essence of world schooling is about trying to improve outcomes so that children and families bond better, learn better and ultimately perform better. By no means are we experts on these ideas, but there is a wealth of information written about it.
What interested me the most was the bravery and intuition of a few parents who started their journey inspired to travel with their children with disabilities. They had found that being in the system was not doing any good. Schools did not understand, and the children appeared to be going backwards. I heard of one school who kept a boy inside during breaktimes, in a room by himself. Why? Because he would get bullied by some other kids. So, rather than deal with the problem they dealt with the symptom. To me, it seemed like they were punishing the child.
So these parents decided to turn their back on the system and the traditional network of supports and take things back into their own hands. They described how difficult it was to take responsibility like that, but the rewards were great. One boy, he had autism, just needed a chance to shine and recognise his value as a person. His mum Lisa didn't think that was happening. But since they have been travelling (for just over a month now), he has changed completely.
So this podcast is dedicated to those like us, who think both inside and outside the box to find solutions that recognise individual situations and inspire good things to happen. Enjoy the podcast.