January 22, 2015 by John Andrew Williams
During my recent trip to Dubai, I had a chance to meet with several families to talk all things homeschool. We also had a chance to screen the documentary Class Dismissed, A Film About Learning Outside the Classroom.
(Full disclosure: my wife and I homeschool our two daughters, ages 8 and 5. We went as a family to see the Portland debut this Fall. It rocked. Afterwards I had the chance to speak with Jeremy Stuart, the director of the film, and we set up a screening in Dubai for a homeschool family there.)
The documentary explores the methods and actualities that families go through when they take education into their own hands and out of the traditional classroom structure.
The film is a great starting point for thinking about the limits of our educational system, and how applicable these concerns are internationally.
And really, when you consider the amount of time students are out of school for the summer, every family is a homeschool family.
Witnessing the reactions to the film that homeschoolers in Dubai were having, and speaking to them about it, made it clear how similar the need, structure, and functions of homeschooling is across cultures. While the reasons to homeschool may differ—religious, academic, or to further develop personal and emotional intelligence—the nuts and bolts, daily schedule, and mindset to homeschooling, were remarkably similar.
Some of what makes Dubai unique is the large population of people who have traveled extensively around the world. These are 3rd culture kids who are growing up in a culture different from the one that their parents grew up in.
We’re considering moving to Spain for a full academic year (in about 2 years!) to further learn the language and set up a European headquarters for Academic Life Coaching. The topic of alternative education is one that I care deeply about both personally and professionally, and what I’ve learned through comparing the US and the UAE experience is that people—no matter the culture of the background—have remarkably similar motivation structures. The main points I find in this discussion are:
Also read: The Brain Science of Success
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To provide life coach training that changes lives, launches careers, and promotes human flourishing.
contact@academiclifecoaching.com
PO Box 2021
Hood River, Oregon 97031
To provide life coach training that changes lives, launches careers, and promotes human flourishing.
contact@academiclifecoaching.com
PO Box 2021
Hood River, Oregon 97031
This website is powered by