When I think of the best way of educating my kids the mental image I have involves an environment that they will be stimulated and curiosity will not only motivate them but it would creep into their bones. That my children would find a passion, a love for something that lets them open up their inside and not be fearful to let other look into them. A place in my home is where it all begins, it can be at a desk or on the couch, it’s only a spark that is needed, kindling the flame is where my expertise is necessary.
Over the months of homeschooling I’ve slowly stop or put away the type of things that my kids can’t focus on or don’t enjoy. When I think of my day I ask myself, “what learning is going on? How can I get my kids motivated to follow their interests?” An outside force isn’t needed to motivate if it’s a natural interest. To follow this means I’ll have to mainly scrap the small amount of traditional structured schooling we do. So each morning, should I just ask them one question? Then we spend the day trying to create a response to the question.
How can we make a new bridge to cross from Ohio to Kentucky?
Where can we get pieces to make our outdoor play fort?
If the question approach isn’t the way to go, then I will have to decide on important topics to cover and then try to find a way to make the interested in that subject or at least keep them focused long enough.
Mostly I just feel like this job isn’t for me, that I’m not handling it how the way I imagined it, their education is not community based and things could be simpler if we just sent them off to school. I should stop feeling so down about it, and find the good, I know it’s there, I’ve seen it. Staying optimistic was only my strong point back when I was a Jesus lover. It wasn’t sincere, it was only me fooling myself into believing even the bad is good, the good is good and everyone will be saved if only they saw the light the Baptists saw. Tangent, done. Even non-Jesus people can love life, somehow, I’m determined to find it.
I’m determined and at the same time tough on myself. I have to be imaginative, to feel this experience is free as a bird, if only this year. I have to think that if I were at this alone, then how would I educate my kids? Everything else will just fall into the background.
Yesterday when I was working there was a lady and her mother that came through my line to check out. I was chatting with them about some of the items that they were purchasing, when the mother looks at me and says, “You’re kind of normal compared to other people that work here.” I was kind of taken back and then I was offended. I told her about my plans to wear my hot pink head band and my desire to have blue hair, I resigned to the fact that I do appear normal. Yuck! I think this needs to change, I don’t want to be normal, normal is BORING.
Saw this and thought, “who the hell has been in my room taking pictures of Daniel’s clothes?”
Whoa! I just remembered that I had this Tumblr spot. Whoa! What an adventurous way to start the morning.
