Let's Talk Academics
While we don't value one kind of learning over another at Passages, it is important to reflect on the traditional academic subjects Learners are choosing to take on:
Self-paced independent High School courses to earn their OSSD
High school entrance courses for College admissions as a Mature Student (age 19)
Working on fundamentals like Math and English
Independently working on AP Sciences and Math for University entrance
Career exploration by interviewing professionals and seeking shadowing opportunities
Independent work through middle school curriculum to enter a sports-specific high school
When teens are given autonomy over their lives, they tend to choose paths that will lead them to where THEY want to go even knowing that it involves work.
Some people get hung up on the words “self-directed” thinking young people are left on their own to figure everything out. Self-directed learning does not mean isolated and alone learning; it simply means the path is chosen by the learner and they set the pace and THEY will engage with their learning however that may look. The fun part for adults is when we get asked ( <— this is an important point!) for help, we get to spring into action. If they need help making a schedule to complete their work, we show them various ways of getting stuff done: calendars, bullet journals, notebooks, apps.
When they can’t figure out a piece of their learning, we help them with research or suggest reaching out to professionals who know this stuff. Or if we know how to help, we offer our knowledge.
We get to be the support system in place for them to keep moving forward. It’s such an important piece of this whole experience. Who doesn’t need a coach, a cheerleader, and a water person! Parents get to be all the people rallying around the player.
Now sometimes their learning means enrolling in a course where an instructor has set the pace and has timeline expectations. Joining that class means the self-directed learner has chosen to work within this teacher’s constraints. Keep in mind though, it’s also a choice for them to fail this class, reach out to a teacher for extensions, “fake” their way through the course or any other myriad of ways young people might avoid some work - they’re not saints! BUT, the difference is always that they are choosing the path and with that, they’ll understand the repercussions of their choices. We’ve all been there, and we all learn the hard lessons, firsthand.