It's Thursday, and and I think we might be getting back into our routine, just in time for the weekend. We've been learning, but outside our little classroom. I can tell you that 3 field trips wrapped around an extremely busy weekend do tend to make mommy a little tired. In facet, I'm yawning right now!
I was with a homeschool mom/friend on Tuesday and we were talking about - you guessed it - homeschool. She and I have come to the conclusion that life is a really good classroom. Now - don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer in learning from a book. I think children should memorize their multiplication facts and be able to write in cursive and know a noun from a verb. I also think that they should be allowed creativity and freedom of expression in their writing and art. I think silence is not golden and noise is ok. I think it's ok to talk during a test, as long as you're not giving out answers. I don't think the government knows better than I what's best for my child. I knew things about these two the second they were born because I already KNEW them.
I find that I am spending less time preaching to my children and more time teaching them. It's important that they do their science workbooks (which is what they're doing now as I watch) but it's just as important that they learn to put their best work into their workbooks. Cut the lines straight, glue everything the right way, follow the directions, and learn to find the answers for yourself in the book.
I must keep reminding myself that, as much as I would love to keep them this size (or smaller!!) forever, my job is to grow these two into productive members of society, able to take care of themselves and able to stand on the faith that we have instilled in them. They must be able to live in this world while not being IN the world. They must be able to get a job and keep that job. They must be able to play well with others, and they must be able to keep their mouth tightly closed most of the time. I hope that during this process, I teach them things I wish I had known. I hope they learn to pray about decisions before they make one. I hope that they talk to God more than they talk to other people. I hope they always pray before they eat, no matter who is around.
Children do come with a manual, you know. It's a very, very old book.
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