The Compass & Rose Learning Collective Offers a Home-Like Learning Space
Joanna Holmes has always had a passion for education, which has included empowering other parents in her community to embrace teaching their own children. Through The Compass & Rose Learning Collective, a home-based tutoring option, Holmes has created a part-time learning space for parents wanting to provide personalized instruction for their children in a calm space away from home, which gives the feeling of just like being at home.
Along with being a licensed teacher and having 25 years of experience in education, Holmes also homeschooled her children for several years. Many of the services she offers are based on needs she had while home educating her children.
“When we homeschooled, I diligently looked to improve my ‘limited structure’ schedule so that I could go to a doctor’s appointment, serve in my community, and spend time with my spouse or friends. Having space for balance and boundaries would have improved every area of my life. Also, having an experienced educator nearby would have gone some way toward mentoring/coaching and inspiring me during those new and somewhat confusing five-to-eight-year-old parent years,” said Ms. Holmes. “I considered families who are using a differing and increasingly more common path for education in our region. I wanted to make a reasonably priced, safe, and calm space available for in-depth tutoring and enrichment. After praying and thinking about it, I could not wrench myself free from this beautifully, divinely inspired concept.”
From there, The Compass & Rose Learning Collective was established.
“I named my program The Compass & Rose Learning Collective because I want people to have beauty and direction in the life they live! I want my program to be a tool to bring more harmony to families so that they can continue to prioritize loving and caring for each other in the season they are in,” said Ms. Holmes. “I work with my husband who is able to provide the financial underwriting for this program, all of these pieces point toward a greater purpose for this season in my life and families in our community.”
Her approach is student-centered from the learning activities they do all the way to even giving them the opportunity of choosing what they eat for lunch.
“Giving agency to children allows them to further build self-esteem and critical reasoning skills. A child sees these tasks and thinks, ‘I did that!’ They look around and ask, ‘What else can I do?’ In a village of adults, they notice that across the spectrum, they have what it takes to make amazing things, and to keep growing. This really builds self-esteem, which is foundational to human flourishing,” said Ms. Homes.
Although Ms. Holmes is a licensed teacher, she does admit a license is not needed for a parent educator who is engaged in their child’s learning and continues to advance their knowledge as their child also grows in their education. As a professional educator, her license is an asset to the services she offers families.
“For me, it means that I have a track record of over two decades of professional and empathetic caregiving for families. I can decide which manipulative or reading strategy has been most effective over the last 10 years. I know where to find new research on the Science of Reading or well-known voices like Tim Razinski,” said Ms. Holmes. “The license reminds me to be as professional and caring as possible when working with families, and that there are real consequences if these best practices are not followed.”
Holmes’ professional experience has also enabled her to identify gaps in traditional and homeschool learning.
“In many of these places, students are taught steps on how to solve problems, but they are not often taught why the solution should be a certain number. The emphasis on why an answer is something is a main driver for the way that I teach mathematics. In reading, having a wide variety of literature is a priority for me as well,” said Ms. Holmes.
She encourages parents to promote reading from a wide variety of voices, and about various spaces as well as experiences, which she believes allows students to grow their perspectives of the world. Ms. Holmes considers her teaching role as a partnership with parents in their child’s education.
“I like to give feedback on academic and relational joys. Whether we drew eyelashes on counting money, or I heard a thank you without prompting, I really enjoy communicating these anecdotes. I also give suggestions when asked about how to improve a skill or communicate with another educator,” said Ms. Holmes.
What does a day at The Compass & Rose Learning Collective look like?
9 a.m. – Students arrive and complete games and puzzles while Ms. Holmes reviews the math material to gauge help or extension needs of each student. They complete independent work and one-on-one time with Ms. Holmes who caters to their specific education needs.
10 a.m. – Students break for outdoor play and physical activity.
10:30 a.m. – Students prepare lunch together, eat, and clean up, which is followed by more outdoor activities.
1 p.m. – Students work on language arts topics.
2 p.m. – The day is over.
Ms. Holmes is a fan of Singapore math resources and loves how the curriculum shows the decomposition of numbers with counting disks where students can quickly see what they are doing with numbers. She uses YouTube to take students to faraway places and also to introduce them to new concepts and experiences.
“Being able to see the planet from space or show how a cuttlefish hypnotizes its prey is pretty crazy! Kids like to ponder those sorts of ideas, and it comes out in a new interest or in writing,” said Ms. Holmes.
The Compass & Rose Learning Collective provides a creative and effective approach to teaching while removing much of the responsibility from the parent. Ms. Holmes wants parents to know Compass & Rose Learning Collective is an option for them to continue educating their children just as if they were doing it themselves.
“I want people who are on the fence to have confidence about continuing homeschooling or hybrid learning because they’ve found a routine with The Compass & Rose Learning Collective that helps them provide a balance of free time and structure for their family,” said Ms. Holmes.
Connect with The Compass & Rose Learning Collective
The Compass & Rose Learning Collective website: https://joannahlms1.wixsite.com/compassandrose
Joanna Holmes: (662) 617-1210
Email: [email protected]
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