Learn

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. 
Clay P. Bedford

When I was a teenager I thought that parents who chose to homeschool their children were basically torturing them.  Aside from the fact that they were not qualified to teach, they were also choosing to isolate their children from the world, stunt their social growth and basically ensure they would have no positive experiences, friends or even extracurricular activities to put on their oh-so-important college applications. And they might as well kiss dating good-bye.

Never in a million years would I imagine that I would not only learn to appreciate homeschooling, but that I would quite certainly fall head over heals in love with the idea of keeping Liam out of school.  But… it happened.

I suppose it was a natural progression. As I have learned more about myself and the sort of mother I am (and hope to grow into), home learning began to  seem more and more like exactly the right fit. I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea when it first crept into my head. I sort of slapped it away; spent a lot of time arguing with myself, citing all of my previously stated concerns. But, almost involuntarily, I began reading about it and gathering resources and attempting to discover if this was actually something I was capable of or if I would be doing more harm than good.

It did not take long for my excuses to disintegrate one by one under the pressure of actual knowledge and research on the subject of homeschooling. Soon, I realized that it was not only a valid learning option but that it was a valid learning option that I genuinely liked.

So, I decided that, if life allowed it, I might enjoy homeschooling Liam. At first, I thought I would most definitely need a set curriculum if I was going to pull it off. I looked up ideas online, toyed with the thought of buying a few textbooks to get prepared, investigated the Montessori method and was very drawn to the Waldorf approach.  But slowly, I became increasingly interested in a more laid-back, child-led approach to learning.

I am not going to get into the semantics, terminology or “rules” of the various types of homeschooling at this time. I am sure as it becomes a part of our life it will seep into this space so there will be time for all of that. Homeschooling never looks the same twice; there are about as many versions as there are families who practice it. And I am falling in love with this mix-n-match version that Ryan and I are piecing together for our family. Not because I feel like it is a superior learning experience and not because it would be universally right for any family if they would just open themselves up to it. The choices we make for our children are just never that simple. I am drawn to it because I believe that this is the life our family was meant to live.  Allowing our children to learn at home will give our entire family the freedom and motivation we need to live an amazing story. And that is what we value: living a good story.

So, after much discussion, and self-doubt, and second-guessing and more discussion… we have decided to do it. Officially.
We are homeschoolers.

Making this choice is a little bit scary paralyzingly terrifying. But I plan to explore both those fears and my excitement about this journey later. There is time. (There is both world enough and time.) For now, I am just sort of settling in with the idea; allowing myself to feel scared and nervous and happy and all of the other emotions I feel whenever I look at my son and realize what a huge choice we are making for him in this moment. I am praying every day for the grace to face the challenge and to enjoy it as well, to remain determined but flexible… and to keep putting one foot in front of the other, in spite of the butterflies in my tummy.

We are going to make mistakes, of course. That is the only guarantee, isn’t it? However, if I can achieve an environment that nurtures my child’s love of learning, if I can fill his memories with beautiful experiences and help his little green brain to twist and grow and wrap around knowledge with strength and courage then I will consider myself successful. I have an inkling that he is going to make it rather easy for me.  I tend to be a fairly objective person… and, I have to say, my kid is smart.

[He is also an incredible dancer. Just like his Mama.]

One of the wonderful things about home learning is that it never has to start and it never has to stop. As I am in the beginning stages of educating myself on how to document Liam’s experiences, I have been forced to really take a look at all the learning this kid does every single day. He is 2 years old; every experience is a “learning experience.”  Our lives are already so full of questions, experiments, art, music, reading, numbers, letters, colors, creativity, friendships, field trips, and so many moments of pure, unadulterated learning.

We are so busy learning and growing….when exactly would we have time for school?