What do you want for your child from their education?  The answer to that question is different for each family, but in a recent poll 85% of parents felt that their child’s school should prioritize the development of “durable” skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, adaptability, and responsibility (Ledtke, 2025).  A recent report shows that employers are also looking for employees with problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills (Top Skills Employers Are Looking for in 2025: Problem-Solving, Teamwork, and Communication, 2025).

Our philosophy starts with accepting that because the public education system was designed to produce compliant, literate citizens, it is simply not structured to help children develop the critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and communication skills that parents want and our society today requires.  In fact, it discourages the development of those skills in children.

Our approach to learning, grounded in the principles of self-directed education and self-determination theory, is specifically designed to create an environment where children can learn these skills, develop their talents and interests, and be supported by a community of like-minded peers.

Self-directed education “derives from the self-chosen activities and life experiences of the learner” and is guided by the child’s natural drives of curiosity, playfulness, sociability, and planfulness (What Is Self-Directed Education?, n.d.).

Self-determination theory posits that, “Conditions supporting the individual’s experience of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are argued to foster the most volitional and high quality forms of motivation and engagement for activities, including enhanced performance, persistence, and creativity”  (CSDT, 2025).

At Wayfinders, we provide our learners with opportunities every day to make their own choices with regard to their activities and studies so that they can engage their natural drives and motivate themselves and their peers to develop their competence with topics and activities of interest.  This is how children have learned for thousands of years.

Our learners work and play in small, mixed-age groups that allow them to mentor and learn from their peers.  They believe and feel that they are valued members of a close-knit, supportive community.  They take responsibility to be accountable for their choices and work together to resolve conflicts and make decisions about how their community functions.

Finally, we believe that technology can provide each child with opportunities to participate in individualized instruction.  Utilizing online resources such as IXL and Khan Academy, each child can learn reading and math skills at their own pace.  Our guides assist children as needed and work one-on-one with each child every week to support them in developing their mastery of core concepts.

References

Ledtke, B. (2025, December 16). Fall Polling Finds Parents Value Durable Skills Development in Schools. EdChoice. https://www.edchoice.org/2026-fall-polling-finds-parents-value-durable-skills-development-in-schools/

Top Skills Employers Are Looking for in 2025: Problem-Solving, Teamwork, and Communication. (2025). OITE. https://www.training.nih.gov/oite-careers-blog/top-skills-employers-are-looking-for-in-2025-problem-solving-teamwork-and-communication/

What Is Self-Directed Education? (n.d.). Alliance for Self-Directed Education. https://www.self-directed.org/sde/

CSDT. (2025). Self-Determination Theory. Selfdeterminationtheory.org; Center for Self-Determination Theory. https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/