The orange juice was poured. Quiches and doughnuts were set out. While filling their plates, mothers were commenting on how they hadn’t had breakfast yet, they had just been focusing on getting the kids fed and out the door. Once we had our food, we sat down in peace and chatted about homeschooling, the Lord, and life in general.
While our kids were at their respective co-op classes, half of the mothers fellowshipped while the others taught, then we would swap places. As I sat there, laughing, crying and sharing stories over some pretty amazing food, I couldn’t help but think, “and I almost didn’t join.” The fear and pressures to “get it all done,” had almost prevented me from receiving this needed break. I had to ask myself, “what exactly do I need to get done?” It might appear in the books that my kids are “behind” in math or science or reading but what about the hands-on education they are receiving through these classes? Two of my sons were taking a physics class, my daughter ballet and another son music.
Most of us, when we begin homeschooling, look forward to the “freedoms” that come with homeschooling. We tell ourselves that we can take vacations whenever we want or if we need to go to the grocery store in the middle of the day, we can. But, when it comes down to it, we feel guilty about taking these liberties, at least in the beginning. I actually used to wait until after three o’clock before taking my kids out in public so I wouldn’t be mom-shamed for not having my kids in school. I also remember the first time I took my kids on a service trip to the inner-city of Philly (we live in the Blue Ridge Mountains), that I was looking around every corner during the school hours fearful of what onlookers would think. How ridiculous. What happened on those streets of Philly prepared my kids for the mission work that we are now doing in Mexico.
Which leads me to another freedom, travel. When the opportunity arose for us to leave home for a year and head to the mission field, we never once had to worry about school. All we had to do was pack up our books and workbooks and bring it with us. No principle to notify, no work to be assigned by a teacher, we simply did what we felt we were called to do. If you have parents that are ailing in health and you feel like you should go for an extended visit, and it doesn’t interfere with work or responsibilities at home, this can happen with more easily with homeschooling. It’s not that we are free to skip work or ignore our teaching responsibilities but we need to realize what is actually important in life and be open to take opportunities as they come. These opportunities may never come again and your children might learn more through these experiences than anything they can read in a book. If you struggle with utilizing your homeschooling freedoms because you grew up in the public school system, simply remember this. There were plenty of days where the teacher “rolled in” the TV and showed a movie, you went to the gym or auditorium for an assembly or you went on a field trip or had a field day. What I am saying is, there are times when life is happening now and we need to take a part of it rather than worry about the books.
Look at your week. Is your curriculum holding you hostage? If so, try something new next week. Be spontaneous. Go visit a local power dam. Take a nature walk at a park miles out of town. Go to your local Krispy Kreme or Bruegger’s Bagels and watch how the doughnuts or bagels are made. Be creative and enjoy the freedoms that homeschooling has to offer!
