Natural Learning

I’m going to the Grand Hyatt with a friend tonight to hear an American-Iranian Journalist speak about her experiences living under the current Iranian regime. This includes spending 9 months in jail, time in solitary confinement and being tortured after being found guilty in an 8 minute trial. She is celebrating Journalism week and promoting her book - “Between two worlds: My life and captivity In Iran”. I am excited about this as I am going out with a friend to a gorgeous venue. You have to look very closely to find natural beauty in Doha so I always relish an opportunity to be surrounded by impressive architecture and beautiful design at places such as the Grand Hyatt. I am also excited because I love to learn new things and one of the great ways to learn is through knowledgeable and informed people sharing their wisdom and insights (obviously experience is the best way to learn – but there are many experiences like Roxana’s that we pray no one has to share.). This was almost an epiphany for me as I attempt homeschooling. I have always believed in the power of play and guarded playful experiences and opportunities to be free in their natural world closely for my children. Now, as a homeschooler and educator I was struggling with the concept – how should our day look, what should I have at the end of the day to “prove” to the world that we did something. I started with a short schooling at home session and then mostly play but what is emerging is a much more “natural learning” or “unschooling” version. I realised as many great thinkers and philosophers have before me that education should not always be measured in terms of tests and graphs and percentages. I reguarly attempt to make the girls “fill in a language workbook”, partly to make me feel better, for reassurance and partly because of course I know that some essential skills like reading and writing are vital. But I am realising more and more that whilst I COULD read an encyclopaedia to find lots of facts and figures of history and culture but I WOULD much rather see, taste, smell, listen and touch artefacts, art, food, music, maps, to try and learn and understand something new. So our days learning together at home look VERY unlike school. But the the girls are learning so so much. And loving it!