For as long as I can remember, I've had a love for two seemingly unrelated activities: guitar and history.   They are unrelated in almost every way except in my apparent predisposed passion for the two.  Even before my sixth birthday I can still remember hearing the strings of a guitar ring in my ears so clearly, so purely and naturally like a language in which I was innately fluent.  And just as natural was my connection with the Indians and early settlers in an outdoor drama entitled "Unto These Hills." I was six years old and the trip to Cherokee, N.C., is the first family vacation I remember.  The Cherokee tribe danced in full ceremonial dress around a fire and the settlers in their pilgrim-like dress sang songs (accompanied by guitar I might add).  I don't really recall the story line of the drama, but I do know it has had an enduring impact.

Now what does this have to do with homeschooling?  Well, I believe that we are born with certain interests...these are God's gifting for us.  I believe it's part of the equipment, or programming, that we are given to accomplish the work we're called to do.  In Proverbs 22:6 we are told to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  The common interpretation is that we need to train the child in the right way (as we know it), but I think that we need to observe the child first.  God gives us clues into the "right way," or His way for the child.  These clues are embedded in the natural passion within the child.  Our job is to recognize God's gift, and commit ourselves to encourage, train and feed the passion.

For some the gift is undeniable, but for many it must be sought and uncovered.  It's always there, but we do not always think to seek it out.  One Saturday evening, Dad brought home a small guitar for me in a cardboard box.  Mom listened to me strum and sing songs to her before I even knew how to play.  She enrolled me in a small guitar class in 1972, and God has strengthened the calling incrementally throughout my life ever since.  I've been inspired by many and continuously trained in the way I should go simply by others giving me a little something of themselves along the way. 

Likewise, my passion for history, though less intense than that for music, has nonetheless been a very rewarding aspect of my childhood and adult life.  My scoutmaster, a Yale history major, used to take our troop to these fascinating sites.  His enthusiasm was contagious.  He loved history, classical music, architecture and the outdoors, and he shared that part of himself with us.  With history, he fanned a flame that was already inside me, and with architecture, the classics (Bach to the Beatles), and the outdoors, he helped uncover interests that just lay below the surface.  The best teachers observe, share, inspire as well as teach.  We don't have to be the expert; we just have to be observant and willing to take the next step.  Mom observed my passion for the guitar, found someone qualified to teach and inspire me, and supported my passion.  My scoutmaster shared his interests with me and helped me discover my common interests...interests that continually make my life richer.

Last weekend, I walked through historic Williamsburg enjoying the fall foliage, studying the colonial architecture, and contemplating Thomas Jefferson's daily activities as a student at nearby William and Mary.  I drove down to Jamestown and Yorktown and shared ground with the likes of Pocahontas, John Rolfe, Generals Washington, Lafayette and Lord Cornwallis.  And, I spent several hours working on my own instrumental arrangement of a favorite hymn.  In short, now that I'm older, I've not departed from the way that I've been trained and inspired...I've embraced it.

As a homeschooler, what better charge can I hope to have than to observe my son's natural gifts, and in obedience to Proverbs 22:6, train him up in the way that God has chosen for him?  By understanding the gift I've been given by others to discover and pursue God's calling in my life, I can now repay the debt, starting with my own children, and what a wonderful place to start...