I'm working hard. I'm working hard at resting. I'm trying to figure out "schole". I understand "schole" to be the search of wisdom and truth as a way of living. It sounds so beautiful and calming and inviting. Daily life consisting of ongoing learning by surrounding oneself with beauty. Lovely. The Greeks had it right. Shouldn't school be restful as well as stimulating? Then why is it so much work to rest?
One thing I've noticed about homeschool parents is that we suffer from pride and paranoia; i.e., the dreaded "double Ps", as I have now named it. Getting all caught up with pouring tons of knowledge into our children, we have trouble taking a break. When we do relax a bit...paranoia sets in. We might get behind. Our children may not test in the correct percentile. They might not get all their Latin vocabulary memorized if we don't make them chant one more time. I fall victim to the "double Ps" more often than I care to admit.
Restful learning shouldn't feel like work. The "double P" problem happens when I forget that our children have their whole lives ahead of them to learn. I won't even be around to see the end result of the seeds we're planting. My tulips develop from buds to full blossoms in one week, but that is not how a child grows. We plant the seeds, give water, sunshine, and then stand back to give them space to mature into their own God-given personalities.
Restful learning shouldn't feel like work. The "double P" problem happens when I forget that our children have their whole lives ahead of them to learn. I won't even be around to see the end result of the seeds we're planting. My tulips develop from buds to full blossoms in one week, but that is not how a child grows. We plant the seeds, give water, sunshine, and then stand back to give them space to mature into their own God-given personalities.
I'm blessed to have students that are very receptive to learning. But we do sometimes come up against a wall, and that is when I see that I have stepped over the line of practicing "schole". I want our girls to be curious and full of wonder about the world, not focused on getting the math page finished so we can check it off the list. So, we are making time to set aside our regular studies and explore the beauty of God's creation.
We are birding. I am bird illiterate and I don't want to be. M is a natural learner and very keyed into nature; therefore, we are diving into the bird world. We have bird feeders, we take time to watch, and we try to identify the birds we see. We're using Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess from Simply Charlotte Mason and reading The Burgess Bird Book for Children. It is adorable and extremely informative. We put it all together by journaling and include some copywork. We are loving this and I have to admit, M is way more knowledgeable about birds than I am. She is a sponge and I'm more like a rock!
I want to put the "double Ps" behind me. I long for our homeschool to be "homeschole". In order to rest, I need to let go and let our days take on a more natural flow. Salmon may swim upstream, but I sure do get tired doing that. The real deal of "schole" is summed up in these words of CoCo Chanel. "Don't spend time beating on a wall hoping to transform it into a door."
Until next time...
Yes, the double Ps! :) I know all of us have the possibility of falling into those mindsets and it's a recipe for burnout. I have so many mom-friends who are discouraged in their homeschooling or leave homeschooling altogether, and I think it's in large part due to a misguided focus. I am always so heartened by CM's words: “The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?” I feel like maybe I need this painted in bright letters in my kitchen or something because really, that's what it's all about! LOL And truly, we can't even MAKE our children care--so that is out of our hands too! Success for us is spreading the feast, creating the atmosphere, and forming the habits, and if we focus on those things rather than on how many boxes we check, we're doing the right thing.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thank you for this timely reminder. Oh, and I am a beginning birder too who gets outstripped by her kids every day of the week when it comes to nature study. :) These little sponges definitely have a leg up on us!