Giancarlo, my only son, was a baby born when his experience with education started. I became his guide in all the learning experiences he will go through from learning to breastfeed to each milestones, to learning subjects. In the process, he was my student and also my wise guru who taught me many lessons.
GC made eye contact with me the moment he was born, he was furious, filled with tons of good crying. Perhaps because crying is what most babies do to comunicate or because he found himself outside of his womb comfort zone. The reality was that he cried and cried tons. He cried so much that the pediatrician had a name for it "colicky baby".
GC made eye contact with me the moment he was born, he was furious, filled with tons of good crying. Perhaps because crying is what most babies do to comunicate or because he found himself outside of his womb comfort zone. The reality was that he cried and cried tons. He cried so much that the pediatrician had a name for it "colicky baby".
I remember GC looking around the room, confused, scared. By the time he was all clean attached to my breast, I was so nervous and exhausted. I did not know if I was going to be able to make it. I guess 24 hours of labor pain without success or epidural anesthetic can make any one feel hopeless. Still, GC connected with me inmediately and the ritual continued with every breast -feeding.
I talked to him, We made eye contact, I felt that he always understood but could not speak, yet. It was not easy to breast-feed and I could tell you all the times I cried in frustration but the latching happened and the bond was build forever.
GC was always famished and I was constantly lacking sleep.
While I was learning to be a mom, and learning that GC will guide me into this motherhood profession; I realized with every passing week,Gc’s awareness and interest for listening to conversations, music, and sounds.
Everyday, from diaper changing to a bath, breastfeeding, to rocking him in the chair I talked and talked to him.
My mom who was helping at the time talked to him too. While dressing him up, while feeding him and doing anything around the apartment. My husband talked to him when he came from work and every stroll they took together.
My mom who was helping at the time talked to him too. While dressing him up, while feeding him and doing anything around the apartment. My husband talked to him when he came from work and every stroll they took together.
I knew somewhat that GC understood us. His wide-open eyes expressed his desire for communicating with us always.
Every day when he interacted with us we talked to him. We took him in his stroller around town and talked to him about whatever we encounter on our way there. We took him to the forest, and talked about nature, the marvelous trees, the wind and everything that surrounded us.
We fed him and talked about his meal. We mentioned the name of the food, described the texture, the colors.
Every day when he interacted with us we talked to him. We took him in his stroller around town and talked to him about whatever we encounter on our way there. We took him to the forest, and talked about nature, the marvelous trees, the wind and everything that surrounded us.
We fed him and talked about his meal. We mentioned the name of the food, described the texture, the colors.
When Gc sat for his meals at 4 months, we noticed his frustration when he tried to mimic, repeat, express something back. He mumbled sounds that I almost understood.
I never forget that we took him for a breezy evening walk and the gorgeous trees leafs seemed making sounds. GC pointed at them and I believed I heard from him the word leaf! "He was a baby", we thought, "he could not have possible talked", but he did.
GC’s awareness and love for nature will increase with the years. Later on around his 2ndbirthday, while he was running and climbing a playground he will stop all of the sudden while being mesmerized by the strong wind sound rocking the leaves in such a musical movement “ shhhhhh, listen”. He would say.
Since then, I learned to listen to Gc’s innate ability to know what he wanted to learn.
Gc was only 9 months when he spoke his first words. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean he pointed at it and said in Spanish “water” followed by “sand”, “sky” “birds” and every object he started to identify. He was communicating. Finally he too, could talk.
It was around the 2008 Election time that GC one day said to me “mom, teach me”. He was barely a year old. I remember asking him who is the President " Obama" he will reply.
With delight I talked to him about letters, numbers, colors. I read and read hundreds of books to him. We spend hours at local libraries and at home reading. We loved play-dates and outdoors and almost every day we were either at a beach or at a park.
Although we communicated with him in both English and Spanish at that time, He spoke Spanish to us so clearly that my family in Mexico was impressed with our son’s ability to read at the early age of 3.
Gc never showed confusion with one language or another as many parents implied will happen when teaching multiple languages. To the contrary, he was such a verbal child that it was no problem for him taking an Italian class during the spring and a Chinese class during the summer. Gc was confident and teachers asked me if I was married to a Chinese or Italian due to his fluency in languages.
Almost 12 years now, he is a master of spelling playing scrabble. One favorite game that he started playing when he was 7 and has taught him plenty of words.
Giancarlo keeps reading by the bundle. One week he can devour books about science and another he will be interested in how mechanical things work. He has read classics ahead of his grade, and Speaking Spanish and English has only make French easier and enjoyable.
Chinese is a complicated language but in his months of private tutoring classes he has been very dedicated.
Almost 12 years now, he is a master of spelling playing scrabble. One favorite game that he started playing when he was 7 and has taught him plenty of words.
Giancarlo keeps reading by the bundle. One week he can devour books about science and another he will be interested in how mechanical things work. He has read classics ahead of his grade, and Speaking Spanish and English has only make French easier and enjoyable.
Chinese is a complicated language but in his months of private tutoring classes he has been very dedicated.
As the adult immigrant that came from Mexico at age 25 with no English spoken neither written which was very difficult to achieve on my own. Gc's ability to switch from one language to another without the difficulties adults face, is fascinating.
Giancarlo’s ability to switch from Spanish to English at age 3 was an incredible gift. Still he has conversations in Spanish with relatives in Mexico or with me.
Giancarlo’s ability to switch from Spanish to English at age 3 was an incredible gift. Still he has conversations in Spanish with relatives in Mexico or with me.
Gc is to me, the proof that children can learn everything if we do not tell them they cannot.
Because we focused on Giancarlo's love for reading at an early age followed by any interest he had; was how Gc’s ability to learn chess on his own, followed by his interest in keyboard, to learn all about magic tricks to creating electric circuits and origami Art, ceramics, painting and sketching and coding.
It is as if his mind has no limits to explore with joy different options rather than only learning by memory facts and equations.
Because we focused on Giancarlo's love for reading at an early age followed by any interest he had; was how Gc’s ability to learn chess on his own, followed by his interest in keyboard, to learn all about magic tricks to creating electric circuits and origami Art, ceramics, painting and sketching and coding.
It is as if his mind has no limits to explore with joy different options rather than only learning by memory facts and equations.
If you asked me years ago, while I was living in Mexico, I would have never imagined I could be fluent in English.
I never intended to move to another country or learn a language at the moment I graduated college. I had worked hard to obtain a professional job after years of college, I had almost finished my Masters in Education and at home was not a priority to learn languages as it was getting a degree to get a better job and a better life.
I never intended to move to another country or learn a language at the moment I graduated college. I had worked hard to obtain a professional job after years of college, I had almost finished my Masters in Education and at home was not a priority to learn languages as it was getting a degree to get a better job and a better life.
As a Mexican- Immigrant who came to the USA with a profession but was unable to understand the language, it is a big accomplishment to have taught my son a language that for me was so complicated to achieve.
In many ways, I learned the language idiomatic expressions, slangs, lullabies, by being in charge of my son’s education.
In many ways, I learned the language idiomatic expressions, slangs, lullabies, by being in charge of my son’s education.
Of course my husband first language is English and he always was there to answer any questions and to correct my pronunciation or spelling.
For those who asked me over an over, the answer is yes. It has been exhausting to take the challenge of being the mom and the teacher; but I know in my heart of hearts that we moms are meant to be the guides of the individualized education that our children require.
We moms can prevent the overwhelming wave of violence known as “bullying” that generation over generation we all have experienced in a classroom and that teachers, principals and board of educators seem not able to eradicate.
12 years of educating our son have gone beyond home schooling because we are mostly not at home. We combine the common basic skills of Math, Science, Language Art, History with our outdoor-schooling, beach-schooling, park-schooling, travel-schooling, world-schooling and beyond.
We have volunteered at a community garden, we have organized walks for Peace, we participated in campaigns to support women rights, Animals rights, indigenous people rights. We have visited National Parks such Yosemite, Lassen, Miur Woods, Redwoods, Sequoia.
We had discovered Darlingtonia in Oregon, the only State park dedicated to preserve California cobra carnivorous plants. We have driven from California to Canada, passing Oregon and Washington. We have driven from San Francisco to Ensenada, Baja Mexico and visited the Chichen Itza ruins in Cancùn.
A round and global education I believe is what Gc has been fortunate to have. No, we don't have money, savings, retirement. We don't owe a home, we are part of the middle class families who rent and contribute taxes for education although our son has been receiving all of his Education from us. I gave up a salary as a professional but never stopped working. So mostly Love is what has taking us on this path of guiding our son unto his education.
We have volunteered at a community garden, we have organized walks for Peace, we participated in campaigns to support women rights, Animals rights, indigenous people rights. We have visited National Parks such Yosemite, Lassen, Miur Woods, Redwoods, Sequoia.
We had discovered Darlingtonia in Oregon, the only State park dedicated to preserve California cobra carnivorous plants. We have driven from California to Canada, passing Oregon and Washington. We have driven from San Francisco to Ensenada, Baja Mexico and visited the Chichen Itza ruins in Cancùn.
A round and global education I believe is what Gc has been fortunate to have. No, we don't have money, savings, retirement. We don't owe a home, we are part of the middle class families who rent and contribute taxes for education although our son has been receiving all of his Education from us. I gave up a salary as a professional but never stopped working. So mostly Love is what has taking us on this path of guiding our son unto his education.
We have observed that Giancarlo’s creative mind arises constantly when studying Science, Math or any subject. His creative ideas little by little stolen by a system of compulsory education that does not see individuals but lineal groups of over 30 kids have been coming out constantly.
In his few months in Kindergarten. the creative, thinker mind of our son was restrained and controlled when he tried to be himself. In school, when you have a mind that uses imagination to paint the palette of colors and not only one color, is not acceptable and you are told that you are not following “rules” which is reason enough to send you to a “thinking chair” as if you have committed a crime for having ideas, imagination, creativity.
Your kid can come out of the classroom crying, frustrated somewhat violent and teachers will ensure you that he is doing fine, nothing to worry about. Teachers will try to make you feel as if you are an “overprotective mom” or " helicopter mom" for wanting to know, for caring, for refusing that what you as mom have shared with your free thinker son will disappear in the hands of the system.
Being a free spirit, having knowledge of your own, in school seemed not acceptable. You are not supposed to know, you are a student who is going to be given all this programmed information and how dare you came prepared for school or ask questions.
In our experience school was not focusing in what the student talents were, in their innate and unique interest, neither focused on what the student already knew. It seemed not to matter as much that each child is different from one another. The focus in school was how well a student could memorize or obey.
School was holding our sons innate desire to share with others what he knew. He was bored, he raised his hand at 5 years old and told the teacher " I am bored" which the school did not take as a guideline to improve or change their ways of schooling, instead they were offended.
School was holding our sons innate desire to share with others what he knew. He was bored, he raised his hand at 5 years old and told the teacher " I am bored" which the school did not take as a guideline to improve or change their ways of schooling, instead they were offended.
How do I know this?Gc did tried school, I went to public school, I have worked at Middle schools and college, I have volunteer at school and ultimately I continued my education to obtain a Masters in Education in a school system.
I can relate to all the beautiful children minds I have met everyday who are not 100% themselves because institutionalized, compulsory schoolization somewhat repressed them.
As Einstein used to say referring to school, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education”.
Learning is a personal process that should not be made into a factory process or lab formula but given individualized.
Learning is a personal process that should not be made into a factory process or lab formula but given individualized.
Seeing our son loving to read, loving words, speaking tons, having a mind of his own, asking questions, not conforming with answers and always continuing to be a seeker; confirm us that 12 years of educating him have been the right choice.
The question “what about socialization?” has been answered by the example of my son being very outspoken, extrovert, every time I got a compliment about how social, kind, good sharing sport he is. He really socialize with kids of all ages, with adults, real world strangers and he is polite beyond what school can teach.
Every time that I have seen my son asked a schooled child “Do you want to play? to receive a cold “NO, I do not know you, or you are not my friend”; We have confirmed that schoolization which sounds more like colonization is not education neither socialization.
Every time that I have seen my son asked a schooled child “Do you want to play? to receive a cold “NO, I do not know you, or you are not my friend”; We have confirmed that schoolization which sounds more like colonization is not education neither socialization.
School did not teach my son to integrate, to be kind to others, to embrace all races ot new friends even if he has never seen them before.
School did not teach him to share with others, to promote peaceful games over violent games allowed in playgrounds and in other families. School did not teach him his first words to write or read. It was us, his parents who took on the responsibility when he asked “mom, teach me, teach me”.
School did not teach him to share with others, to promote peaceful games over violent games allowed in playgrounds and in other families. School did not teach him his first words to write or read. It was us, his parents who took on the responsibility when he asked “mom, teach me, teach me”.
It has been my husband and I who have been teaching him to integrate and embrace everyone around him.
To overcome the many occasions in which kids use prejudice towards or son due to his Latino name or our Spanish speaking background. It has been us teaching him that not all the kids are outspoken like him. Us who have justified kids who have been rude or not really friendly in order that our son did not see that there are cliques, prejudice, exclusivity and many unfriendly people around us.
I wish if I could prevented him from the pains of noticing that the world has so many humans who are not really good at embracing people with different ways of thinking.
Just because we are not part of a school system, we have been
To overcome the many occasions in which kids use prejudice towards or son due to his Latino name or our Spanish speaking background. It has been us teaching him that not all the kids are outspoken like him. Us who have justified kids who have been rude or not really friendly in order that our son did not see that there are cliques, prejudice, exclusivity and many unfriendly people around us.
I wish if I could prevented him from the pains of noticing that the world has so many humans who are not really good at embracing people with different ways of thinking.
Just because we are not part of a school system, we have been
Being a Mom and Educator has been a huge, huge challenge, so intense.
Tons of learning experiences, plenty of disagreements, many frustrating moments, but also one of the greatest, greatest gifts of life.
Every milestone, goal reached, silly moments and infinity memories of traveling that we have shared with our beloved son; recorded forever in our hearts.
©KarlaGMundo2018
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