Léo's Insights
A place where issues related to the Christian walk and its application to home education is discussed.
Topics are meant to challenge you to think differently, to make a difference in this world, starting with the children you have been blessed with.
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Adapting to the Narrative: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 1)
A good friend of mine swore in church! Not only did he swear, but he did so… out loud… in his deep baritone voice, yet!
Obviously, he was upset, so much so that he did not care who heard him. He could not believe that, after having faithfully attended church his entire life, this was the first time anyone had ever given an alternate viewpoint to something he had simply come to accept as being factually true and therefore, trustworthy.
Actually, he was more than upset. He was aghast. How could a critical thinker be so duped, brain washed, directed to believe in something, without supporting evidence, without a mention of potential problems, and most certainly without alternative points of view?
Continue reading “Adapting to the Narrative: No Diploma? No Problem! (Part 1)”
On Desiring to Unschool (Part 2)
Last week I discussed “a request we often get from home schooling parents.” So, how do we respond to that request for help in escaping school? How do we direct those who desire to switch from status quo school based education to real education at home?
I do have a few quick answers to encourage parents in their quest to escape school, but it is not that easy. My answer is usually in the form of “look at what school does and don’t do that.” Another similar answer is, “do what the school is not doing.” My favourite is simply summarized as “just be a family.”
However, before proceeding with this topic, one should address a very common misconception about unschooling, one undoubtedly created by unquestioned adherence to status quo systemic education.
Continue reading “On Desiring to Unschool (Part 2)”
On Desiring to Unschool (Part 1)
You may be surprised to know what we often hear from parents following the first few years of home education experience.
Now before I tell what this request is, I must remind you of the fact that school and all its related activities and applications are so normalized that most everybody just assumes that it is the only way a child can possibly get an education.
Most parents have been educated in a school. It is all they know. When religious groups create their own private schools, it is usually nothing more than a variation of the school theme, grades, subjects, marks, report cards… you know what I am saying. Same for charter schools, alternative schools and any other manifestation of … school.
Continue reading “On Desiring to Unschool (Part 1)”
The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 5)
Education Unlimited has a long history of successfully serving those who have entrusted us to be their home education providers. We are confident about what we are doing because we are sure of our faith foundation. This surety provides us with an eternal standard by which to measure our results.
The moment we are willing to compromise this faith, we destroy the very foundation that distinguishes us from nearly all other home education providers of this Province. That is why we stood with Harvest Baptist Academy in our opposition to the demands of Bill 10 and especially Bill 24.
Standing on principle enables us to refuse to be drawn into arguments and debates about issues outside of our calling of helping those who desire to learn and grow in their home education program.
Continue reading “The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 5)”
The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 4)
Alright, now that I have allowed my passion respecting the plight of home education in this province to overflow, let me provide you with a few more advantages to being associated with us at Education Unlimited.
We operate using a digital management system that is simply unrivalled by our competitors. The system we have invented provides secure 24/7 access to all of the pertinent information as well as what is needed to fulfill all requirements, giving parents maximum control and maximum help with a minimum of effort.
Parents can use our system to complete their program planning and evaluations online. They can also create transcripts for recording their children’s educational achievements in a document that has been accepted at most post-secondary institutions.
Continue reading “The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 4)”
The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 3)
Now, you can be forgiven for being a bit overwhelmed regarding what to do about your home education affiliations, for it is a rather confused system that we have here in Alberta.
Home Education in Alberta is complicated by the fact that there is funding associated with it and as a consequence, there is far too much competition, marketing and misinformation, more designed to prioritize “winning your allegiance” than helping you with your program.
To help you gain clarity, I would like to make you aware of some important facts you should consider before making that all-important decision as to who you chose to be your guides and helpers in your home education journey.
Continue reading “The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 3)”
The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 2)
By the mid-1990s, we had become unschoolers, not because it was trendy, as most home educators of that era simply desired to outperform their local school, but because it was the only way we could respect the individuality of each of our children as well as the uniqueness of our family. We had broken free from the school mould.
This discovery not only benefitted our children at home, but applying what I was learning through my home educating experience to my classroom, greatly improved my students’ situation as well. In other words, not doing school at school greatly benefitted my classroom students also.
I changed my classroom persona from being a “teacher” to being a “mentor.” This made such a tremendous difference that I became known as the one who could cause my students to think. While I should have been honoured by this, I was actually saddened as I believed I was doing nothing more than what should have been expected of all teachers.
Continue reading “The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 2)”
The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 1)
Faye and I started Education Unlimited in 1999, as a home educating couple wanting to help and encourage other home educating parents.
It has since grown to include a wonderful group of like-minded individuals, including facilitators, managers and assistants who share the vision and direction of this ministry. It has also come to include a large number of parents seeking true freedom in educating their children.
My own professional education journey started over forty years ago. It took me through 25 years of classroom teaching in two provinces, in two languages within private, separate and public schools.
Continue reading “The Heartbeat of Education Unlimited (Part 1)”
Introduction to the 2019-20 Academic Year
What a difference a day makes! Twenty-four little hours!
These two sentences are actually the first two lines in an old song originally popularized by Dinah Washington in the late 1950s. Although the song was about how one’s life can suddenly be much improved with a positive event, we all know life can also deal us events and issues that can be more of a disastrous nature.
Alberta home educators should have been collectively singing that song on the morning of April 17, 2019. What a difference a day made! Twenty-four little hours saw the removal of an anti-Christian government that essentially thought it was far wiser than parents. Twenty-four little hours moved Education Unlimited from threatened extinction to being given at least another year to live.
Continue reading “Introduction to the 2019-20 Academic Year”
Goodbye! (June 2019)
Some bloggers do their blogging in real time. That is, a particular week’s entry was created that week and so is usually representative of the most current events. In my case, due to the complexity of having to juggle a lot of things and people to make this work, blogs are usually created in advance.
This means that something could have occurred after the blog was completed that renders it, well, out of touch with the reality of a particular moment. This is usually not the case here as most topics covered in the blogs are not time sensitive, but this one is.
Goodbye can mean a lot of things, like “see you after work” or to end a phone conversation. It can also mean “buzz off” or “I don’t love you anymore” (a rather juvenile way of saying “I have decided that you are no longer important to me” or “my needs are more important than yours”).
Continue reading “Goodbye! (June 2019)”