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.
Latest Episodes
Education as a Human Right with William Tucker
Every human on the planet has a right to an education. And, more importantly, a right to the education that they need and want. In Western culture, that often looks like traditional education…sitting in seats in classrooms and memorizing vocabulary and historical...
Imagine Seeing the World as One with Rekha Magon
One of the challenges with traditional education settings is that you’re bound to the same place for nine or more months every year. Slow travel, or really learning about a culture or community is difficult, if not impossible. But the reality is that taking kids out...
What Do You Want from Education with Lainie Liberti
A question we don’t ask enough is what we want from education. Of course we all want well-rounded young adults when they’re done with school, people who can become productive members of our society and who also have a healthy worldview. But our schools are not...
Latest Blog Posts
Why Isn’t Educational Change Happening?
School change is so much harder than I thought! When I did my doctoral research on school innovation and created a hands-on learning school-within-a-school in the 90s, I had no idea that I’d spend the next few decades making tiny changes. Changes that often...
Instilling a Practice of Gratitude in Uncertain Times
Thanksgiving looks different this year. Traditions are being shattered in 2020 and new realities are emerging. Thanksgiving is no exception. After Canada’s Thanksgiving in October, COVID statistics jumped, reminding us that, sadly, the pandemic isn’t taking a break...
Building Interdisciplinary Learning into Traditional Classrooms
A traditional classroom setting is just that...traditional. Teachers must teach specific subjects for a required amount of time, often using prescribed curriculum materials that may be a decade old. There’s little consideration for the individual learner--their...
Categories
Coming soon!
Subscribe
Related Posts
Imagine Seeing the World as One with Rekha Magon
But the reality is that taking kids out of their comfort zones and letting them learn and live in other areas can teach them about kindness, purpose, building relationships, and so much more.
What Do You Want from Education with Lainie Liberti
This week on the podcast, Lainie is sharing her experience with parenting and teaching in the real world and how she and her son are supporting other families to do the same.
Immersive Project-Based Learning Abroad with Joann McPike
THINK Global School was founded on the idea that students should learn the things that matter in the grand scheme of things, rather than what we’ve “always” learned. The structure is so interesting and immersive, and it’s one that I hope gains some traction in the future.
Sign Up for Podcast & Blog Announcements
and Get our Free Guide:
Five Interdependent Hacks to Lead the Creation of a Learner-Centered Culture!
By providing your email address you are agreeing to receive email communications from Education Evolution.
You can unsubscribe at any time.