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MISSION
Exploring ways to disrupt harm-filled tactics and behaviors that show up in education, race, and parenting through liberatory centered approaches. 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 and Cherokee. Q: Does Maleka have children? A: Yes! Two beautiful Black daughters, currently ages 13 & 15 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 throughout this journey who question ways in which we've grown accustomed to learning through exploring the intersections of parenting, education and race. |
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Wish to dig a bit deeper? Here ya go. 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. Decades since my days as a student in the classroom the system proved to be 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 harmful learning and living practices) 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 partnership-based 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 coercion but respect-filled 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 through adulthood. Additionally, I partner with organizations and groups who desire to explore and unpack harmful practices on an institutional and individual level. Through training that centers equity and inclusion, focusing on Black/Brown communities, participants gain practical tools and approaches to Shifting our Practice. 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, groups, and organizations in positive, long-term ways.
For the last six years, Eclectic Learning Network has created and co-designed more than 400 offerings locally and abroad inspired by the voices of its community members. Partnerships have included small businesses and organizations to provide offerings for young people and adults that explore learning beyond the walls of a classroom through unschooling approaches. Concurrently, I am Co-Founder and core member of Philly Children's Movement, curating training’s and workshops in community and schools to "raise up for racial justice" and previous Board of Directors for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education.
Q: What services does ELN provide?
A: All are welcome, but ELN’s focus on Black/Brown families makes us an invaluable resource for families of color and organizations and groups led by or provide support to BIPOC communities. From coaching, facilitation to co-creation, ELN offers a wide selection of services supporting race, education, and parenting through partnership-based and unschooling approaches.
To learn more about ELN offerings, click HERE!
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. Decades since my days as a student in the classroom the system proved to be 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 harmful learning and living practices) 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 partnership-based 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 coercion but respect-filled 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 through adulthood. Additionally, I partner with organizations and groups who desire to explore and unpack harmful practices on an institutional and individual level. Through training that centers equity and inclusion, focusing on Black/Brown communities, participants gain practical tools and approaches to Shifting our Practice. 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, groups, and organizations in positive, long-term ways.
For the last six years, Eclectic Learning Network has created and co-designed more than 400 offerings locally and abroad inspired by the voices of its community members. Partnerships have included small businesses and organizations to provide offerings for young people and adults that explore learning beyond the walls of a classroom through unschooling approaches. Concurrently, I am Co-Founder and core member of Philly Children's Movement, curating training’s and workshops in community and schools to "raise up for racial justice" and previous Board of Directors for the Alliance for Self-Directed Education.
Q: What services does ELN provide?
A: All are welcome, but ELN’s focus on Black/Brown families makes us an invaluable resource for families of color and organizations and groups led by or provide support to BIPOC communities. From coaching, facilitation to co-creation, ELN offers a wide selection of services supporting race, education, and parenting through partnership-based and unschooling approaches.
To learn more about ELN offerings, click HERE!
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