Founding Organizer & Facilitator
Sabrina Sharma Mahmood, problem analyst/ solver

The Next Chapter: High School Years (updated July 23, 2023) I am making my current Needs & Impact transparent (as all else on this page) for transparency given my role in the community rather than sharing intimate details about my mind with an unknown audience. 

As my oldest daughter approaches our societal-measured High School years, a mere 4 years away from being designated an "adult" with laws and policies impacting her ability to operate as an adult in our society, a few things around academic education arise.

My Needs as a Parent: 
1. To feel fully present and evolve in direct relation to my daughters.  A keen sense of observation and open communication has been integral to understanding them and staying in heart connection.
2. A sense of ancestral responsibility: passing on the benefit and limiting the harm of previous generations
3. They are able to live a life that supports their well-being sustainably, in my absence.
4. They are able to navigate patriarchial systems while actively dismantling them by action, not avoidance.

The impact of My Needs not Met:
1. I would feel like a negligent parent in regard to their academic education, as it is a skill she wants (and needs) in our society just as much as learning how to cook for sustainable living.
2. I risk a consequence of the probability of "regret."
3. I risk them having narrowed options to possibilities of living a life that supports their well-being.  I value their trust and would err towards widening their options, with their consent, rather than narrowing them.

to be continued...

Original Post-2018

As my daughter approached Kindergarten, I went looking for an elementary school in Houston that was much like her preschool, from the ease of attendance to its foundation of kindness and respect that was in the soul of the school, infused through its director and teachers.  At 20 hours/ week the preschool allowed a life-balance while cultivating a community of children with loving adults at school, and the pleasure of relaxed family time at home. 
 
The unsuccessful search for a similar Kindergarten instead led me to learn about various other education models: homeschooling, unschooling (a form of homeschooling), democratic (free) schools, Liberated Learners, micro-schools, Reggio Emilio, the success of Finland, Agile Learning Centers, Acton Academy, Forrest schools, Waldorf, Montessori education, Project-based learning and more.  
 
I came across influences such as Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille, The Significance of Education by Jiddu Krishnamurti, Free at Last: Sudbury Valley School, Everyday Blessings by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, and Minimalism.  I intersected with mindfulness in a retreat by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 2008, and learned of Nonviolent Communication in 2015.  Mindfulness, as secular with Buddhism roots, and NVC, with heart-consciousness are infused in my essence.  Minimalism could be seen as a tangible outcome of mindful living and informs me in the choice to create an environment that supports my focus on the important few rather than the many distractions of modern life.
 
In the absence of a school that meets my ideals, I moved our family towards homeschooling in 2015.  Homeschooling, like most things in life, is a mixed experience and is sometimes chosen not with intention of going towards the model, but instead of simply trying to move away from the available choices.  We found ourselves struggling as my daughter was reluctant to "show up" for traditional academics in 2nd and 3rd grade, there was always a bike to ride or dog to play with instead. 
 
In January 2019 we left the individual homeschooling mindset for parent-led co-learning environment.  In January 2020, this model shifted to youth-led, interest-driven learning in community where children and adults have equal power and respect.  Of all the education pedagogy, the hybrid of ALC and Liberated Learners models appealed to me the most.  I also taught a few semesters of a senior-level construction management course at the University of Houston (UH) as an Adjunct Lecturer till 2020.  Learnings from the UH experience and connection with students continue to inform and impact HGEC.