“The goal of education is to teach children to become adults who can handle complex ideas, in uncertain situations, with confidence.” (Leigh Bortins, The Question, p. 6)
As adults, most of us have become accustomed to maneuvering around situations in which we aren’t completely familiar. We slowly read the directions for a new power tool a few times before pressing that start button. We navigate the unfamiliar laws of a new state when we attempt to register a new vehicle. We keep asking questions in the town clerk’s office until we ask the right person the right question when we want to build a fence on the edge of our property. None of these skills are necessarily familiar, taught in school, or can be accomplished based on the experiences we’ve had before. However, successful adults learn how to think through the steps to solving problems all the time.
Before we arrive at adulthood, however, practicing this skill of handling complex ideas can happen in a safe space with the needed amount of coaching from the sidelines. As teachers in our homeschool and parents of these pre-adults, we can take advantage of the opportunity to help develop the skills of confidence in uncertain situations. Oddly enough, sometimes the hardest part of the process of handling ourselves in unfamiliar territory is the ability to notice that we are, in fact, in unfamiliar territory. I’ve seen kids and young adults so focused on their thoughts, their future plans, or the goal of succeeding, that they forget to look up and realize they aren’t in Kansas, anymore, Toto. Maturity is pausing long enough to acknowledge a need to slow down and gather information.
For instance, picture a young adult finishing college and working to land herself a new job and apartment in a new city. This recent graduate has only lived in one home her entire life and has no experience with setting up a new dwelling. A wise and mature student would pause to learn how to acquire the apartment, find and move furniture, and research the closest grocery store. She may even ask people around her about their experiences moving to a new city and if they have any thoughts about filling that empty studio apartment with furniture. She is developing a game plan for post-graduation. Another, less forward-thinking student, might land that same job in the same city yet never consider asking advice regarding location or budgets for apartments, renter’s insurance, how to find inexpensive furniture, or whether to hire a moving company to relocate.
When we sit around our school table, spend hours driving to and from events or appointments, or while working on tasks in tandem with our children, we can prioritize how we think through our adult, complex issues. We can let them in on our thought patterns and how we solve problems. When I have been honest with my kids about not knowing how to do something, who to call for advice, or which option to choose when testing out ideas, I have modeled how to find out information in real-time. I hope that they walk away from those conversations realizing that no human knows everything and very likely will need to gather information from an unknown source at some point and that it is ok to “handle complex ideas, in uncertain situations, with confidence”.
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.lindsaybanton.com.
