ANOTHER LOVELY LETTER

From a homeschooling mom

Learning When It Feels Right

It's Thursday. Although I told myself early in the week that I would try to do a lot of school early in the week, I have not accomplished the goal I set for our school and myself. Monday we worked most of the day and got off to a wonderful start. Tuesday we had soccer at 1:00, knitting at four thirty and Triad Tapestry Choir at 7:00. So not much school got done that day. Then I locked my keys in the trunk and had to call my husband. It was later when we got home and everyone went straight to bed… with a little prodding. Wonderful Wednesday, our local learning co-op used up Wednesday morning and the afternoon was full of starts and stops. It is Thursday and we skate starting in just a little while. I am over that too so I have to be there.

Somewhere through the week I lost sight of the fact that living is learning. "School" seems so relevant when you plan to get certain things done, and to learn a certain amount, by a certain time. But in our home -- school is life. There is no separation. I am learning to think more in the moment… and I hope I teach my kids this mindset too.

What if we stopped breathing after this breath? Would we have enjoyed the last few moments of our lives?

Be still. Take a moment. Be thankful for everything in life… even trials. What are we supposed to learn from the hard stuff? Just look at all the good things in life. I am so grateful to be with my children, to feel their warmth against me as we lie on the bed and have school. I smell my son's breath as he reads aloud. I think about how his breathe smells… like "puppy-breath"... all sweet and innocent.

Moments before Emme was singing "In Constant Sorrow" from "Oh, Brother!" with a ukulele with one string. It didn't seem to bother her, but it was pretty annoying to my son -- but funny nonetheless.

My son looked up from his math book (the one he hates) and smiled his innocent smile. "Mom, right now my body is surging with energy so much that I think math is not an option for my brain right now."

So I asked what subject could use up all that energy. He said, "Well, Mom I was thinking that if I rode my bike a while, my heart muscle would be activated, my blood would pump harder and get some fresh oxygen -- thanks to my lungs, and maybe the brain could work better… later after it got some fresh blood, what do you think? I might better apply myself. What do you say?

I have learned to appreciate my kids for who they are. My son just plainly told me that his mind was not into what he is doing now so I have learned to trust him. He knows how he feels. I taught him to be honest and here he is doing what I taught him. Another day when I was not so understanding I might scream something about having to get a job somewhere at a fast food place because he cannot do math…. but I decided to trust him and let him have his way… for now.

Children came later in life for me. So I have learned not to have pre-conceived notions about what the days hold, or what I need to get done. I allow myself to revel in each moment and to appreciate the fact that I get to be with my most favorite students and that they will learn what they need to know… when their brains are ready.

-Anita Shaver-