What is your homeschool philosophy? Do you have a homeschool philosophy? To say that I have changed over the past 6 years of our homeschooling career would be an understatement. I have not only changed, but I have grown spiritually, mentally and intellectually for the better. I have found in myself a place of joy and peace in a world full of chaos.
How has this happened?
It didn’t happen all at once. In fact, Heavenly Father has given me a little at a time, (line upon line) as my heart has slowly begun to see what it was lacking and hungry for. My journey has been a process and the amazing thing about this journey is that it never ends. Life just keeps adding to and enriching my heart in ways I never thought possible.
In a world where families are being torn apart and mothers and fathers are found less and less in the home, instead of feeling hopelessness, I feel extreme gratitude for my family and home life. As a mother I am realizing the powerful influence we can have within the walls of our own home.
Helen Hunt Jackson said this,
“Oh! If the world could only stop long enough for one generation of mothers to be alright, what a Millennium could be begun in thirty years!”
Piux the IX said this,
“Give me good mothers and I will save the world.”
These two quotes are so inspiring! Especially with what is going on in our world right now. There have been many times throughout my homeschooling journey where I felt completely burned out and uninspired. I have felt completely inadequate to mother AND teach my children.
That feeling has changed now.
Not only do I feel adequate to teach my children, but I feel it to be a higher calling that God has bestowed upon me as their mother.
In the beginning, I wasn’t confident in my capabilities to teach my children, and relied on “the experts” to tell me what to teach my children (these experts I am incredibly grateful for by the way). All I had to do was buy a curriculum and “open and go”.
One day I kept getting a little nudge from the spirit. I kept getting the thoughts, “You aren’t inspiring your boys.”. Everyday I watched my boys go through the motions of writing a sentences here, read a paragraph there, and learn through repetition many rules, facts, and laws.
I agreed that there was little inspiring going on. Including in myself!
There was only one problem as I wrestled with the spirit. I responded and said,
“I don’t know any other way.”
Within a week, I was reintroduced to the Well Educated Heart educational philosophy. After having that experience with the Spirit, I soon realized that The Well Educated Heart philosophy was my answer. I can’t quite explain how drawn I was to this homeschool philosophy that I didn’t quite fully understand. Yet, it has been through this philosophy that I have found myself and a deeper feeling of joy and peace in a world full of chaos.
I have gone from using an “open and go” curriculum and daily tasks, to a daily buffet of reading stories, exploring poetry, and following the spirit to guide me on how best to inspire my children. Instead of working from the outside in, my focus is on the inside out. Inspiring my boys and their hearts is my focus!
The Well Educated Heart has TRANSFORMED our homeschool. Instead of the mundane everyday tasks, my boys are now saying, “READ MORE, READ MORE!” We talk of great lives who have lived, we discuss different historical events all while reading stories, looking at and creating art, listening to great music and various other activities.
Nature has become an incredible classroom that we are learning to explore more and more. I get excited to learn and understand more of the world around me everyday.
My question I ask myself daily is, “How can I inspire my boys today?”. What story will touch their hearts? What piece of art or activity will leave a lasting impression? We have read so many wonderful books since we have applied this philosophy in our home.
How does our homeschool day look different now?
Not everyday is gumdrops and lollipops, but the good days outnumber the bad. We have discovered that if we aren’t feeling it, we settle down to a good book or escape to the great outdoors. I feel we are learning things that will be applied to our life forever. We are learning from great examples and real life over spelling rules, phonics, sentence structure, analyzing a certain writing etc.
Learning has become a delight and I hope you are intrigued enough to check out this amazing website. Start here…..you won’t regret it.