As I have mentioned previously, I think about Zoe's education a lot. It is not just about researching schools and school districts we may end up with or desire (that, I do), but about the education of Zoe as a person. And it is not just about things like learning the alphabets and math, things in the realm of knowledge that is usually learned in the classroom context. Rather, I think about how we would help Zoe fulfill her potential, how we would cultivate her to become a "whole" person, how we would impart knowledge without tedium, how we would let her curiosity lead the way. Taking her outdoors, spending time in silly play, my plan to learn vegetable gardening and then imparting that to Zoe... all of it somehow fits my idea of creating for Zoe an idyllic childhood, where her moral compass is set, and ways of thinking and knowledge seeking is established.
The nice thing about the proliferation of blogs is that one does not have to think alone. I found other like minded parents who are walking the same path or who have walked the path. Here, tonight, I found through a blog Ron Miller's writings. Apparently, Ron Miller is a leading figure in "holistic education." I quote at length his explanation of holistic education here because I agree with it completely.
"Simply stated, holistic education is an effort to cultivate the development of the whole human being. Where conventional schooling views the child as a passive receiver of information and rules, or at most as a computer-like processor of information, a holistic approach recognizes that to become full person, a growing child needs to develop—in addition to intellectual skills—physical, psychological, emotional, interpersonal, moral and spiritual potentials. The child is not merely a future citizen or employee in training, but an intricate and delicate web of vital forces and environmental influences.
Ultimately, holistic education reflects a spiritual rather than a mechanistic worldview; it recognizes that in the growth of every child, some mysterious life force is unfolding and seeking expression. This force might be understood in religious or quasi-religious terms, as in Waldorf education, or it can be seen in a more naturalistic sense, as a biological urge—a worldview that makes sense to many progressive and democratic educators. In any case, a holistic approach to education respects this life force and seeks to nourish it. Clearly this worldview is very closely aligned with the impulse behind organic agriculture, natural medicine, ecological awareness, and other areas of the emerging “green” society.
A holistic education is usually characterized by several core qualities. First, it encourages experiential learning. There is more discussion, questioning, experimentation, and active engagement in a holistic learning environment, and a noticeable absence of grading, testing, labeling, and comparing. Learning is more meaningful and relevant to students—it matters to their lives. Second, personal relationships are considered to be as important as academic subject matter. These learning environments strive to cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and qualities of safety, respect, caring, and even love. Third, there is concern for the interior life, for the feelings, aspirations, ideas and questions that each student brings to the learning process. Education is no longer viewed as the transmission of information; instead it is a journey inward as well as outward into the world. Fourth, holistic education expresses an ecological consciousness; it recognizes that everything in the world exists in context, in relationship to inclusive communities. This involves a deep respect for the integrity of the biosphere, if not a sense of reverence for nature. It is a worldview that embraces diversity, both natural and cultural. Holistic education shuns ideology, categorization, and fixed answers, and instead appreciates the flowing interrelatedness of all life."
http://www.pathsoflearning.org/holistic_New_Culture_New_Education.php
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