Why the hardest part of education is the part no one sees

Most people have no idea what this work actually asks of educators.

But, you know it well if you’re an alternative educator, a forest school educator, someone who’s left the system to build something smaller, slower, more relational.

Finding educators has never been about qualifications for me.
It’s about alignment.

It’s about finding people who will answer parent messages after hours.
Because they care, not because they’re supposed to.

People who come early to set up the space and stay late to clean it up. .
Who spend evenings at the library, or scrolling book lists, or driving across town looking for materials that actually make sense for the children in front of them.

None of that shows up on a job description.

And yet, it’s some of the most important work.

The work that happens after the “workday”

Many of you reading this have already left the system.

You wanted education to feel good again.
You wanted time. Space. Relationship. Nature. Trust.

So you built something else.

But here’s the thing most people don’t understand:

Alternative education doesn’t mean less work.
It usually means a heck of a lot more.

More emotional labour.
More holding families.
More decision-making.
More responsibility that no one else is carrying for you.

Parents have one family. And of course their world revolves around that. It should.

But as alternative educators, we’re holding many children and many families at the same time and often without admin, prep periods, or anyone else to take on the overflow when things get hard.

When something takes an extra two hours of messages, conversations, and emotional energy in a week, it’s rarely just for one family.

That time adds up fast.

And, you keep choosing this work.
Because it’s the only thing that makes sense.

A very normal example

Recently, one of our educators at In the Forest Learning noticed the kids needed to build, create and work with their hands.

So she went to the library after work.
Then drove to a few stores looking for big cardboard boxes.

None of this happened during the school day and for 2 weeks she collected new materials and ideas to support the engagement of the children.

Our school day ends at 3:30.
I’m rarely home before 5:30.

Talking with parents.
Preparing for the next day.
Gathering materials.
Cleaning the space.
Debriefing with other educators.

This is the part people don’t see when they imagine “alternative education” as slower or easier.

Here’s the paradox people wouldn’t understand unless they're in it:

You didn’t leave the system because you wanted less work.
You left because you wanted the work to make sense. .

Now you’re here, doing work that feels truer, more aligned, more joyfull…
While at the same time carrying more than you ever did before.

When you’re not doing it alone

I’m deeply grateful to be part of a community where this extra labour is seen and acknowledged.

Where families notice the care and share their appreciation often.
Where educators time, energy, and care are seen and acknowledged.

And to the educators doing this work: THANK YOU for choosing relationships over efficiency, again and again.

This is the invisible labour of educators.

Most people never see it.
But if you’re doing this work, I’m sure you feel it deeply.

What I’ve learned is this:
The work feels different when you’re not doing it alone.

That’s what I want for alternative educators who have stepped beyond the system and are holding so much as they build something new.

Mentoring Beyond the System is one way I’m offering that kind of support.

With Care,

Sarah,