Have you ever looked at your life and taken a deep breathe and just had that 'yes, this is exactly right' moment?
That's about how I feel about the educational journey of my children being in our home. Recently I was asked to convey my opinion about 'home schooling'. Wow. Where do I even start? First and foremost, I cannot begin without the sincerely heartfelt gratitude that I have inside for the many people that have inspired me, supported and loved me, and simply listened while I absorbed my 'what am I going to do' phase. I have the best family and friends, really.
I guess I'll start with the 'home school' word is flawed. I don't want to home school my children. I don't believe its possible, honestly. And I'm not into the whole 'school' gig either. Some schools and educational facilities are fantastic. They have honest, hard working and dedicated individuals that genuinely care about the childrens lives they are touching. With that being said, I can name my favorite teachers still. I know their faces in my mind when I think back to my own childhood, and can always cherish their spirit with the imprint it left on my soul. But I can also name a couple teachers that were apathetic to my education. And a couple more that were down right damaging to me in my childhood. I'm not liking the odds so far. Schools come in so many forms, but mostly they have the same things - desks, chairs, pens, pencils, paper, textbooks and teacher/pupils. Each classroom has its own flare - or not - depending on the teacher.
So far so good right? Probably. I'm not an public education hater, I just don't chose it for my own family. I think Wendell Berry said it best, so I'll let him: "When educational institutions educate people to leave home, then they have redefined education as 'career preparation'. In doing so they have made it a commodity - something to be bought in order to make more money". WOW. That's scary to me, honestly. I don't want education to just be something thats profit to succeed in life. I want to instill a true love of learning and entrepreneurial spirit.
Furthermore, my opinion on home education looks very deep into my spiritual beliefs and the beliefs of our church too(open pulpit/pew) Basically, an easy way to put it - I don't believe I can educate my children. I believe deeply that I can mentor them. I can teach them new skills. I can lead by example. But true education is intrinsic and can only be driven by the child themselves. In a public education facility or a home, there is a firm difference in education and teaching. Because I believe this - I no longer look at the 'subjects' I need to 'teach' - I look at the child I need to mentor.
Mentors education style seems overwhelming at times, but its so powerful! There is no 'one size fits all'. To watch my child develop before my eyes. To be there when she says 'I want to color' and somehow her love for art is also teaching her math and science because we use it to our advantage. If I wanted to sit her down and force her into a 'subject' it would break her spirit. Instead, I use her spirit to fuel our learning along side one another.
Another interesting comment brought up... What about preparing them for college, careers, and possible corporate lifestyles? First off, if you know me, corporate life styles is the last thing I want for my children. I believe that by using the mentoring style of education that my children will be greater prepared to be in this volatile and often lack-of-control economy driven by consumer ridden homes. I remember the things I used to dream about as a child... a doctor, a lawyer, a psychologist. All of those can easily be obtained and perused by the education model I will use.
Think about it. Teaching a subject does not mean understanding. Dive deeper into the intrinsic drive vs extrinsic motivation. I could go on and on about America's issues with being consumer driven homes vs production homes. The issues I see with social, emotional, etc health.
Ultimately, I have found that I cannot and will not place my child in a 'one size fits all'. It goes directly against my beliefs about teaching vs education.
I am so blessed to have found a path that makes me have that deep breathe, sigh, and *everything is right* feeling.
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