Heart-Led Learning

💙💜 My cup...and timetable are FULL! 💙💜

I'm so grateful and proud to share that for the first time since venturing into business on my own, my timetable for Term 2 is full 💖

I am so honoured to work with your incredible children every week. Thank you for your ongoing support and positive feedback week to week 🙏

It confirms to me that the big decisions that I made 18 months ago, based on my sacral intuition, were right.

Teaching is my gift! Making learning meaningful is my magic. And I'm so grateful that I get to share both with you
Dee 💚

When you have a neurotypical child, you feel reasonably assured that class participation and decent study habits will result in good grades. These kids have close friends. They get invited to participate in social things like dances and weekend gatherings. They make the teams, auditions, organizations and clubs.

But when you have a child with certain differences, this is often not the case. Learning may take longer, both academically and socially. Despite their tremendous efforts, results are often a fraction of their peers and social acceptance is fleeting, setting them up for painful comparisons and bitter frustration. Instead of a fun and fulfilling experience, school can become a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, and assignments a battle ground at home. It is exhausting for parent and child alike.

This is the week of SPED (Special Education), Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) awareness.

For all the children who struggle every day to succeed in a world that does not recognize their gifts and talents, and for those who are walking beside them, please let this be a gentle reminder to be kind and accepting of ALL people. Recognize that the "playing field" is not always a level surface.

Children who learn differently are not weird. They are merely gifted in ways that our society does not value enough. Yet they want what everyone else wants: To be accepted!!

If you choose, please "copy and paste" (by touching and holding the text) onto your profile in honor of all children who are deemed "different". Our world would be far less beautiful without them.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤

Remember kindness goes a long way!!! In a world where you can be anything…be kind. ♥️

EMBRACE the ABILITY of everyone as individual and unique 💛

My son is 13. In terms of his school experience, he's about where this rainbow currently ends.

As he grows older, I start to see that every little step we take towards building his capacity for learning and self-awareness, is a piece of a much bigger rainbow.

When he was little, and starting out at school, it was so hard to watch him F.A.I.L. All the intervention in the world couldn't help him overcome the overwhelm. And as his mum...I found this incredibly overwhelming.

Some days, it still is.

If he can overcome this struggle, then it may become his greatest achievement.

The path across the rainbow is not all sunshine and colour. Sometimes pure gold looks like poo brown. Sometimes he has to fight dragons and conquer castles to keep on his way.

Point is...he's getting there.
Im going to take a breath and be proud of it ALL 💚🙏

💚 Teacher Brain in in Overdrive! 💚

Oh how I'd love to take a class to see the Lego Relics exhibition at the SA Museum! There are endless learning opportunities here! I have so much admiration for those who create epic stories with Lego...its such an engaging medium on so many levels.

If you have a little one who loves Lego...I highly recommend a visit 😊❤️

🦋 Setting Intentions for Term 2 🦋

"Intentions help us channel our energy into what matters most to us." Tina Chadda.

It's the second week of school holidays here in SA.
Our little people have had a week of rest, and space away from the daily demands of the classroom.

It's a great time to ask them about their intentions for the term ahead. An intention can be thought of as a broad goal.

E.g.

🙏 I will focus on building new friendships.

🙏 I will focus on being more organised with homework.

🙏 I will be brave and ask for help when I need it.

Tip: Pick the right time to have this conversation! Keep it casual and supportive. Model setting your own intentions. I like quiet moments in the car, or over dinner with the family.

I suggest displaying their intentions...perhaps on a vision board, or and incentive chart....and refer back to them regularly as the term progresses 😊

This process helps us to channel our energy into supporting our kids to grow in ways that are important to them.

💚 Dee

🐛 Smooth Transitions '🐛

One of the hardest things for our little people to do, is to move from one 'mode of doing' to another.

Shifting from whole body movement, to sitting still and paying attention, or changing from computer- based learning, to concrete materials, are just two examples of transitions they face daily.

As adults, we often take the ability to transition for granted. It is a complex cognitive skill that young people often need support with. So, when it's time for move from one thing to the next, you could try:

🍎Breathing your way in - Take 5 long, slow, deep breaths to ease your way into learning.

🍎 Playing some music to signal a change.

🍎 Implement a movement break! Have a look at 'Go Noodle' online, or research how to lead 'interoception' practices. They are super easy and help little people learn to listen to their internal cues.

🍎Use a feelings thermometer. How are you feeling about learning this today? Do you feel ready to begin? What could we do to help you prepare for learning?

🍎 Practice mindfulness between 'lessons'.

🍎 Encourage a snack and drink of water through transitions.

💚 Dee x

🌈💜 Openings for Term 2 💜🌈

Happy Holidays!

My intention for Term 2 is to grow the Heart-Led Learning community! I would love to connect with 3 more learners and their families.

💜 Are you homeschooling your children & in need of some individualised support?

💜 Is your child attending school and in need of some additional guidance?

💜 Perhaps you would like someone else to tackle homework & assignments with your children?

I currently have openings Tuesday during the day, or some evenings after 5pm. Also happy to make weekends work for busy families.

-Blackwood
-Belair
-Hawthorndene
- Eden Hills
- Bellevue Heights
- Aberfoyle Park
- Coromandel Valley

💚 Dee

💜 Learning Takes Time 💜

Sometimes it will feel like our child's learning is booming....and at others, it may seem like nothing is sticking. It is normal for young people to move through developmental peaks and troughs.

Deep, meaningful, consolidated learning takes time.

It needs:

🌈 Facilitation
🌸 Personal interest & motivation.
🌼 Time and effort.
🦋 Persistence and resilience when the challenge comes.
🌺 Reflection & redirection as needed.
🙌 Celebration & acknowledgement.

Then....rinse and repeat.
Over and over again.
In every different way!

💜 Term 1 Enrolments are Open Now 💜

🌼 What is Compassionate Tutoring? 🌼

Compassionate tutoring is about seeing the learner for who they are as a person FIRST.

What are their strengths?
What knowledge, skills or experiences do they bring to the space?
What is their preferred learning style?
How are they able to communicate best?
What are their interests and passions?
What lights them up?

From this place of understanding, I can connect with them as human.
They are more than 'student'.
They come with a wealth of experience to enrich potential learning.
I use it to create MEANINGFUL learning opportunities, suited to their individuality.

Classrooms are busy places. Faces get lost in the crowd. Needs are one in a million.
Working with me, young people access the time and attention they need to flourish as learners.

Reach out today and secure a spot for Term 4!
🌼 Dee

💜 How Was Your Week 1? 💜

I've heard the highs and the lows from Mums and Dads this week 🙌 In our house, we navigated lots of challenges, but were appreciating small wins by Friday afternoon.

I came across this brilliant resource for parents this week during my Googling adventures. Inclusive of a podcast series, books and coaching....this offering supports parents of kids and teens with complex behaviours: ADHD, Anxiety and other neurodiversities too.

Check it out @

ImpactParents | ADHD Help For Parents | Parent Training and Coaching Help kids thrive! Game-changing parent coaching & training. Accessible, affordable ADHD help for parents and educators of complex children and teens.

😵‍💫It's Nearly Time! 😵‍💫

💜 Can you believe that 6 weeks of school holidays have almost passed us by?

🧡 How are you feeling about your child's return to a regular learning routine? Maybe you're mourning the sleep-ins already, or maybe you've already got their lunches on ice, ready to ship them out the door at 8:15am sharp on Monday! 😁

💚 How is your child feeling about their return to school? Week 1 of a new school year, whether home, or on-campus, can be really challenging for young people! There are so many unknowns, and just like us, they might have trouble getting their motor going again.

💙 Don't forget that I'm here for you both! Regular sessions kick into gear from Monday the 13th of February. Why not start the year off with the support you both need to flourish?

Reach out and let's make a time to chat xxD

🌲❤️ Merry Christmas ❤️🌲

Thank you for a fun-filled, action packed year of learning at Heart-Led Learning everyone!

I've loved every minute of working alongside your fabulous kids!

I cannot wait to watch them grow even more in 2023 😊

Enjoy a well-earned break with family and friends # #

💜 Let's make space for these assets to flourish 💜

😳 Guilty 😳

❤️ I Love This Resource ❤️

I love the idea of building a personalised thermometer for young people, and keeping it somewhere visible for continual referral.

This is something that might be developed over a few months, alongside some learning about different emotions, the physical sensations that arise when we experience them, and how different activities can help to move those sensations through the body.

Everyone's thermometer is different!
What I need, is not necessarily what you need!

Thats why learner curiosity, engagement and exploration in this process would be vital.

💚 Dee x

👨‍🎓 Let the Learner Lead 👨‍🎓

What do you want to learn about next?
Go-Karting they say! 🏎

High ho, high ho... it's off to plan I go! 💚

🌳 Permission to Rest & Recover 🌳

I dont know about you, but this mumma has needed a minute to catch her breath after the events of the last week in the Adelaide Hills!

There were some big lessons learnt about how reliant we are on technology, for all sorts of things. The convenience of boiling the kettle to make a bottle, the flick of a switch to see, the turn of a tap to decompress in a hot shower when we need it.

On their own, they don't seem like much to work around, but all together they add to our already heavy load as mums.

And if WE are feeling the affects of change, then our little people definitely are too.

So this week, I'm letting a few things go (e.g baskets of washing), climbing back into bed when I need to, eating well, drinking more water AND encouraging my kids to do the same ❤️

Sending a big hug to all the mummas in here who need it. I know you're doing ALL the things! xxD

✊ Here's to the kids who...✊

🌱 Try their hearts out every single day, and yet never make a satisfactory grade at school.

🌱 Have other things happening in their lives that make it 10 x harder to focus on learning.

🌱 Learn differently to the way that is asked of them in a classroom.

🌱 Need longer to absorb learning; to hear it, see it & feel it taught in several different ways before it makes sense.

🌱 Want so much to feel success in learning but come up against a million hurdles.

🌱 Are expected to be empathetic, persistent, resilient learners ahead of their time.

🌱 Carry the burden of being the ones who need to change for school to get better.

✊ They're the ones who truly deserve the kudos.

👀 I see you & I'm here to help!

💚 Dee

💛Gratitude for Community💛

Heart-Led Learning is growing! It fills me with so much happiness to work with a beautiful little community of young people throughout the week. It's just how I imagined it could be!

I have plans for expanding and creating opportunities to bring our community together in 2023, including yoga classes and wellbeing workshops, so stay tuned!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the families who have believed in me and given me an opportunity to support your children's learning. Without you, I'd still be in the dream-it phase!

💚Dee

💜 The Power to Pivot 💜

Probably the most beautiful thing about working with home-school families is the power to pivot.

We're not stuck in any one program, schedule or time frame. We take it one week a time and let the learner lead.

I'm 'unschooling' myself as I learn to say...

💜 "Not liking this? Let's scrap it!"

💜 "Need shorter lessons? Let's do that!"

💜 "Want to try a new learning environment? Sure!"

💜 "Shall we learn at my place or yours?"

Eventually we find out what best suits the individual, and when this happens...everything clicks into place 😊

😂 Funny Friday 😂

You know it girlfriend 🧡

📘 Good Reads! 📘

For anyone interested in learning more about mindset in relation to learner success, Professor Carol Dweck's book 'Mindset' is a great read. It provides us with information about how to shift from a 'fixed' mindset to a 'growth' mindset to unlock our full potential.

🧡 Dee

🧠 Growth vs Fixed Mindset 🧠

Where do you sit on the continuum? Do you shift depending on the task at hand? How do you talk about learning in your household? Does this language support the idea that intelligence is fixed, or capable of growth?

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset ► Please Subscribe to My Channel Here - http://bit.ly/spencervideosMusic from bensound.comResearcher and professor Carol Dweck uses the term “mindset” to des...

🌼 What is Compassionate Tutoring? 🌼

Compassionate tutoring is about seeing the learner for who they are as a person FIRST.

What are their strengths?
What knowledge, skills or experiences do they bring to the space?
What is their preferred learning style?
How are they able to communicate best?
What are their interests and passions?
What lights them up?

From this place of understanding, I can connect with them as human.
They are more than 'student'.
They come with a wealth of experience to enrich potential learning.
I use it to create MEANINGFUL learning opportunities, suited to their individuality.

Classrooms are busy places. Faces get lost in the crowd. Needs are one in a million.
Working with me, young people access the time and attention they need to flourish as learners.

Reach out today and secure a spot for Term 4!
🌼 Dee

💙 Strengths 💙

And really...this is what learning is all about; providing experiences that allow young people to cultivate these qualities for life-long connection & happiness 🙏

💙 The World is my Classroom 💙

Watch this little guy go!
What a legend.
Do you think school is going to fulfill his needs in a couple of years time? 😆

Joe and Bo | Learning to Pedal Summer 2022 I filmed Bo over the summer getting out and about on his bike. He started on a small 10" wheel scoot bike when he was 1, then we got him a bigger 12" wheel s...

💜 Happy Last Day of Term 💜

Parents and kids rejoice! It's time for lazy days spent in pjs, eating breakfast at noon and unlimited screen time. Embrace the sunshine and enjoy your holidays...I'm sure you've earned it ❤

I love this idea for a daily holiday activity 👇 Maybe pair it with some scrap booking or journaling too 😊

XDee

🏠 Home School Learning Support 🏠

I take my hat off to the families who decide to facilitate learning from home. You know your children and you aren't afraid to do what's best for them 🙌

There are many ways that I can support you to deliver quality learning experiences to your children:

⭐️ by designing units of learning based on your child's interests & strengths. I can create all of the resources needed to complete each unit too!
⭐️by delivering teaching and learning opportunities, in-person or online.
⭐️by helping them to plan and action passion projects.
⭐️ by supporting them to complete other weekly work prepared by you, or set by another provider.

Every family is different in terms of what they value in education for their children. So, please reach out, and let's have a chat about what might work best for you 🙂

Dee 🧡

🌟 School Support 🌟

Did you know that I offer a range of services to support students who are attending school?

⭐️ In person or online tutoring to support the consolidation of skills taught in the classroom. (In person location is Hawthorndene SA 5051)
⭐️ Weekly homework support.
⭐️ Lessons in developing personal organisation skills.
⭐️ Support in preparing for high school transition...
..as well as consultations for families who are needing advice.

Does any of this sound useful to you?
Reach out to me today and let's make a time to chat 🙂
Dee 🧡