Being a Lead Learner in any Educational Setting

As a public school educator, I was given a manual and asked to teach what was in that manual. Did I add in my own content? Yes. I did. I was able to research above and beyond what was in that manual according to the ages of my students. As the lead learner, my goal was to broaden their horizons beyond what was in the manual. I wanted to model what research and curiosity look like. In a private school setting, I was also given a manual on what to teach. Again, I would go above and beyond what the manual said and find out some more interesting facts pertaining to the topics. Why would I do this? Wasn’t it more work for me? Did I stay after school extra hours to research? The answer is yes. Whether I stayed at the school or went home and did it, it did “cost” me extra time and energy. It’s not like I got paid for the extra. I did it because I thought it necessary to model what good research and lead learning looks like and what curiosity in seeking more information on a particular topic can add to your life! When we take the time to model the good things, we can instill a sense a pride to our children, students, and others who are watching. We want to be models. We should all want to keep the wonder alive in our minds and in our lives. There is so much out in the world for us to explore and I guarantee we are only seeing a small snippet of it in this lifetime! 

As a homeschool educator, I am the lead learner in my home and in our school community. What does this mean? I am not the teacher up front with a manual. I am learning with the kids as well as guiding them when asking thought provoking questions and steering the conversations around like a car on a well-worn racetrack! I do not have all the answers. I do not have a set manual most of the time. We are all learning material that has us asking why did it happen? Where did it happen? Who was there? When did this occur and was there any other events happening at the same time as this? How do you think George felt when Martha did this, that, or the other? We can stop in the moment and research! We have freedom in education. In whatever way you choose to school your children, just know, you can be the lead learner in your home and add value to the material by modeling! Research, ask questions, and learn all you can! You got this mama!