Imposter Syndrome for Homeschool Families and Beyond
For anyone straying away from the standard, imposter syndrome is an increased threat.
Learners and families who homeschool, especially those who unschool, are marginalized as different. They make choices considered controversial. They sometimes find it difficult to find a flow that works for them. They often receive less support because they are no longer connected to large institutions, schools, with a multiplicity of resources (labs, gyms, etc). Depending on your location and your background, community can be harder to locate and lean into. This is not to erase the beneficial value of choosing homeschooling. If that’s what your family needs, go after it. Follow that.
Self-Directed & Successful: Richard Branson, Da Vinci, Madam C.J. Walker, and YOU
The cost of inaction is not always monetary, though it can be. The cost of doing nothing may be more time wasted. Or, returning to the earlier research, the cost may be mental anguish or pain.
I can only speak for myself, but for me personally, I credit self-directed education with saving my life.
If you’ve ever felt trapped by conventional systems, this is your reminder: you’re capable of crafting your future.
What is Neurodivergent Success with Self-Directed Education?
What is Neurodivergent Success with Self-Directed Education? “You can’t hit a target that you can’t see.” That is why I’m providing these example stories of success (and struggle). Generally, going to the beat of your own drum, going against the mainstream in any regard, is going to take more time, more effort, and more resilience.
Explaining Self-Directed Education to Strangers: It’s Gonna Get Weird
This past week, I had the opportunity to explain self-directed education to several strangers. How do you think it went?
My theory is that the people who need self-directed education and who most enjoy the freedom that comes with it, are those who either feel or identify with weirdness. They may experience a world wherein they feel alienated and/or restrained in their creativity and imagination.
How to Decide on Your Niche: Locating Your Genius
This post will describe a process of locating your genius through a series of four questions.
I recently offered a masterclass on identifying niche. Watch the whole hour here! At the end, I actually workshop participant’s possible niches in real time. The audience? Freelancers and entrepreneurs from the Laptop Lifestyle Master Program. Niche is a person’s most suitable profession. I see a niche as an expression of genius.
Tragically, many people don’t know their genius. They don’t have access to it or they can’t name it
Free Resources for Caregivers of Neurodivergent & Disabled Youth: By an Alternative Educator
By Off Da Beaten Path Learning LLC.
This resource list offers a wide range of materials exploring neurodiversity, mental health, disabilities, and inclusion, from books and films to interviews and TED Talks. It covers various topics, including homeschooling neurodivergent children, mental illness, disability rights, autism, and parenting strategies. This collection is ideal for caregivers seeking to understand and support neurodivergent youth.
Creating Routines as Neurodivergent Unschooling Families
How can unschooling families who live with neurological disorders create and maintain routine? Choosing unschooling or self-directed education, even when it’s the right choice, doesn’t mean it’s all easy peasy lemons. For neurodivergent families or neurodivergent learners, however, the response is itself what becomes challenging. A great read for neurodivergent homeschooling families and educators!
Free Lesson Plans for Teens: On Power & HIV Awareness
This free learning resource was created in gratitude to Kim Canady in honor of her life’s work to bring attention to health education and HIV awareness.
Created March 2024 by Dominique Paloma Bible, Educator & Founder, Off Da Beaten Path Learning LLC
Use this learning resource to enhance conversations with teens about empowerment and HIV awareness. Reach out if you need 1-on-1 support. Sign up here to receive this free learning pack!
Creative Ideas for Hands-on Activities for Teens (with examples!)
Parents, families, and educators often inquire about hands-on activities to engage teen learners. “What can I do with him?” Maybe your thirteen year old can’t stop playing Roblox. Maybe your fifteen year old is interested in Anime, Manga, and YouTube. Maybe your sixteen year old is taken by hearing and sharing jokes. If the topics of interest are either on screens or in speech, then how do we transfer learning into hands-on activities? This post outlines what hands-on means, what it does not mean, and how it can impact the development of a teenager.
Tools for Building Confidence: For Unschoolers, Homeschoolers, & Unconventional Learners
In the world of homeschooling and particularly in the world of unschooling and self-directed education, there is this common struggle that children are “not doing anything” or “not learning anything.”
There are two tools I will share in the name of building your confidence: 1. A practice of non-judgmental observation and 2. A practice of gratitude.