I Am Malala, Young Readers Edition: A Book Club

My name is Carie Beth Russell.  I live in the Kansas City area with my husband, two daughters and two cats.  I am a former elementary teacher and gifted education specialist.  I have been “home” since my second daughter was born, but have remained active in the field of education by teaching educational summer camps out of my home, tutoring and teaching at a homeschool enrichment program. 

My professional priorities center around student-led learning.  It’s my strong conviction that supporting children as they learn, rather than dictating how and what they learn, is the way to encourage their inborn patterns of curiosity, wonder and problem-solving that will serve them well in all stages of being human.  

While my own children attend public school, we very much view education as something we own and must take personal responsibility for.  We work hard at educational advocacy within the public school context.  I teach my daughters to communicate with their teachers, ask for what they need and request amended or extended: depth, duration and scope of projects, units, skills and personal areas of interest.  

Gifted Education services often provide these things for students who have been identified as such, but these standards and the definition of “giftedness” vary from state to state, based generally on funding, and doesn’t allow for many students to qualify.  This leaves an enormous group of students who have “need of different” but no access to a more open-ended and curiosity-led education.  

Out School, and other platforms like it, allow students who are enrolled in public schools to adapt their learning modalities and pursue interests and learning pathways that intrigue their own very unique minds.  This is great, but certainly not financially accessible to all.  Teaching students to participate in Independent Study, in its various formats, allows them to continue on in their own investigations of an amazing planet and human experience, studying past, present and future as they forge their own path.  

*All class times are approximate. Class length varies based on student ability and number of enrolled learners. Classes are designed so that they will not run longer than the time allotted.*

*Late/Missed Class Policy* All courses will begin on time as long as one learner is in the classroom. In the event that no students are in the classroom at the assigned class time, the teacher will leave a message on the discussion board and exit after 10 min. Class recordings are available upon request.