On An Island Off the Coast of Florida

When the four of us were 20-something teachers we embarked on a road trip to an island off the coast of Florida. After fighting wild boars at night, scurrying past alligators, and seeing matinees pull their graceful bodies through warm Florida coast waters we began the ultimate adventure of our lives: having children.


This blog is about two families and our adventures raising children in a new age of learning.When "we" (parents 30 or older) were growing up teachers lectured, had us fill out work sheets, and looked upon teachers as experts of knowledge. Our own children are growing up in an interesting time in the history of the United States especially as we consider ways in which children learn and are educated. Education in the United States is at a cross roads: China and India are educating a their students at a rate which creates a competitive marketplace for higher education opportunities and careers. Other countries such as Finland, Australia, Singapore and Canada make advances in international standardized test score data which show that the students in the United States are lower performing.

As parents, no matter what standardized test scores are shown to us or other countries become middle class competitors, we are uniquely positioned to guide our children through the education system. On this journey we can make decisions for our children which will help them achieve their dreams. We have an amazing opportunity to shape characteristics such as caring, creativity, inquisitiveness, passion, grit, and tenacity. We can raise children who not only compete in the knowledge economy, but are stewards of the world and learning as products of their journey through our education system. As parents we will make mistakes in how we raise our children and those failures are documented here.

Our children:

Drew- currently five years old and getting ready to enter into kindergarten (K) this upcoming fall. Drew loves anything on an IPad, legos, Tball, and reading. He wants to solve problems that are safe and will rarely take risks.

Cole- He is an almost 5 year old kid ready for the world of school.  He loves to learn and is excited to start kindergarten in the fall.  An avid baseball fan, Cole can often be found pretending to be his favorite teams (Tigers and Blue Jays).  He is still learning how to live with his little sister.

Jack- Jack is an outgoing second child. He is 3 years old and will be in pre school for two more years. He is a risk taker, still needs a mid day nap, and love to play sports. He is oddly shy of loud noises, silly, and loves to creep in bed with us around 4 am. 

Aubrey- She is a fun loving 13 month old girl who is starting to discover the world (especially on tops of tables and chairs).  Waking up in the morning, she is instantly searching for her brother "coco." She is already demonstrating a strong will and is motivated to get her way...we can only wait for her teenage years.






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