Skilled and Unhappy; The Promise of Conventional Schooling

Show Notes Chris and Jenna share their takeaways from episode 009.  Selling your house and beginning a co-housing project of this scale is commendable and courageous. It takes a lot of effort to take the alternative path and create a life more aligned with your values. If we stick with the school system, we by default assume the values of that system. Every step toward living a life that’s in line with your values is a step in the right direction. It will eventually lead you to the lifestyle you want.  Getting familiar with your values first helps you to recognize the most impactful changes you can make to get you closer to leading a life of choice.  Deschooling helps you to stay alert and aware and helps inform your decisions going forward. Drift is a common result of not questioning or reflecting.  Jenna would like to find ways to include more diversity in their kids lives through travel and interacting with the community. Obviously, Covid has impacted their ability to do this thus far.  Chris is interested in driving more intention toward authenticity and kindness.  Jenna shares her hope for building up her kids’ emotional intelligence, which will give them the foundation they need to build the skills needed to be successful in their area of expertise, passions, or interests. When we reach the end of traditional school systems, many of us feel skilled and unhappy. Working 40 - 50 hour work weeks and getting used to consuming material items to FEEL successful is not the future we envision for ourselves or our kids, but it’s the life we are promised (or sentenced to, whichever way you see it) when we follow the traditional path.  Living intentionally, in Jenna’s opinion, is where you’ll gain meaning in your life.  With home education, you gain back some control over how your values play out in your day to day life. As humans, we enjoy being creative but it’s difficult for children who are passionate about artistic pursuits to devote their time and energy to it because of school hours. What if they had the time to dedicate their entire day to these endeavors? How would that affect the way they contribute to that field? Trying to fit in creative “hobbies” alongside school hours means you’re giving partial attention to both school and the “hobby”. What if they were able to devote all their time to the thing they’re most skilled at and interested in? Our own son felt the pressure and anxiety from secondary school, but he couldn’t articulate it, nor was he consciously aware that school was the source of his stress.    Mentioned in Today's Show Teen Ballerina’s Daily Routine Episode 009 Sir Ken Robinson TedEx Talk   Ways to Connect Email me: [email protected] Facebook  Instagram Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogue-learner/id1543224038 Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/search/rogue%20learner Spotify: https://roguelearner.libsyn.com/spotify YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdCocbWsxxAMSbUObiCQXPg Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/rogue-learner