Who we are
Welcome to OLEA Evolved Homeschool!
OLEA stands for Our Liberal Education Approach which has evolved and is constantly evolving as my scholars and I develop physically, emotionally, neurologically, and spiritually. As much as this site is dedicated mainly to my scholar’s learning progress and development, it also addresses the journey of the parent teacher/mentor and the choices we make, how we handle challenging situations, and attempt to create a delicate balance of self-directed and structured learning. While each homeschool setting is unique to itself, the views and opinions I share are mine alone and have been influenced by personal and shared experiences in the homeschool community and in our personal journey.
WHY OLEA?
OLEA is translated from Latin to olive; Greek to olive berry or olive tree.
What does OLEA represent?
Peace & Reconciliation: The olive tree is a powerful symbol of peace, often associated with harmony and understanding in human connections.
Abundance & Prosperity: It represents abundance, hope, and encourages personal growth.
Strength & Endurance: The olive tree’s deep roots and ability to thrive in harsh conditions symbolizes resilience and vitality.
Healing & Purity: Olive oil, derived from the tree, is often associate with healing and purity, supporting both physical and emotional well-being.
Knowledge that is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. ~Plato
The 7 Tenets of OLEA Evolved Homeschool
Curiosity: We encourage our scholars to be curious about the world around them and ask questions. Sometimes, one topic can lead to another topic, and we encourage exploration without boundaries for a more holistic approach to learning.
Creativity: We believe in providing diverse opportunities to channel our scholars’ creativity: whether it’s make-believe, learning new games, playing sports, designing artwork with textiles, jewelry, woodwork, 3D art, picture study, painting, drawing, cooking, nature, and paper crafts. The options are endless!
Culture: We believe in exposing scholars to different cultures and also sharing their own culture with others. Our scholars are encouraged to learn about their local community and communities abroad in order to find commonality in humanity, practice and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Connection: We encourage our scholars to develop meaningful connections based on interests and values of kindness and acceptance. We also focus on the importance of connecting ideas and the fact that everything is connected in the world we live in. More often than not, we will begin a discussion or topic study and end up discussing something completely different and unrelated. We believe in allowing for open discussion and asking questions, making connections helps our scholars form their values and develop their understanding of what is true, what is just, and what is good.
Collaboration: We believe homeschooling is not an individual effort. Therefore, we believe in collaboration with others, whether it’s pods, co-ops, meetups, park dates, playdates, and field trips. We also encourage our scholars to collaborate with their peers if they wish to create, compete, or simply play and explore.
Character: Character is learned and practiced through experience, challenges, and successes. Our scholars are encouraged to navigate conflict, failures, challenges, and successes through self-reflection, practicing mindfulness, compassion and kindness for themselves and for others, in an effort to maintain trust and integrity.
Courage: We encourage our scholars to use their voices and to meet challenges and frustrations with courage, while maintaining dignity for self and for others. We encourage our scholars to ask for help and support when they feel ill-equipped to handle a task, project, or responsibility on their own. This, too, requires courage, and we believe it’s important to be present and show our scholars that their voice matters.