After much talk and thought on the matter - my husband and I (well - more me) have decided to homeschool our two children. It is not for religious reasons or that we think teachers don't know what they are doing. Far from it. I have two very good friends who are school teachers and I know they are intelligent and thoughtful people who give their all to the children they teach. The reason is because I feel that those same amazing teachers are being forced to not teach but test.
Everything leads to the test. The test - the test - the test.
Education is not to fill the pail - but rather to light the fire - Yeats (I believe) My new mission is to light the fire. I want my children to see the world as a huge classroom. I do not want the learning to stop once they leave the classroom. I want them to read a great novel and really enjoy it - not just try to guess what questions will be on a test. I want them to do tangrams because they are fun and cool. I want them to be curious about the reproductive system of a cricket because we have a whole bunch of them in the backyard. I want so much for them to be amazed and curious and to never be jaded.
For this mission - I will smile politely when people look at me as if I have lost my mind and then question my ability to instruct. I have my bachelors in English Lit and I was a graphic artist. Does this give me license to teach? I'm not sure. But I do have a never ending well of love for my children who I think are two of the most amazing people in the world. And I do not have fifteen other kids to keep occupied while I explain the difference between a noun and a pronoun to my son.
For the longest time I looked at being a mother as the hardest and yet most rewarding job I have ever had. I think I might just trump that on this journey. I will share my journey with anyone who would like to read. Would you like to come?
