I’m not completely naive. We’re only three days into our school year, and I realize that the first few weeks, and the first week, especially, are their own separate bubble. That said…
I experienced pure homeschool bliss today. All those Julie Bogart podcasts I’ve been listening to this summer have paid off. It’s not necessarily that Julie tells me things I don’t already know or believe, but she’s like a loving, supportive mentor by my side giving me the strength to trust my vision. Although I am a former classroom teacher, I always considered my (former) school situations relaxed compared to others. And compared to other homeschool families, I also saw my approach as quite chill. But, I do think the nagging of a public school upbringing and public school teaching weighed on me more than I cared to admit. It was one thing to hold home learning philosophies and read about them in books, but to actually put them into practice and trust the process has not been something I’ve excelled at. I feel like I’ve been floating between wanting to give my kids the experiences that home learning can offer, while unknowingly also expecting them to be on the same schedule as public schoolers their age. And that’s just unfair. To any of us, really, since I take on a weight of responsibility and guilt whenever I play the comparison game.
But this first week, I decided to roll with my instincts a bit more-to trust in the day and trust in my kids and trust in myself. I do have a general idea of what I’d like us to be doing and learning, but surrendering to the moments, well, that’s what home learning is all about for me. So this morning when my 6-year-old was eager to get out of bed so he could write and illustrate a book he’d been brainstorming before bed the night before, I said, “Yes!” I didn’t stop us to do “real” work or look up at the clock and worry about minutes ticking by. I recognized the moment for all the rich valuable learning and experience and fun that it was. I wrote down my son’s words, and while he told the story, conversations came up naturally about character and setting and conflict and continuity. Nothing felt forced or lesson-like. We had a blast and ended up in several moments of uncontrollable giggles. It rocked! Later, my daughter pulled out the basket where we keep all the stories they’ve illustrated and written over the years, and we read some together. While my son and I were writing, my daughter had been constructing a very elaborate crown, complete with painting and intricate beading. I watched as she problem solved and engineered a way for the crown parts she had planned to come together and stay the way she had intended.
And then we had lunch. We did a few little “school” things and then sat and finished the group chapter book we had started on Monday. We discussed the book and made predictions about the sequel. We observed bunnies and ferrets and parakeets and baby mice when we went to the store to get a hanging pot for a plant we would later re-pot together. We picked up oodles of books, like treasures, from the library. We played board games together in the evening, took a walk after dinner, and played “Walk This Way” as we went. We brainstormed a silly movie trailer we had made up as we finally crawled into bed. The whole day was what I’ve always wanted from a homeschool day, but have rarely given myself (or my kids) permission to do.
Hopefully I can keep this feeling and momentum and trust during the year. My kids will be learning and growing regardless. We might as well enjoy each other and the journey as they do.