lifeschooling

The somewhat impulsive decision to spend the winter simply basking in places warm necessitated breaking our ten year old’s successful relationship with public education. We are now a homeschooling family. There are better titles, though. One is that we are Worldschooling. Another is Unschooling. What am I trying to tell you? No, the school didn’t provide us with a curriculum. No, we didn’t sign up for one, either. We are going it alone.


My friends are a pretty open-minded bunch, and I’ve been struck by their supportive yet curious questions. I can tell that folks just don’t get how this works and are genuinely confused and perhaps concerned as to how we will “keep up with the school and not miss anything”. I’ll take a moment to address this here, hopefully put some concerns to rest and perhaps spark some new ones ; )


Today wasn’t a stellar academic day. He read a few chapters from this week's fictional choice and completed a few pages of math in the workbook he was using back at school. He listened to his Myths and Legends podcast. Watched an online course. Listened to a book—sci fi, his favorite. Other than that, the day consisted of a bike ride into town in the morning and a trip to the beach in the afternoon, which largely sounds like a day off. Not so. While at the beach I started considering the day. Teaching objectives are supposed to be measurable. So here we go:


By the end of the day the learner will be able to…

…demonstrate the ability to multiply and divide fractions (check)
…compare contemporary young adult fiction with classic mythology (in progress)
…describe basic aspects of life during the Roman Empire (he’s watching a college course on this so double check)


Ok, so that’s not so bad. Some things were accomplished there. Now what can I do with the tooling around part of the morning…


By the end of the day the learner will be able to…

…list factors that impact real estate values (he has become a student of real estate during our travels)
…describe ways in which state and local taxes impact school systems and communities 
…demonstrate the ability to navigate safely through a town by bicycle


Next came the beach, and we had so much fun!!! Really, too much fun. Now here’s the great part. I realized that this afternoon’s experiences were the most important lessons of our entire winter! And they are completely immeasurable, so I will list them with apologies to my professors at Boston University’s School of Education:


By the end of the winter the learner will be able to…

…remember a time in his life when every single day was designed for making memories and hopefully strive to maintain that approach to life.

…have quality experiences of sharing and laughing together that will exist no matter what happens next. Magical memories have been made and cannot be undone.

…spend lengthy periods of time sifting through shells, searching for treasure. Recognizing that sometimes the ones that are marked and broken can seem the most valuable. Everything can be treasure—It all depends on which angle you consider it from.

…instantly relate to and befriend people very different from his typical friends at home. People of all ages, all faiths, all political beliefs. Engage with them, share experiences with them, and genuinely enjoy them.


Over-arching the above is the most important take-home of this whole adventure: That life can be hard for a very long time, and can still be wonderful again. That life can be wonderful even while being challenging. And that nothing—nothing—can keep joy from you if you choose it. 

...after all, if not for our challenges of the past few years, we never would have broken the norm and made this trip. Do you know who pointed this out to me? This ten year old boy. You know, the learner--

So might he end his year on a different page in math or spelling less words? Absolutely. Do I consider this homeschooling decision to be worth those differences? You bet. This is so much more than homeschooling. This is Lifeschooling. I think he’ll be ok ; )