Episode 21: Alison Van Keuren: Are We Really Educating Our Kids?

Are we really educating our kids?

My guest today, Alison Van Keuren will talk about her personal experience with different education modalities and her professional experience with the Montessori system.

Alison is a mom of three who has a wide breadth of knowledge and experience around kids and specifically education for kids. Alison works as a program coordinator and learning specialist at a local Montessori school. She has degrees in psychology, occupational therapy, and recent training in Orton-Gillingham training. She spent the school year of 2020-2021 homeschooling two of her three children. 

With the pandemic being over, her children are now back in the school system and she shares how she loves the thought of it being ok and sometimes in life adults and children, might need a shift in their life. Or a stop and reassess how everything is going, try something new, to help with whatever stage that we’re in. 

She talks about how it was nerve wracking to take her children out of the system. And how in the beginning they still felt the expectations that they needed to do certain things at a certain time or a certain way. 

Now that that is all in their past and she can reflect upon, she understands that what they learned could have come in a different way. It could have taken many forms, shapes, sizes, each learning experience would have been valid and valuable to them!

How beautiful!

This led us to discuss our education systems and her experience brought her to understand that everyone has their different priorities, including school systems. And school systems are going to be a match for some and maybe not the best for others. 

Her experience working in Montessori education has taught her to look at everyone as equal. The teachers learn from the children as much as the children learn from the teachers. 

They also teach by meeting children where they are at. That includes always observing. Things change, and you have to adapt to that change. 

This can mean meeting them where they are at academically, socially, or emotionally.

I believe our education system is designed to educate the masses rather than the individual, and I ask what Alison’s opinion is on this. 

Alison shares that when it comes down to it, there isn’t a right and wrong way to educate your child. Everything depends on the needs of your child, and what works best for your family!

  • I would SO appreciate you leaving a rating and review in Apple Podcast if you’ve found this podcast encouraging, and inspiring in any way!


julie hatch