Embracing Curiosity and Creativity in Education: A Parent’s Perspective

We recently spoke with Vanessa Beckett, a parent whose three sons, all with high anxiety and autism, participated in a series of creative sessions with Art of Protest over a year-long period.

Vanessa shares her experiences with homeschooling, artistic expression, and the importance of a diverse learning environment. Speaking as someone with a wealth of knowledge in this area, her views as a parent are incredibly insightful and powerful.

Brenna (right) and Jeff (far left) working on a creative project with two of the Beckett boys.

AoP: Hello Vanessa, thank you so much for speaking with us. Can you give us a bit of background on your children, and some of the struggles you face on a daily basis?

Vanessa: Our two boys both have autism and high anxiety. This is portrayed in different ways in each. This hidden disability means they cannot access school and on some days struggle to leave home. For this reason, our three sons have been home-educated.

AoP: We're interested in learning about the impact our sessions had on your boys. Did the sessions they experienced have a positive influence? Can you describe that?

Vanessa: Absolutely. The sessions my boys attended with Jeff and Brenna from Art of Protest sparked a great deal of curiosity and creativity. Their approach was incredibly adaptable and flexible, which was essential since my boys have high anxiety and autism, along with some school trauma.

Human beings are naturally diverse, and accommodating this diversity makes the sessions accessible for all. Jeff and Brenna did this with such compassion and care, which is truly a skill.

AoP: We’re so happy to learn about the positive impact our sessions had on your children. You made the decision to home-educate your three boys. What led you to make that decision? What are your thoughts on mainstream schooling?

Vanessa: As a family, we decided to embark on our own learning adventure through homeschooling. This choice gave us the freedom we all needed. We embraced a journey with no boundaries, where passions could be followed, connections were rich, and listening to oneself was key.

Mainstream schools lacked the freedom we needed as a family to express ourselves and learn as individuals. Education needs to embrace diversity rather than conformity. Teaching should be a creative profession, not just about delivering content.

AoP: We are passionate about highlighting how children with neurodivergent minds can benefit from artistic outlets and unconventional forms of self-expression, and where children can and should be allowed to go at their own pace. Have you seen this with your boys?

Vanessa: Absolutely. Especially for our middle son, artistic expression is a vital release and easier for him than verbally expressing himself. I believe everyone has creativity inside them; it's just about finding the right environment to let it flow.

AoP: We've discussed the shift from STEM to STEAM in our previous blog post. Why do you think there’s been so much focus on STEM with little emphasis on art in mainstream school curricula?

Vanessa: The current school system is in a shocking state, overly focused on testing, which stifles children's curiosity. The number of children not attending school due to mental health issues is rising. The system is too Victorian and outdated.

The arts aren't given the respect they deserve in education. By not prioritizing the arts and children's wellbeing, we will continue to see more children facing mental health crises.

AoP: Thank you for sharing your views on this, as a parent who has clearly done their research and is incredibly well informed. Do you have any other thoughts you'd like to share about your experience with us, other educators, and your children's progress?

Vanessa: Jeff and Brenna, you both have amazing energy and skills to aid engagement within the work you do. We were instantly drawn into the excitement to want to engage and have a go with the creative sessions you’ve delivered. 

You have been enthusiastic, exciting, and a breath of fresh air. You take pride in delivering fun artistic experiences. 

Our children struggle to express emotion but they all comfortably engage with Brenna and Jeff. The flexibility and way both Brenna and Jeff work have meant they are among the rare few people who have managed to run successful workshops with full engagement for the entire sessions with the boys.

Brenna and Jeff adapt not only their activities to the needs of the boys, but the way they communicate to suit the needs of our children has helped reduce the anxiety and fear of the unknown that the boys experience. The boys have produced wonderful expressive pieces of art which they have proudly displayed in their bedrooms.

Supporting children through personalized learning and involving passionate professionals like yourselves has been amazing. It's strange to call this "alternative education" when it really should be the norm.

We can't praise and thank Art of Protest enough for bringing sunshine and fun into our lives. We love your passion and drive. Thank you.