| The Rhythm of Our Days |
a new pathSigh. It's probably more the waiting-in-transition weariness of late than the crisis it has felt like. I've felt pursued by the need to formulate a plan of some sort for the kids' structured education this year and have been completely unable to attatch one fragmented thought to another. July and August are typically months of high accomplishment for us and we are learning and living and moving right along. But I've been discontent with it. There is no format, no rhyme or reason to what we are doing. My legs feel too heavy to drag me back into the battle, fighting obstinate children who don't want to do anything that wasn't their own origional idea. And this weekend it just kind of came to a thunderhead and broke, all over dh.It's long been his dream to get to educate the kids. He has left it to me quite begrudgingly but has often used weekends to get his fix. The kids always respond to him terrifically; he gets none of the resistance I get daily and when I keep the younger ones out of the way, they have some fantastic moments together. It's hard to watch and not get jealous. With another adult around I could get a lot more "school" done too!! But that's not the story of my life. Of my days. And this cloud that was building had as much to do with the fact that when we have a scheduled curriculum, it becomes my driver. When I obey that driver, my house suffers. My spirit suffers. My younger children get little mothering. I knew that kind of "plan" wasn't the answer and was despairing of what was. Dh has an idea though. When we move, he'll no longer have the commute or the second job. He wants to do the more formal subjects for the older two kids in the evenings. I'll still teach our 1st grader and nuture the toddler, and take them to their daytime activities. I can make my daily focus the house and hearth and spend time on my strengths: the arts. I can read to them daily without feeling distressed that we aren't getting to the "rest". It means a bit of routine shift, as evenings are usually "our" time. But there's a chance that I'll be less stressed by the evening in this scenario and could actually do tasks that are hard to get to during the day with the baby around. And Dad will be home for lunches in our new home, which I was planning on making our main meal of the day, so we were already going to have a routine change anyway. I feel light. Relief. He's going to contribute to their record keeping and do his own planning and purchasing. They are excited to have this much time with Dad. This means Mt. Laundry can stay tackled, I can feed us well, I can teach W to read and sit and play with baby. We can spend afternoons painting and working in the yard. Maybe they'll take a class with the nuns who run the homeschool across the street. It'll be a different kind of year for sure. For the first time in months, I feel a twinge of anticipation. 3:35 PM - Jul. 23, 2006 - post comment
|
DescriptionLabels don't fit. Not 'homeschooler", not "unschooler" not "classical educator". We are a family. We learn, we play, we read, we fight, we laugh, we struggle, and we discover together. We shun the calendar and packaged curriculum. You won't find a "teacher's guide" with a schedule making me it's slave within these walls. What you will find is a group of people, sometimes rough around the edges, digging in the dirt to grow things, reading books to expand our minds, paint up to our elbows, chickens in the yard, something simmering on the stove, and maybe tea on the front porch....this is a record of The Rhythm of Our Days. Living, Learning, Laughing, and Loving. Home User Profile Archives Recent Entries - I'm MOVING!!! - Really like this idea.... - Breezy Easy - need a second cup..... - Times Links • Living Deliberately • Living Math • Our Area's Cooperative • The Bonny Glen • Every Waking Hour • Live and Learn • Bravewriter Lifestyle Friends |
| Entry |