Mission Drift, homeschool style
Saturday 
terribly early in the morning 
Mystie
Elly and I are reading Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning
I appreciate that, as businesses, schools (here and throughout meaning “classical Christian schools”) have clear and defined statements of vision, mission, goals, objectives, and standards. They know where they’re going and they have the route planned out. Now, that’s not impossible to do in a homeschool, but it is unusual and it does seem artificial and awkward. Of course, it’s also possible for a school to not have such statements, or to disregard them or drift away from them. But, speaking in generalities, schools have to communicate to potential families, and so they will define themselves in these concrete ways.
I thought I had several little pestering concerns — none insurmountable or catastrophic — about homeschooling. However, I think they all are actually centered on one fear about homeschooling: living an unstructured, undefined life. Education is an atmosphere, and it is a life. Life — including education — should be holistic. So what keeps nagging me in the back of my mind whenever I concur with these truths? It is a fear that life will just happen, that circumstances will rule, that life will be reactive to chaos instead of measured, purposeful, and intentional. My fear is that each day will slip by, seeming to be full, and 20 years from now I will look back and wonder what the days were full with, because there is no fruit yielded, because it turned out I was only reacting, cleaning up messes, wasting time, then cleaning up the messes that ensued while I refused to pay attention — and thus no viable seeds were sown. Yes, the run-on sentence is intentional; it illustrates the point. I pray that if that situation were to occur, God’s winds would blow some others’ seeds into our household and some volunteers will spring up in due season, but that’s not the plan we’re supposed to rely on.
Schools, by their nature, are routine, structured, intentional; plans are made and executed. Teachers teach because it’s their job. I taught classes while suffering (mild) morning sickness during two pregnancies — because I was being paid, kids showed up, and there were expectations. I sucked it up and met the expectations. Would I do that if it was just everyday life? My own life. My own kids. My own home. No paycheck. No one else to know or care or feel cheated — at least, not in the moment. This is the thought that plagues me, because I know the answer.
Life happens everyday. If I fly by the seat of my pants, taking life as it comes, I know I will be constantly busy with nothing really accomplished. That is my record. And when life takes a breather, I’m likely to take one myself, too.
So, it is taking life one day at a time that makes me nervous, because I know myself. And, yet, making plans, too, makes me nervous because I know myself: I don’t make myself keep my own plans well. It is outside commitment that makes me keep my plans. But there is little to no outside commitment in homeschooling to hold one accountable.
I think it’s important to be intentional, purposeful, in what we undertake to do. While we keep a loose hold on our plans, and submit to God’s providences, we should yet take hold and take dominion of our lives, our projects, our spheres of influence and delegated sovereignty. Adam wasn’t to bask in a self-sustaining garden; God could have wound creation up like clockwork, but instead He delegated responsibility to Adam. Subcreation, as Tolkien called it, includes — I believe — creating routines and structures for time and activities. Planning and executing plans is part of our dominion mandate, the cultural mandate. Entropy is natural law; part of the way God made the world. And too often I let the house run to entropy. How much worse would it be to let the children run to entropy. Housework can get caught up in a day or two with peppy music and three or four cups of coffee. Children — not so much.
So, it is the structure and commitment of a school that most appeals to me. Latin doesn’t scare me. Logic doesn’t scare me. Grammar, writing, literature, history, no problem. Math doesn’t even scare me: there are DVDs, online classes, and local tutors galore. No, it is sticking to the dailiness of it, making a commitment and sticking to it, through thick and thin, that I feel strongly convicted to do. That is what scares me.
And that is the path I take, God helping me.
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Brandy’s related post is an excellent continuation of this conversation: Homeschooling with a Vision.
Hi, I don’t think I’ve commented here before. I’ve been reading (and enjoying) your blog since Andrew Kern’s endorsement at Quiddity.
Anyway, I love that book. There is so much there that is helpful (even for homeschoolers; I think Ch 4 is the only wholly school-related chapter, but it has been a while) My friend and I did a book study on it last year. Christopher Perrin from Classical Academic Press has written a short, practical, and helpful booklet on Classical Ed (their site seems to be down right now or I’d link it). I like that Perrin bridges the gap between SWB’s “Ages and Stages” and Littlejohn & Evans’ “They’re disciplines and anyone who’s telling you otherwise is crazy-wrong.” Dr. Perrin says that it can be both and has some particularly helpful diagrams to explain what he’s saying.
Anyway, all that to say that I whole-heartedly agree that it is the discipline of daily doing school that terrifies me as a homeschooling mom. We’re trying to do 3 days a week right now for K4 and are shamefully not accomplishing it! I don’t know if this is comforting to you to know there’s someone else in the same boat. We will rely on Christ.
Mystie,
I really appreciated this post, and not just for the reason that it has caused me to add a book to my list. :) I hope you don’t mind, but I might endorse and reflect on your post on my blog tomorrow. I really think it is a must-read! I felt particularly convicted when you wrote: “Housework can get caught up in a day or two with peppy music and three or four cups of coffee. Children — not so much.” So true!
Of course that’d be alright, Brandy. :)
Welcome, Dawn. :)
Hey! I just got directed over here from Afterthoughts. I am a homeschool alum, and I just picked up “For the Children’s Sake” to read this morning. =)
We’re starting to think about the future, and it often scares the snot out of me. Why? Because my mom was the uber structured home school mom. I look at myself and worry that I’m not going to be able to do the job she did. I have a great model; but I already see myself falling short. When I was teaching 2-year-old preschool, we did crafts twice a week. Now I have a 2-year-old, and I have craft supplies. Are we crafting? =) It does take a lot to be self disciplined, and the pressure is great on ourselves… Hang in there. I’m hanging with you.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here, but I wanted to give you some reassurance. I’ve been home schooling for 19 years, & no two years have ever been the same. Even in the classical-style home education can be organic enough to meet the needs of the family. It doesn’t have to be super-structured. In fact, that sort of thing can lead to great frustration. Yes, you need to know where you’re going in order to meet your goals & schedules certainly help keep you on track. But you must also be flexible to meet the demands of family life. Babies are born, people get sick, sometimes seriously so, other things happen that make us adapt to the situation. It will be alright. Really. If God has called you to home school your children, He’ll have to give you the wisdom & wherewithal to do that anyway. You might as well trust Him all the way.
There is very little flexibility in a structured school for children who deviate from the “norm.” Some children do fine with that, but others would not. My youngest would not receive a classical education if I were not home schooling him. He would not handle a structured classroom well at all. But because I spend my days educating him in a way he can assimilate the information, he can be well-educated & not feel stupid because other children can spell or learn Latin much faster than he can. I see myself as working hard on something much bigger than myself, even when I am totally frustrated. Blessedly, children manage to learn regardless of our shortcomings. If God wants you teaching your children, He’ll just have to provide, won’t He? There have been many times when I thought I was failing my children & it turned out that God had everything under control–to my surprise!
Don’t forget, this journey is for you, too. This parenthood thing isn’t just you & hubby training your children. It’s changing you as well, often in profound ways.
God bless you as He leads you on the path.
Thank you, Sherry. Your words are wise, and I do completely agree. I was homeschooled, and I know that things do work out.
However, it would be presumptuous and apathetic to simply plan on “things working out” regardless of effort. The picture you paint with your son is not one of sowing to the wind and things working out just fine regardless, but of decisions made in light of his abilities and personalities and purposeful adjustments made accordingly. You have to be paying attention and be purposeful to be flexible in the right way. The claim of “flexible” can also be an excuse for never really doing anything — and there are homeschoolers like that. Yes, someone might get seriously ill, then things have to be adjusted, but can I use a sniffly nose and a grumpy attitude as an excuse not to do school? I think instead I should suck it up and change my attitude and do the right thing.
Most often, the advice of long-time homeschoolers is not to worry. And that is good, because just starting out can be intimidating and worrisome, especially if you’re new to the lifestyle. But the most helpful “advice” I’ve gotten from other homeschoolers is when they give peaks into how their days go, what they plan to do, and how it actually happens. Because you can’t simply “not worry” and “be flexible” alone and still do a good job. A good job takes thought, decisions, and effort to match the situation you are in.
I know even classical education doesn’t have to be very structured, but because actual follow-through is my weakness, that’s the area I need to compensate for myself. I can make plans and visions and buy books all the live-long day. Even yesterday, I wrenched myself off the computer 15 minutes after the boys were ready for school, decided to ad-lib the “school routine” and start with math (because it was time for a new lesson on the dvd, and I didn’t really want to sit down with the books yet). It wasn’t a lost day, but I was fighting myself the whole time and we had more discipline issues than if I had simply done what I had practiced, written down, and *knew* worked best. *That’s* the sort of thing I’m talking about.
Not everyone needs to have structures and plans. Some people are really very good and effective when they ad-lib. I am not one of those people. However, I do hope that if I spend enough time working on self-discipline and being purposeful and sticking to my plans, I will then be able to take the step to being able to change things up with more success.
So, yes, I am looking for this to change me. I hope this is a large enough task with enough at stake to shake me out of my tendency toward order on paper and anarchy in application. Maybe by the end, I’ll actually even enjoy reading aloud. :)
Thank you, Sherry. I hope I don’t come across as arguing with what you said. I am not. I agree with you completely, I just wanted to look at the other side, as well. The way one lady I know put it was “Hold your plans in an open hand.” You can’t not have the plans and just “trust God” while you sit and drink tea and everything falls apart around you, and you also can’t clutch at your plans when God wants to change then or cling to them instead of to Christ.