by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Alternative Education and Learning; The Ultimate Guide

Welcome to the overview and introduction to Alternative education and learning.The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for us all. The world is changing; societies are changing, and education, technology, the way we work, and the way we live are all changing.A new era is upon us. If you have or are about to have children then compelling questions are upon us as well.How do we parent for this fast-approaching future?Is it time to let go of family parenting ideas, approaches and philosophies that have been around since

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Embracing Self-Directed Learning: Empowering Adults and Children to Take the Reins

In a rapidly evolving world, traditional education models are being challenged, and the concept of self-directed learning is gaining momentum. Self-directed learning puts the learner at the center, allowing individuals to take control of their own education and pursue knowledge based on their interests, passions, and goals. This article will explore self-directed learning in two contexts: adults and children. We will delve into the benefits, principles, and strategies for embracing self-directed learning, enabling individuals of all ages to become active participants in their educational journey.Self-Directed Learning for Adults1. The Power

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Parenting for a New Era

Welcome to the overview and introduction to Parenting for the Future for a new era....The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for us all. The world is changing; societies are changing, and education, technology, the way we work, and the way we live are all changing.A new era is upon us. If you have or are about to have children then compelling questions are upon us as well.How do we parent for this fast-approaching future?Is it time to let go of family parenting ideas, approaches and philosophies that

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Hold the BIGGER picture

AnthonyWe all get focused on those small important things in our lives. We become focused and attached to behaviours and things that we have decided are either important and that feel compelling, or that are in some way addictive.We can get stuck in our thinking and beliefs, our attitudes and emotions. How easy it seems for us to start believing that the world that we see close-up around us is the only world there is. How much do we expand our view beyond the current crisis?Why is this important to

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Just when you thought schools could not get more idiotic

The manipulation of mindfulness into schools is cause for concern. It is tough for our schooling systems to reform themselves root and branch in the way we need. Mainstream schooling certainly has not and it is unlikely that it even can. In a way it is no surprise that a coercive, directive and conditioning educational system is resorting to hijacking and distorting enlightened spiritual principles to pacify, control and punish children. Some schools are mandating mindfulness instead of detention or are putting it into the curriculum. On first presentation this

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Freedom and the Free Mind

The book is coming out soon and my thoughts have turned to a key question about raising kids and what might we mean when we say we want them to be ‘free’? This led me to ask what is a ‘free’ mind? The debate about conditioning ties into the wider issue of freedom. What is freedom? Does it exist, or is it a myth? It is defined by many different people and cultures in many different ways.  My definition is focused on freedom of the mind as opposed to freedom

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

What on Earth is a Good Education?

  I came across a Buddhist educational blog this week. One thread on the blog was about education so I had a look around. What jumped out straight away was the proposition that children should be given a “good” education. It’s a phrase I have heard much in my life and what is clear to me is that a “good” education means many different things to many different people. Michael Gove, when UK Education Secretary said when he was mucking around with UK education that it involved all sorts of

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Trying to explain Brexit to my kids… it all sounds so stupid

Pretty much all of europe and most of the rest of the world has heard of the recent Brexit vote by the UK.   Over the last few days and weeks myself and Lehla have been focussed on this vote and what it might mean for us and what it also tells us about the UK, our home country. As we have been plugging into and out of the news the children have shown only a passing interest in it. That changed a little as the vote we were not

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

Mindfulness should not be a sticking plaster on the real problem. Our workplaces and schools have become unbearably stressful.

        This is a blog I wrote focussed around my work as a recovery and wellness coach but realised that it is relevant to unschooling…..so here it is   It is pretty astonishing really. Here we are in 2015 and meditation is the corporate and now educational cure all of workforce pacification. Now it seems we are going to roll it out to school children. I don’t think we are asking the right questions about the actual need for all this whipped up popularised non spiritual spiritual

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by Anthony Eldridge-Rogers in

The toughest bit of being an unschooling parent? Self-examination

When it comes to some deep reflection about the relationship with my children a significant realisation is that in most of the social conditioning I was brought up with was that the adults were the ‘Ones who know? And the children were the ‘Ones who don’t know ‘ and the job is to assist them to ‘know’. Ok yes I am using quite a few ‘commas’ as I am writing this I am realising that these words and phrases beg some questions. But I am pointing to an underlying principle

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