Encourage Education Services

09/04/2026

"As parents, we’re often choosing among imperfect options and trying to figure out whether a path is working while we are still walking it."

Although this was written about twice-exceptional kids (gifted and autistic), the article is useful for anyone choosing an unconventional path.

I have worked with many twice-exceptional students whose journeys look nothing like what their families originally imagined. I’m also the parent of 2e kids, so I know this winding path from both sides.Why Twice-Exceptional Learners Often Take a Different PathWe can spend years searching for the ri...

09/03/2026

I'm dying laughing at all the reasons I'm dying! 😆

09/03/2026

This article made me think not only about colonialism and racism in schools, but also about who has what rights in the learning environment. (More below the quote.)

"Learning how to not-learn is an intellectual and social challenge; sometimes you have to work very hard at it. It consists of an active, often ingenious, willful rejection of even the most compassionate and well-designed teaching. It subverts attempts at remediation as much as it rejects learning in the first place. It was through insight into my own not-learning that I began to understand the inner world of students who chose to not-learn what I wanted to teach. Over the years I’ve come to side with them in their refusal to be molded by a hostile society and have come to look upon not-learning as positive and healthy in many situations."

As I read the article, I thought about:

> Who has the right to determine the "correct" things someone must learn?
> Who has the right to declare that someone has "failed" to learn?
> Who is accountable when a teaching method fails (surely not the student!)?

Yet our schools presume easy answers to these questions. These determinations are made by adults—often politicians and testing companies, not even teachers.

>> What if a student can learn perfectly well, just not what we want them to learn or how we want them to learn? In our current system, there are no options for that student.

Years ago, one of my fifth-grade students told me that his grandfather Wilfredo wouldn’t learn to speak English. He said that no matter how hard you tried to teach him, […]

09/02/2026

"If you're looking for a class that gives you a chance to matter, you found it."
- Alex Campbell

Mr. Campbell is a high school sociology teacher in Tennessee who wants his students to experience real-world learning. Back in 2018, he started having his students work on a cold case from the 1980s known as "The Redhead Murders." The documentary "Murder 101" follows a recent class as they continue the investigation, including interacting with survivors and investigators. The subject matter is not for everyone, but if you can tolerate it, I recommend watching this to see what these young people are capable of.

More information and trailer:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39163341/?_ssoLoop=1&newac=true

09/01/2026

SURVEY ON DISABILITY POLICY!!

To complete the survey, find the language below on the website (link at the end of the text). There is a white button that reads "Participate in the Centering Disability Leadership in G20 Policymaking Survey (Will Open in a New Tab)." Click that button to access the survey.

Text from website:

Centering Disability Leadership in G20 Policymaking Survey

The Disability 20 (D20) is committed to ensuring that the voices, priorities, and lived experiences of persons with disabilities directly shape the recommendations submitted to the G20. To support this goal, the D20 Steering Group has launched a global survey, developed using the Alchemer platform, to gather insights from individuals with disabilities and organizations led by persons with disabilities (DPOs).

This survey is open to participants across all G20 countries and regions, as well as global disability advocates whose expertise informs international policy.

The survey is designed to:

Identify the most pressing barriers persons with disabilities face across economic, social, and technological systems
Gather recommendations for solutions aligned with the CRPD and SDGs
Ensure that D20 policy proposals reflect diverse disability communities, including those historically underrepresented
Strengthen the evidence base for the D20’s 2026 policy recommendations
Support continuity and global alignment as the D20 transitions to the United Kingdom for the 2027 G20 Presidency
This is a key mechanism for ensuring that the D20 remains disability-led, globally representative, and grounded in real-world experience.

Participants will be invited to share input on:

Removing Regulatory Burdens - Barriers in public systems, administrative processes, and regulatory frameworks that limit full participation.
Affordable & Secure Energy Supply Chains - How energy access, affordability, and resilience impact persons with disabilities.
Inclusive AI & Emerging Technologies - Opportunities and risks related to AI, digital systems, and emerging technologies.
Cross-Cutting Themes - Accessibility, gender, youth, and data core elements that shape equitable policy.
Survey responses will directly inform:

Draft D20 recommendations released throughout 2026
Final recommendations submitted to G20 leaders
UN COSP side event discussions on 11 June 2026
Engagement with other G20 groups (C20, W20, Y20, B20, L20)
Briefings, reports, and public materials produced by the D20
All input will be synthesized into anonymized thematic summaries. No identifying information will be shared without consent.

We encourage participation from:

Individuals with disabilities
Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs)
Youth-led disability groups
Organizations representing multiply marginalized disability communities
Researchers, advocates, and practitioners with disability-related expertise
Your insights are essential to shaping a more inclusive global agenda.

https://wid.org/disability-20-d20-advancing-disability-inclusion-across-the-g20/

08/31/2026

I discovered I have trouble reading on a screen. I bought a Kindle hoping to stop accumulating paper books — they are heavy and take up space. However, I found that I couldn't engage with the book in the same way on a screen. With paper books, I have a sense of where I saw something in the book. I can often find it again, even if I don't highlight it. When I read on a screen, I highlight, but I don't have a sense of where I am in the book. I know the page and percentage read can be displayed, but it just doesn't feel the same to me. How about you? Do you prefer screen or paper?

08/30/2026

The is almost here! The International Democratic Education Conference is coming up September 11-13. Get your tickets at www.idec2026.org.

Hosted by .

08/27/2026

08/25/2026

Looking for providers for a child who is struggling?

Whole Child Guide helps you find people who see your child fully, and support their growth with care and respect.

The guide lists providers like me, who support the whole child - emotional, sensory, social, cognitive, behavioral, and physical.

This post will help you learn how to use the Whole Child Guide.

https://wholechildguide.com/how-to-use-whole-child-guide-a-resource-for-parents/

You can see my listing here:

https://wholechildguide.com/listing/encourage-education-services/

In this blog post, we are covering How parents can use the whole child guide. Your child is not defined by a single milestone or challenge. The whole child approach looks at development through multiple lenses. That includes development of all areas such as emotional, sensory, social, cognitive, beh...