A New Direction

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Our homeschool rhythm finally got on track about three years after we initially started. We had two more babies and moved from Washington to Idaho, so a few hiccups we expected but all in all we were content.

So I thought...

The older Garrett grew and the more we added to our brood, the more complicated everything became. I wouldn't relent on any assignments. I felt that nothing should interfere with his education. Babies and moving aside if he or I were having a bad day it didn't matter. "School" must be completed so we wouldn't get behind. Sadly, my focus was all bout academics while I neglected our relationship. I struggled for a while on being both his mother and teacher.

Now I can't blame anyone but myself, but I truly had no one to help me when it came to homeschool encouragement or advice. In the community I was in, talking about homeschool went something like this: "Oh, you homeschool too? What curriculum do you use? Yeah? Great!"

In my mind, admitting I needed help because I was drowning in homeschool wasn't an option. That meant that all the naysayers were right and I wasn't qualified to teach.

Blogs were somewhat of a new thing back then, yet I always referred back to the books, and in my own twisted way, thought I couldn't color out side the lines so to speak. What was written, I needed to follow. Soon the ideology of an academically intense education depleted us of our joy. Please understand, I am all for a classical education. I'm also for a boxed curriculum or unschooling, because what works for one may not work for another. My point is that I allowed it to happen. I had no tangible examples, no like-minded friends to show me that what I was actually doing was the right way in which to teach.

Father's do not provoke your children so they will not become discouraged.
~ Colossians 3:21

So I quit. For a whole year we de-schooled from our homeschool! We scratched out everything off the planner except math and reading. We abandoned the schedules, the sentence diagramming, the crying and the fighting. I allowed Garrett to determine what time period he wanted to study and he read all about the Civil War. He volunteered in the archive department at out local Historical Society Museum and he thrived!  He took flight lessons and computer coding classes at the local tech school. We put the teachers manuals away and let him steer the ship under our guidance and it was glorious! Our relationship took priority over unmet expectations, agenda's and have-to's.

I learned so much of who I am as a mother and professional home educator during that year but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still learning who I am as a mother and professional home educator.

......

Garrett has graduated and I've been entrusted with six little chicks to nurture and teach, but we're heading in different direction. The atmosphere in the house is calm and focused on connection to G*d, each other, nature, and wonder.

I'm a traveler in Miss Charlotte Mason Volumes. Starting in one and migrating to another as I pursue a variety of methods into our homeschool. As I do, I've surrendered the pen to G*d so He could write the curriculum choices out for us and He's led me back to Miss Mason. Although I veer in her direction, I'm not quite Charlotte.

But close enough.