What started as a rescue mission over ten years ago has completely altered my perspective of education.  It just cannot meet the individual needs of the children in its care.  If you are the parent of more than one child (or have a sibling) then you know that all babies are brought into this world with their own idiosyncrasies and personalities.  For example, my son didn’t sleep, my daughter slept through anything; my son was cautious and serious, my daughter willing to try anything and quick to laugh.  So knowing this, why would I expect that the education system would fill the distinct needs of both children?

I saw clearly that it didn’t.  My son’s experience in that educational institution forced me to reassess my educational goals for him.  So I began to ask questions.  And, just so you know, it is o.k. (although most of the time uncomfortable) to question our institutions.  I have learned that growth is often uncomfortable.  I began to question things like “what are the goals of public education?”, “what are my educational goals for my children?”, “what will make my children happy fulfilled adults?” and “what skills will they really need in their future?”  It had never occurred to me to ask these questions before.

To be honest, I had always assumed that my kids would attend the local public school and be educated the same way most of us were.  It is the ‘norm,’ right?  I mean, we paid a premium for a home in a ‘good neighborhood’ that has a ‘great school district’ with the ‘high test scores’ to prove it.  Why would I have thought that we would do anything differently?

It was hard to take that next step and look seriously at other schooling options.  There is a lot of peer pressure out there to keep the status quo.  I have come to realize that if you criticize a system of education, other parents, who are happy with that system, react as if you are criticizing them directly.  Grandparents, neighbors and friends don’t like it when you are critical of the institution they revere.  The society-at-large doesn’t like it.  This was a complication I did not expect.  As I said earlier, change is uncomfortable.  I had never even considered homeschooling, but when I stepped back and looked plainly at what my son’s needs were, it all became a lot clearer.

So, I began to focus on him.  What exactly were my son’s educational needs?  My list looked something like this:  he needed to be proficient in language arts and math, and I added social studies and science. He needed to know how to use technology and how to verbally communicate his ideas to others.  I think most of us can agree on these so far.  But I also saw a need for more.  He needed to find a connection to himself:  He needed confidence.  He needed to know his creative abilities and that his potential for giving to the world was limitless. He deserved to feel the drive that only passion for something can provide.  But what kind of school could give him all of that?

After all of my searching, I concluded I would home school my son.  This would provide him with the academics he needed and  not only allow him the freedom and time to explore the world around him, but figure out how he could comfortably fit into it.

My search for an educational model that would work for my son brought me to a new way of looking at education.  After many years of working within this new paradigm, I have come to believe that every person is born with a unique gift or talent.  It is up to us, as parents and educators, to help identify that talent or gift and nurture it.  When that occurs, a connection to oneself is made and provides the confidence that manifests itself in a passionate drive.  I believe that from that passion, all true creativity is born.  And we are nothing if not creative beings.

This creativity can take many forms; you may have heard it described as innovation, artistic design or out-of-the-box thinking.  It is present in every part of our civilization, from technology and engineering to homemaking and humanities.  It is part of what makes us human.  This Passion Oriented™ model of educating the whole child can be used inside and outside of educational institutions, as long as we have the vision and training to recognize creativity and nurture it.  But unfortunately, most institutions tend to discourage and restrain creativity, because it doesn’t fit their paradigm of conformity.  This type of real ‘out of the box thinking’ is frowned upon in our public educational system.

When I began this quest for passion ten years ago, I thought it was all about saving my son.  This path has led me so much further.  I have helped my own children in their search for passion and found my own along the way.  What is mine you ask?  Mine is to assist families that are feeling helpless and to help them find direction when they feel lost.  I have counseled hundreds of families over the years.  I guess I am no longer seeking passion; I am passionately seeking to join others who are seeking their own.

Come join us.

Wendy C. Travers

Passion Oriented Education™