We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Monica Kelly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

What would you change about the educational system? How can we prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

My career background is that of an educator. I have taught in many different capacities. I have taught in the public school setting, private school setting, K-12, teacher credentialing programs, homeschooling my own children as well as others, and consulting and facilitating for homeschool families.

My philosophy as a teacher holds true to both children in traditional school settings as well as homeschool settings. A learner should be engaged and curious. A teacher should provide opportunities for a child to explore passions and explore themselves as learners and as growing individuals. A teacher should promote self advocacy and create an atmosphere for students to become problem solvers and critical thinkers. Ultimately, children should grow into self-directed learners. This does not mean that children teach themselves. It means that they know themselves as learners (what their strengths are and what their areas of need are). They should know how to find resources to help them grow and follow their interests and passions while gaining necessary skills to function in society.

As I am stepping back into a partial role as a visiting teacher, I am bombarded with a reality that is very sad. I stepped into this role, number one because there is a shortage of visiting teachers in our district (the second largest district in CA) and number two, I like to make sure I keep up on what is going on in the public school classroom, as I am educating soon to be teachers. I am seeing children dis-engaged, disrespectful, full of energy that they do not know what to do with. Computers have become the teachers / and or babysitters. Apathy has become commonplace. The phrase “I don’t know” and “why does it matter” crop up when asked to problem solve. The “easy way out” is the mantra to many children. While I know that the pandemic did take a toll on many children in this regard, I do think that I noticed this even before.

So, the question of what would I change about the educational system and how can we prepare students for a fulfilling life and career, can be tricky to answer. I guess it comes back to my own teaching philosophy. I think that the education system needs to stop being a “system” that dictates what, how, and when learning takes place for children. The system needs to empower educators to make decisions that are best for their children in their classroom. We talk about “one size fits all” not working for our students, but I still see the “one size fits all” mentality in the education system. Teaching to the test has been also seen as not beneficial for our children, yet I still see teaching to the test. I think that creating student centered classrooms that empower children to know themselves as learners. I think that allowing teachers to explore curriculum that works for their particular group of students. I think creating classrooms that are safe and nurturing and really acknowledging the social emotional needs of our children. I think that the education system needs to go from “top down” leadership to empowering our teachers to be the “experts” in their own classroom.

Above all, I want to see our children rise to their potential and be treated like they are our future, because they are!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

MY STORY: My name is Monica Lynn Kelly. I have 20 plus years of successful experience in teaching, curriculum development and support of new teachers in various communities and at various grade levels. These communities include both the military and civilian sectors as well as in Central America. Grade levels include elementary, secondary, and graduate.

I homeschool my children as well. I currently am an adjunct faculty member, teaching courses for teacher preparation and Master’s programs at National University and University of Phoenix. I am an educational facilitator for Dimensions Charter School.

I consult with families that are considering homeschooling and want to find the best program / path for their child. I also teach supplemental classes for younger students via Outschool. These are classes that I designed for my daughter at some point and want to extend the gift of her learning thru these classes. I offer History thru the eyes of American Girl Dolls and Young Ocean Explorers.

My story begins with the “nagging” desire to homeschool my children. I was excited to have them in school so that I could actually get work done during normal hours. The “nagging” continued and after dropping my son off at school, my husband and I begin to realize that I could give our children life experiences that would outmatch a classroom. So, homeschool we did and have done ever since. My children are 16 and 18. Experiential learning was our focus and our goal for them k-5, was to instill a love for reading and a curiosity for learning. We accomplished that. Our goal for middle and high school was to create independent self-directed learners who have a vision of what their education should look like. We are in the middle of shaping that.

One of our “experiential learning” experiences was a two year adventure in Costa Rica where I have had the opportunity to get back into the classroom as an English /Science teacher, develop courses for students coming in from the states for short term learning, and develop a curriculum map for both years of our stay.

Here in San Diego, my husband is a math resource coach for the San Diego Unified School District. This keeps us both communicating about education and collaborating on the newest research.

While our hearts are in Costa Rica, living in San Diego, California has proven to be a well-rounded adventurous place for our family that allows us to pursue our dream of traveling and returning to Costa Rica for summers and homeschool “month long field trips.”

I wanted to offer all of what I have learned with homeschooling my children and to offer other families my tips for simple living. Therefore, Simple Solutions by Monica came about.

MY BUSINESS
My services:
curriculum planning: I design curriculum maps for the school year, with whatever topics and grade level that a client chooses. I integrate skills, writing, fieldtrips, recommended literature support and recommended resources (example, text-support).

custom course description: I can design a semester long course that fits the needs and interests of a particular student.

educational facilitator:
* support and direction with curriculum and resources
* support with individual planning and time management (weekly schedules) via shared google docs.
* bi-weekly parent check-ins (via e-mail) to make sure your student is on track
* a safe and nurturing study group environment for your teen to come and work with individually and/or with peers and for accountability check-ins
* support and guidance for parents /opportunity for parent meetings

short term vacation/ school planning
For families thinking of a two or three week vacation, but are nervous about pulling your child out of school. They do not want them to fall behind. Maybe the teacher or teachers (depending), give make-up work, but they may leave it up to the parent(which is more beneficial). It might seem daunting to figure out how to integrate a vacation with school back home. This can also be done for homeschoolers as well. This happens to be my gift!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think that I am still learning how to grow my market, but I think that my reputation is built on being able to really listen to my families that I support. I also try to get to know my learners, their passions, goals, gifts, and challenges. Because I am passionate about learning and creating learning experiences based on learner interests, needs, etc. I bring excitement and therefore inspire curiosity and sparks in my learners. When parents see this, they are committed to have me support their child through their education journey.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I think for my line of business, it is word of mouth. I also began teaching supplemental classes and tutoring using an online platform. This has been a great way to get my name out there as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: myglobalhomeschoolconsultant.com

Image Credits
These are my own images and any students that are represented, I have permission to show them.