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MISSION
A secular, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) centered network; dedicated to providing resources, trainings, and workshops to families and learning spaces that shift ways toward learning as a lifestyle and partnership-based relationships. Before we dig a bit, let’s address the standard questions. Q: Who is the founder of Eclectic Learning Network? A: That’s me, Maleka Diggs. Q: Is ELN a Black-owned business? A: Most definitely! I am Black Women in the form of an Afro-Vincentian... Vincy and proud!!! Q: Does Maleka have children? A: Yes! Two beautiful Black daughters, currently ages 12 & 14 and they have never attended brick-n-mortar school. Q: What prompted the start of Eclectic Learning Network? A: Inspired by my daughters and others I have encountered throughout this journey who question the ways in which we define and exploring learning, parenting, and connecting with others. |
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Wish to dig a bit deeper? Here ya go.
School for people of color; specifically black young people is a systematic welcome wagon of oppression. Being all too familiar with the structure and challenges of attending public school, the wave in the distance preparing to greet my daughters was enough to give me pause.
A little deeper...
I should have come full stop, but the idea of being 100% responsible and accountable for my daughters’ academic success was terrifying! Sometimes the most powerful moments manifest when you feel powerless. Going against my own intuition, I attempted to enroll my oldest daughter into public school. Gaining access for my daughter to get a seat in the classroom was disrupted due to the oppressive, marginalizing, and devaluing behavior I experienced from the school principal. As a product of the same system, paired with the trajectory of the current compulsory education climate, that day was the final nail in coffin. Though I had no idea how to start this process, the unknown was more appealing than the known.
After two years of cyber school, it was clear that the only difference between this and a brick-n-mortar school was its location. Overcrowded virtual classrooms, benchmark driven instruction, intentionally gapped history lessons, overwhelming bias and teaching the to test. [insert kiss teet here]…
Deeper still...
Transitioning to a “school-at-home” model was eye opening. This method uncovered how deeply my own conditioning regarding how learning happens impacted my daughters. Over a decade since my days as a student in the classroom and the system was a well-oiled and self-sustaining machine burnt into the recesses of my conscious and unconscious; marionette to the system.
A natural learner myself, all that was left was to let go. But unschooling? Initially, the term was off putting, but unschooling created an opening to acknowledge and take steps toward my own liberation. School is not synonymous with learning and when children are genuinely interested, the joys of learning unfold.
Deschooling (the process of de-conditioning learning practices from formal educational settings) continues to play a pivotal role in the learning process. To fully engage this work, shedding the layers of my own conditioning had to take center stage. “It’s not you, it’s me.” This popular sentiment is typically viewed less than savory in response to strained relationships but in this case, it couldn’t be further from the truth. For me to fully engage respectful parenting and unschooling, including myself in the equation as a learner was a game changer. Conversations were no longer from a space of indoctrination or coersion but partnership-based communication with real dialogue.
Now, I am offering my eclectic experiences and knowledge to adults and young people who are committed to exploring how colonized and schoolish mindsets impact the ways in which we engage learning from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, I collaborate with learning institutions ti individuals as an advocate, and facilitator of training sessions and discussion that center equity and inclusion with a focus on Black/Brown communities. I ovastand (Caribbean twang) that some families may prefer to enroll their young people in a formal educational setting or feel they do not have a choice. Regardless of the method, all young people deserve to share in spaces that are built on trust, respect, and freedom. My work is in providing support through workshops, training's and resources centered on liberation through building relationships that empower, inspire, and create actions that impact families and spaces in positive, long-term ways.
For the last five years, Eclectic Learning Network has created more than 300 offerings to the Philadelphia community inspired by the voices of its community members. Collaborations have included partnering with small businesses and organizations to create offerings for young people and adults that explore learning beyond the walls of a classroom with an unschooling approach. Concurrently, I am Co-Founder and core member of Philly Children's Movement curating training’s and workshops in community and schools to "rise up for racial justice" and as of 2019, member of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education, Board of Directors.
Q: What services does ELN provide?
A: All are welcome, but ELN’s focus on Black/Brown families makes us a particularly valuable resource for families of color.
Individual & Group Consultations
A little deeper...
I should have come full stop, but the idea of being 100% responsible and accountable for my daughters’ academic success was terrifying! Sometimes the most powerful moments manifest when you feel powerless. Going against my own intuition, I attempted to enroll my oldest daughter into public school. Gaining access for my daughter to get a seat in the classroom was disrupted due to the oppressive, marginalizing, and devaluing behavior I experienced from the school principal. As a product of the same system, paired with the trajectory of the current compulsory education climate, that day was the final nail in coffin. Though I had no idea how to start this process, the unknown was more appealing than the known.
After two years of cyber school, it was clear that the only difference between this and a brick-n-mortar school was its location. Overcrowded virtual classrooms, benchmark driven instruction, intentionally gapped history lessons, overwhelming bias and teaching the to test. [insert kiss teet here]…
Deeper still...
Transitioning to a “school-at-home” model was eye opening. This method uncovered how deeply my own conditioning regarding how learning happens impacted my daughters. Over a decade since my days as a student in the classroom and the system was a well-oiled and self-sustaining machine burnt into the recesses of my conscious and unconscious; marionette to the system.
A natural learner myself, all that was left was to let go. But unschooling? Initially, the term was off putting, but unschooling created an opening to acknowledge and take steps toward my own liberation. School is not synonymous with learning and when children are genuinely interested, the joys of learning unfold.
Deschooling (the process of de-conditioning learning practices from formal educational settings) continues to play a pivotal role in the learning process. To fully engage this work, shedding the layers of my own conditioning had to take center stage. “It’s not you, it’s me.” This popular sentiment is typically viewed less than savory in response to strained relationships but in this case, it couldn’t be further from the truth. For me to fully engage respectful parenting and unschooling, including myself in the equation as a learner was a game changer. Conversations were no longer from a space of indoctrination or coersion but partnership-based communication with real dialogue.
Now, I am offering my eclectic experiences and knowledge to adults and young people who are committed to exploring how colonized and schoolish mindsets impact the ways in which we engage learning from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, I collaborate with learning institutions ti individuals as an advocate, and facilitator of training sessions and discussion that center equity and inclusion with a focus on Black/Brown communities. I ovastand (Caribbean twang) that some families may prefer to enroll their young people in a formal educational setting or feel they do not have a choice. Regardless of the method, all young people deserve to share in spaces that are built on trust, respect, and freedom. My work is in providing support through workshops, training's and resources centered on liberation through building relationships that empower, inspire, and create actions that impact families and spaces in positive, long-term ways.
For the last five years, Eclectic Learning Network has created more than 300 offerings to the Philadelphia community inspired by the voices of its community members. Collaborations have included partnering with small businesses and organizations to create offerings for young people and adults that explore learning beyond the walls of a classroom with an unschooling approach. Concurrently, I am Co-Founder and core member of Philly Children's Movement curating training’s and workshops in community and schools to "rise up for racial justice" and as of 2019, member of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education, Board of Directors.
Q: What services does ELN provide?
A: All are welcome, but ELN’s focus on Black/Brown families makes us a particularly valuable resource for families of color.
Individual & Group Consultations
- Youth & Adult Programs, Workshops, and Retreats
- Speaking Events and Conferences
- Racial Equity and Inclusion
- Implicit Bias
- Classroom Readiness
- Listening Sessions
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