REALITY

Okay. So week one of "Home Schooling" is under my belt.

And it will be the last.

Yes. That is right, not a typo.

I have dreamed of what life would be like as a home schooling family. Children sitting at the table eagerly hanging off my every, fascinating word; doodles turning into beautiful caligraphal penmanship as they blossom into bright young pre med students under my excellent, patient, brilliant tutorship.
We would picnic, bike ride, fly kites and read the classics. We would bake and learn piano...and violin. We would paint and wood sculpt (yes at 4!) all the while birds are chirping happily outside out window and a light floral fragrance drifts lazily in our kitchen window as the days of summer wind up.


NOT.

More accurately as I begrudgingly admit, the image resembles more...well, real life.
Toddlers who decide to grow very painful molars during commencement week.
Tantrums upon tantrums over the smallest injustice from the usually easy going boy.
Clinging to Mommy and sobbing if I move so slightly as to even pass the school boy a pencil.

Our first formal home schooling week in review was as follows;

Paint on the wall, more tears and stress then I have seen in a year. Laundry piles to the ceiling, mastering the art of projectile urination off the deck,extra strength Tylenol? I will take 6 please. Take out for dinner, burnt baking, bribing a very busy and curious boy with more than I can make good on to "PUH-LEASE sit still and LISTEN TO MOMMY!!!" at the table each day, books spread open in such good intention on days that felt ever so...long.

I was tired. I was Frustrated. I was sad. Where was the picnic?

So I went back to the drawing board.

Maybe a classical approach is more appropriate? Thomas Jefferson Education, Montessori? I poured over websites, educational theories, articles, studies. What was the BEST way to school my children?

While I was busy researching my next move I decided we would take the week off. We went blueberry picking, walked in the woods while it rained, threw rocks in the pond, swung on swings and ate the garden leftovers...thrilled to eat ANYTHING we grew ourselves.

The tantrums stopped. Dinner made an appearance on the table once more. Friends came over to play. More pee went off the deck.

It was a great week. It felt good...but now, back to school.

However. Like walking into a brick wall, I have realized it is SCHOOL that is the problem. Well not school school... there is a lovely brick building down the street with cute kids and doting teachers. If I wanted him to go there I would send him. But if we have chosen something a little different, why am I trying so hard then to recreate it at home? I was missing the point!

The point from the beginning is that we want them to explore and follow their interests and develop at their own pace...you know, all that good stuff. And here I was shoving numbers down the throat of a boy who just wants to go dig in the dirt.

So we quit kindergarten!

But we did and learned more this week as a result then the book had laid out for us (It is very difficult to teach anyone the letter A when they are only interested in E.)

Yes the life planning, type A, control freak is going a little crazy right now trying to accept this seemingly haphazard approach. But I am reassured at the sight of Ben literally teaching himself to read, asking 100000 questions a day, and his enthusiasm for...everything! He is four after all... and a bright one at that...I am glad he told me where to shove my curriculum book and cutouts...okay maybe not quite yet I am not... It is ever so darling. Maybe Jake will be into the sit down and gaze adoringly at Mommy while I teach him pearls of knowledge. Or not.


Now we are going to do life... and watch the learning to happen.