Traditional Learning Community

A Self-Directed Homeschool Center in Catonsville, Maryland

Traditional Learning Community is a self-directed homeschool center for ages 5-18. "Self-Directed Education works because we are biologically designed for it. Throughout essentially all of human history, children educated themselves by exploring, playing, watching and listening to others, and figuring out and pursuing their own goals in life."- Dr. Peter Gray. This is what we do.

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Ready to be a part of something big?

Like Sudbury? Unschooling? Free-range learning? You'll love TLC!

Self Directed Learning is the new way to an old way! It's time to trust our children to learn again. Self-awareness develops ONLY when children have control over their own life experiences, including schooling. Students are assessed only against themselves reflective of their personal gains and accomplishments. (see How to Grow a School) The Traditional Learning Community is one of the trail blazers to a new way of educating our youth that is ironically found in our traditional ancestry.

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We want you!

What's your interest? Do you like to organize? Do you sew? Are you a carpenter? A musician? Are you a writer? We are looking for facilitators and other volunteers for TLC.

These enthusiastic, playful parents/volunteers along with our homeschoolers are the heart of our Traditional Learning Community. They are tasked with daily activities of the TLC. These special members have the honor of being an aid to our members as well as showing and sharing skills, talents and information to the members of our community. Facilitators are dedicated to keeping TLC playful to encourage an ease in learning. Students are a also working members of our community and can be leaders, event planners, participate in or lead non-coercive lessons, establish Guilds, the imagination is the limit!

Contact Amy if you would like to volunteer to share your skills, interests and talents! traditional.learningcommunity@gmail.com

Creativity increases when play is involved

Play offers learning in every subject and is imperative to successful self-directed learning. Community members of all ages are encouraged to play. "The playing adult steps sideways in to another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery." -Erik H. Erikson. Dr. Peter Gray writes in the following in Free to Learn: "Perhaps play would be more respected if we called it something like 'self-motivated practice of life skills,' but that would remove the lightheartedness from it and thereby reduce its effectiveness. So we are stuck with the paradox. We must accept play’s triviality in order to realize its profundity." For more from Dr. Peter Gray, click below.

Benefits of Play

Everyone needs our little TLC!

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Homeschooling Center for students ages 5-18 who want an alternative to conventional schooling

What is the purpose of TLC? The purpose of the Traditional Learning Community is to provide the homeschooling community with a Self-Directed Education Center. The members are learners ages 5-18 and will meet one to three times weekly. Our space offers a gymnasium, teen lounge, movie auditorium, outdoor playground, library resources, art supplies, sewing machine, garden area, several classrooms and more! We are within walking distance to Patapsco State Park for outdoor hiking and exploration. Homeschoolers are allowed to direct their own studies in a non-coercive way with support and encouragement from facilitators. TLC promotes a community that encourages a real, traditional method of learning that empowers students to explore their personal passions, interests, skills, creativity, determination, freedom, play and joy. We are secular and non-partisan. All participants will be expected to honor a community Code of Conduct and follow boundary regulations for the safety and integrity of the Traditional Learning Community. Parents are able to drop off their students.

Come join us! Spaces are limited.