When you think about how we’re educating our children today, think about how much choice they have in what they’re learning and why. Children in a traditional public education setting don’t have much choice and there’s no room for future-focus. They have to earn a prescribed number of credit hours in English, math, civics and science–never mind what their actual goals and dreams are.
But when we teach children in a future-focused mindset, we’re able to raise thriving adults who have strong values and a leg up on their futures. This is just part of the conversation on today’s episode of Education Evolution with Kira Dorrian.
Kira is a parenting expert in the Pacific Northwest and co-host of the podcast Raising Adults: Future Focused Parenting. We approach our conversation from the perspective of the parent and the perspective of the education leader and look at how future-focused learning is about the long game of raising children.
Tune in now to find out how to help families move from surviving to thriving, how to parent and teach with the end in mind, and why it’s so important to lean into children’s voices.
About Kira Dorrian
Kira Dorrian is the co-creator of Future Focused Parenting and co-host of the popular podcast Raising Adults. She has been working with expectant and new parents as a childbirth educator and parent coach for over a decade and specializes in preparing couples for their transition into parenthood, navigating the transition itself, and helping them raise emotionally intelligent children. Kira has been a mental health professional with a private practice for the past ten years and is passionate about the mental health and wellness of the whole family as a key to a positive parenting experience. Visit futurefocusedparenting.com for more info.
Jump Through the Conversation
[1:48] Thinking about the long game of parenting
[2:46] The why behind chores
[4:27] From surviving to thriving by thinking long-term
[4:50] Allowing kids to rehearse values and conversations
[6:24] Having a set of family values to drive decisions
[7:45] Emotional intelligence–Kira’s “jam!”
[9:40] Three N’s Strategy: naming, normalizing, and nurturing our children’s feelings
[10:19] One pillar of future-focused parenting philosophy: The Why
[12:42] Kira’s micro-school experience in middle school: aligning with students’ interests, all-school meetings with coming to consensus, having a voice that mattered: “I am who I am because of that school, without question!”
[19:04] Kira’s Magic Wand:
Providing more flexibility/choice for middle/high school students be in charge of their academic choices and align with passions
Leaving more space for student voices to be heard vs “fit-in-the-box” mentality
Realizing mental health of our kids is formed in elementary and needs to be prioritized in elementary school vs sink-or-swim with bad fit for elementary teacher
Links and Resources:
- Guest’s contact info: kira@futurefocusedparenting.com
- Future Focused Parenting
- Raising Adults Podcast
- All Things Birth & Baby
- Son Rhys’ book: Rhys and Greyson and the Titan’s Wrath (Rhys and Greyson Series)
- Parenting kids with anxiety course
- Habits of Mind
- Email Maureen
- Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
- Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
- LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
- Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.
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