Getting to Know Each Child Individually: Five Questions with Freestyle Learning's LaTrece Thomas

I am LaTrece Thomas, founder of Freestyle Learning Center in Park Forest, Illinois. We are a microschool that focuses on the whole child. I am a strong advocate for building strong connections between families and our microschool in a way that positively impacts our students.

Freestyle Learning offers an unconventional approach to education that empowers learners to take control of their education. We combine standard-based learning with objective-based learning. We believe that no curriculum is a one size fits all and pride ourselves on differentiated instruction for our students. We serve families with children from pre-K through 12th grade. We nurture a child's love for learning and reignite their flame for learning and growing that may have been suffocated in the traditional school system. We also offer Standardized Testing upon parents' request.

What is one unique (or uncommon) feature of your microschool experience your learners and families tell you they especially value?

We start our day every morning with “How are you today?” I would often have to start the conversation at the beginning of the school year. Within a month or so student are usually excited to share. We talk about everything from what happened when they went home to things that may have happened that morning. I have had extremely shy students write notes for me and read them out loud to the class. I didn’t mind, because the important thing was, they had an opportunity to share. Maybe one of my kids had an awful morning before they arrived. Being able to talk about it could prevent them from having a bad rest of the day.  We listen to each other, and we get to know each other more intimately. 

Another attribute that we pride ourselves on is allowing kids to learn in the way that best suits them. We love academics, which are very important, but there is much more to life. At Freestyle Learning, we work on the whole child, doing our best to give them the tools they need to grow mentally, physically, spiritually, and academically.

What is one favorite aspect of your work that would have been especially difficult to deliver in traditional school settings?

My favorite part of our work is respecting every child’s strengths and weaknesses and teaching the other kids to respect each other. That’s what I love so much -- teaching kids that they should not have a problem based on who and how they are. I’ve said that so much to kids that they understand it. If you have a problem with how someone does what they do, that is your problem, not theirs.

At Freestyle Learning, many aspects of our program -- our flexible seating arrangements, holistic aromas, and brain-boosting techniques -- give each learner a comfort that traditional schools may not offer.

Share a story about what success looks like in your microschool.

I can think of one boy - whose parents were concerned because he did not recognize all of his alphabet and phonics. This child loved Legos. I wrote an alphabet on each Lego. And while building with the lego, we would address the legos by the alphabet on each one. For example, if I needed a red lego with the letter A, I would ask, “Could you hand me that red ‘A’?” I made it fun for him; many times, we would have entire communities before we were done building. 

Within a week,  he started to answer questions about the alphabet during circle time. He was so excited. It worked because I allowed him to learn the way that was best for him. We devise ways to allow children to learn in a way that’s comfortable for them. Sometimes that takes being creative and thinking outside the box.

Success to me looks like when a child transitions away from Freestyle Learning Center; well, maybe they’ve gone on to high school or college, and they are academically secure, confident in who they are, bold enough to try, and brave enough to make a mistake. 

When I homeschooled, all of the fears of homeschooling were thrown at me. Each one of my children did very well they are all married. My son is a published Author. He also teaches writing classes to our Jr. High schoolers. One of my daughters has a degree and works full-time at FreeStyle Learning Center. My other daughter is an entrepreneur. 

Success for me is not based on test scores – you can train yourself to test.

I define success as taking and applying what you have learned in the real world. Students deserve a tailored schooling experience to meet their individual needs to empower them to learn independently. That will help them to transition well.

What is one piece of advice you give new microschool founders?

One of the big things that I would tell them is that I believe deeply that parents should have a say in what their kids learn and how they learn. I want to put responsibility for education back in the hands of parents. And to put educators back into the place of supporting parents. Develop a partnership with parents.

Please describe one facet of your microschool’s experience that you’d like people to think of when your microschool comes up in conversation.

I’d like families to think that their child is not only thriving academically but that they thrive socially and emotionally, spiritually and physically. We do not allow students to be defined by a label. We do not want students to feel they have to change who they are to fit in. We learn to respect each other so well all can fit together like a puzzle.