I began homeschooling sometime around 2010. I was an organized and stiff homeschooler. We started at the same time each day, had a circle time board which hung on the interior of the bedroom closet door, and was addicted to laminating everything even though my daughters were rather delicate and gentle with most of our supplies. I had a picture of what homeschooling looked like in my mind and I needed to stick to it.
Fast forward ten years and one might notice that I have changed most severely. I claim that my youngest and his effervescing energy has changed me, but I think time, experiences, wisdom on this whole homeschooling gig (and life itself) has changed me. I have relaxed. I have let go of living up to the mental expectations I forced on myself. I don’t feel I have to prove my ability to teach my children anymore. I don’t have us tucked away in an upper room which we identified as our homeschool room. I don’t even have a calendar or morning meeting board hiding inside a closet anymore.
Sometimes the significant change surprises even myself. Moments like we had this morning when my six-year-old decided the dining room floor was the best place to lay down so he could cut his compound words in half rather than sitting at the table shock me. Ten years ago, I would have felt that sitting upright at the table was an essential aspect of the assignment and forced him to comply. Yet, there I sat, watching him snip his words in half, spread out on his back in his space pajamas, handing him card after card. I enjoyed it. He enjoyed it. The point of him identifying the smaller words within the larger one was accomplished.
So how does homeschooling relate to backcountry backpacking? Well, when you are hiking in the backcountry, you have to carry everything you’ll need on your back. Food, clothes, emergency supplies, tent, sleeping bag, water filtration, and anything else you might need. You pack light. You carry only the essentials. And, you might even pay more for a particular item because it weighs a few ounces less than the alternative. My current view of homeschooling is similar. My unwinding is also seen in the paring down of what I feel necessary to keep nearby. Much of my older supplies have either been offloaded or shoved to the back of a storage closet. I don’t need the piles and piles of art supplies, resource books, or extra curriculum options in case I dislike the one planned for the day. I just need what we are currently using. I have limited our nearby supplies to one three-shelf rolling library book cart and a small storage cabinet for three children. I have told myself that when the nearby supplies overflow my current storage, I’ll need to filter again.
If you’re a veteran homeschooler, have you seen changes in your goals, methods, or organization over the years?
If you’re a new homeschooler, consider the parts of your homeschool day which cause more pressure than others. Is there a way you can lessen the weight of that moment by simplifying?
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.
