Last Wednesday we officially kicked off our first real year of home schooling. The kick off was very nice. I spent all day preparing a family feast. We made it really fancy with a table cloth and even glasses! (My family thought this was a big deal because I never bring cups to the table. They know they're all on there own for drinks). I decorated the table with the childrens' prized possessions: horses and batmans and dinosaurs and books and such. Brian and I made a paper crown for each of them with magazine cut-outs that describe them. It was so fun to see how different they all came out. I told them how our home school will be different than other schools. This, for all the people that wonder why I am so crazy to attempt such a thing, (and yes, I agree), is what no school or teacher, no matter how great the experience, the curriculum, or the funding, is what I can give my children. I know that they were each sent here to me, to our family, at this moment in time for a special purpose. They will be given the opportunity to seek out that special purpose, to develop their unique gifts and abilities at my side, to guide and mentor them and provide them with the things they need to do so. This is the vision that I see, and I know that if every mother could see it, would want the same thing. I made plaques for each of them as well, with an antique key and the scripture to "seek learning." We talked about how learning is the key to everything. All kinds of learning. After dinner Brian gave each of the kids fathers' blessings. And me. It was a wonderful evening.
Even though the vision sounds glorious and ideal, I know the implementation will be messy and inconsistent. The kids fight through devotional and don't want to do their chores. Summer doesn't want to read. We're waiting for most of our books to get here. They play when they are supposed to be listening. Brian and I spent 4 hours on Saturday building a puppet theater that they still haven't played with. Its the one-day-at-a-time, unplanned teaching moments. Its establishing relationships of love and trust. It's sharing my testimony of the gospel. It's improving myself so my children will look up to me. It's the steady drip, drip, drip of repetition, of family meals, scripture study, chores, reading time, family nights, etc., that lead to the final tapestry. So, for those who keep asking me how home schooling is going...
Ask me when its over :)
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