About Us

 

Colleen Mucci:  

Founder of and writer for A Dash of Learning, stay at home toddler mom, wife, and former teacher.  In addition to teaching experience in two countries (The United States and South Korea) I have a Masters of Arts in Teaching and a B.A. in English Literature and Language Studies.  I love creating and sharing fun educational activities for parents and children to share.  I believe in child driven education, rather than parent or teacher directed instruction.

Little M.:

Reading my blog, you will read quite a bit about my rambunctious 2 1/2 year old daughter.  She delights in SpaceX launches and volcanoes.

My Educational Philosophy

"A Dash of Learning" means learning and education is a part of everything we do as purposeful and thoughtful individuals.  Life is an ongoing process of refining our understanding from infancy through old age.  Education is not something to compartmentalize.  It is not something for anyone to confine to an hour or even eight hours a day.  We must challenge ourselves and dare to learn and grow in every moment of our lives.  Every moment has a "Dash of Learning."

We must set the same expectation for our children, as well.  We must believe they can act as both purposeful and thoughtful individuals.  Too many educational models set the teacher (or parent) as both rule giver and truth giver.  In these philosophies, the child passively accepts the knowledge and goals of the adults.  In my career in education, I saw children being punished for their inability to be someone who they were not.  I believe children can act as leaders within their own lives with guidance and support of competent adults.

Education is the natural byproduct of self directed productive action.  Children do not need to be force fed flashcards or facts.  They need to learn for the intrinsic value of knowledge and ability.  This can only occur if children are allowed to peruse their own dreams.  This will look different for every child, therefore education should look different for every child.

I began this blog to document all of the ways my family tries to embody this in our life, work, and play.  I hope that the ideas I share help you too.  I am also eager to hear how you embody this philosophy (or how you disagree).  I am always excited to read your comments or interact with you on social media.

Let's learn together.