Simple Home Schooling: Starting a Journey

 I was listening to a podcast by Carey Nieuwhof with Joshua Becker, and in this interview Joshua shares the thing he has observed, and that was observed in the study he sites, that people usually don't try to solve situations by taking things away, but rather by adding more. This is how I have always done things, until recently. I began to see how adding things was taking away from what was needful, and understanding the parable of Jesus when he says the man who builds a bigger barn to hold more than he needs if a fool. I'd like to share the particular experience I've had with home school.

When my husband and I moved forward unified in the desire to home school our children, I dove in to find the perfect curriculum and became quickly overwhelmed. I realized overtime the reason for the overwhelm was because of asking the wrong question. The question should not have been, "Which curriculum should we use in our home school." The better questions were:

What is the point of education?

How does one achieve an education?

What is necessary in a learning environment?

How do I ignite and keep the fire of learning burning within my children?

My husband came across a resource, a book called "A Thomas Jefferson Education," which helped us begin an understanding of what education is, whos responsibility it is, how to establish an environment which encourages learning, ect. This resource started us on the path to finding a groove in our home, based in the foundational questions.

This, combined with the draw I had already been feeling toward simple living, I stripped our homeschooling way down. I went to the Lord and asked what to do, and he affirmed to me to focus on what matters most, and the rest will work it's self out much more easily. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Luke 12:31)

We read bible stories. We read stories from the Book of Mormon. We read stories of Christ. We quote scripture. We talk about how God created the grass we play on, the mountains we gaze at, the trees we climb, the squirrel in our park, the berries we forage, the garden we grow, the neighbors we have. We are learning about God, and about his creations. We are learning about the big picture. Why we are here. What life is all about.

It has been so fun to see the growth which is occurring. It is also fascinating to see what happens when I take my focus (as the mother, home maker, and home schooler) off of what matters most, everything feels a little out of balance, and we as a family are off kilter.

I can not explain how simple life feels when we are making choices based in what we know is right. When I do what matters most first, I do not feel behind. When I do what matters most, all of a sudden I feel space, and breath, and extra time to do other things. More time than I ever though I had. When I do what matters most, there is space, and peace, and rest, even in all our many doings of learning.