How Mosaic Can Help You Discover Your Unique Path

I’ve been in the field of self-directed, human-centered education for over twenty years. As a young student teacher in a conventional school environment, I was struck by what was missing for my students: a sense of excitement, active engagement, intrinsic motivation. It was exhausting to feel responsible for metaphorically pulling my kids along their educational journey rather than walking beside them as a partner and facilitator.

By the time my sons were born, I had been learning about and working with self-directed programs for nearly a decade, but moving from understanding the work to understanding what the work meant for our family was a process. Their father and I both work full-time in jobs that we love but which are intense and demanding: lots of travel, occasional moves, less time at home with our sons on a day-to-day basis than we might want, a rotating cast of child care providers. We were committed to public education but found very limited options when it came to schools that lived out the values of independent, child-centered learning. And as we moved it was hard to find a tribe of like-minded families with whom to build something different. It was sometimes a lonely, confusing, and conflicted place to live: torn between an ideal in my mind and the realities of our life.

It was exhausting to feel responsible for metaphorically pulling my kids along their educational journey rather than walking beside them as a partner and facilitator”

As my sons have gotten older and we have worked to understand who each of them is (versus who we want them to be) and what each needs to thrive, it has become clear that one of my sons is not likely to be happy with a homeschooling or entirely self-directed approach. He can clearly articulate his desire for more defined pathways, direct instruction especially around basic skills, and consistent engagement with caring adults. The bottom line is that he likes a lot of what regular school provides. Having said that, he does crave the opportunity to explore his own interests, to see the relevance of what he is being asked to learn, to approach a lesson or topic in his own way and to have the option to go deeper when he is inspired.

My sons are now 14 and 12 and it’s been helpful over time for me to frame our family’s engagement with self-directed learning as a set of values and ways of being rather than expecting it to look one particular way. What I most want is for them to blur the lines between school and life, to approach any event or experience with a disposition of curiosity or learning whether it is a family trip, their favorite TV show, or an adult event we simply need them to attend. I’ve come to think that: Self-directed learning is not a specific set of actions so much as it is a way of being in relationship to the world, other people, and ideas. Building this new way of being ultimately sits at the heart of self-directed education regardless of what it looks like specifically.

With that as a backdrop, I would offer a few invitations as you explore Mosaic:

First, let go of expectations about what this journey is “supposed to” look like. As our family discovered, there is no “right” way to do self-directed, independent learning. That decision will be based on the constellation of factors unique to your family and circumstance including your child’s age and personality, whether you work outside the home, the rhythm of your family’s life, your local community, and resources. The opportunity here is for you and your child to feel inspired by something you encounter—a story or experience that challenges you to see learning differently than you did before or inspires you to build on what you may already be doing in the company of others.

Self-directed learning is not a specific set of actions so much as it is a way of being in relationship to the world, other people, and ideas.”

Notice which stories capture your interest, but also notice what doubts or concerns arise. As a parent, it is legitimate to wonder whether your child will be OK, whether they will learn what they need to learn to succeed in life, whether there is a risk in taking on self-directed learning. As a student, it may well feel strange to watch others put together the pieces of their education in such different ways. Don’t ignore or dismiss your concerns or questions but don’t try to answer them all by yourself. Mosaic is a community of other families and students who are a source of support as you move past your own experiences or assumptions and into new possibilities of what learning can look like. Let yourself be inspired by their stories and how their approach can help you grow in ways that may be less familiar but no less valuable in a changing world.

Mosaic is a community of other families and students who are a source of support as you move past your own experiences or assumptions and into new possibilities of what learning can look like. ”

Ask your children to explore the site and notice which stories or issues capture their interest. What about it appeals to them? Do they seem curious and excited about the idea of driving their own learning, or does it seem overwhelming? If the former, how can you support them in following their areas of interest? If they seem intimidated (see the next point) how can you help them take one small step in the direction of exploring something new, building (or rebuilding) their confidence in their own capabilities.

And finally, give yourself time and space. This is a process. Many of us—including adults—have to unlearn the lessons school teaches us about what learning is, who is “in charge” of learning, and where or when learning happens. Kids often need time to remember what they are interested in doing when they are not being told what to do. And even as a parent professionally and academically committed to this work, it took time to fully appreciate how the sense of confidence and ownership my sons developed outweighed some of the “costs” of playing the game of education by a set of rules that put my sons rather than externally-derived definitions of “success” first. Hopefully Mosaic will be a place to be reminded that you are not alone on this journey towards reimagining what the future of learning can look like for all young people.