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Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing. Camille Pissarro

Home > Homeschooling from Freedom (instead of fear)

Homeschooling from Freedom (instead of fear)

8 November 2021

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Homeschooling from Freedom (instead of fear) - ahumbleplace.com

I remember very clearly a conversation I had several years ago, just after church. It was a warm, sunny day, and I was making my way to the car when I ran into another mom who attended our church. We weren’t particularly close, but as the only two homeschooling moms in the church, we always found time to chat after the service.

She was going to the later service that day because she had just returned from a homeschooling convention held up in Denver. I asked her how it went, and she said it was good and that she had learned some new things, but she hadn’t cared for some of the talks that were given. I asked her why and she said they focused too much on fear.

I did a little double-take because I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. To what kind of fear was she referring?

“They said a lot of things that implied the main reason to homeschool is because you’re just afraid of sending your kids to public school. I don’t agree with that.”

We chatted a bit longer and said our goodbyes before parting ways. I climbed into my car with her words running around in my head, and the entire drive home, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she had said.

Homeschooling because you’re afraid of sending your kids to public school is a bad thing?

I spent grades one through six in three different public schools, and my husband graduated from public school, so we are familiar with how they operate. While the experiences we had weren’t exactly the same, we both had enough negative experiences (a lot of bullying for me and, what my husband feels was, a subpar education for him) to cause us to pause when it was time for us to enroll our son in kindergarten. I was very willing to homeschool, and so that’s what we did. When we told people we homeschooled, though, we always added the caveat that we would reevaluate this decision every year and send him to public school if we felt it was a better option. In some ways, our early days of homeschooling felt like a holding pattern while we waited to descend onto the runway that is public school.

Until I had that conversation with my church friend, I assumed that everyone who homeschooled did so because they were afraid of sending their kids to public school. Whether that was a fear of their kids being taught in ways that did not align with their beliefs, bullying, a “subpar education,” or whatever the reason was, I thought the consensus was that public schools can be various forms of “scary.” Homeschooling is the safer alternative. So why was this a bad thing?

This thought swam around in my head for a long time, and I mulled it over often. Homeschooling from fear is a bad thing. We should not homeschool because we are afraid. We should homeschool because…..

And my mind got stuck there.

It wasn’t until a year or two later, after we had been traveling this homeschool journey for a little longer, that I finally realized what she meant.

We don’t homeschool because we’re afraid. We homeschool because we are confident that it’s the better path for our family.

We can vilify the public school system all day long (as we homeschoolers are often vilified by the general public as well), but until we come up with a good “why” that doesn’t primarily have to do with how bad we think public schools are, we aren’t homeschooling out of a place of freedom. We are homeschooling out of a place of fear.

I understand that most people homeschool because there is something about public schools that they disagree with or flat-out dislike. But there is a difference between simply being afraid of what will happen to your kids if they go to public school versus looking at how kids are taught in public schools, what they’re taught, and the big one for us: why they’re taught, and knowing that that’s not what we want for our own kids. We don’t fear those things, but rather, we know that there is an alternative that is better for our family.

And there is freedom in that.

Admittedly, the first few years we homeschooled, I was kind of embarrassed by it. As I hinted at above with my caveat about our son potentially going to public school some day, I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that we chose this path. Part of it was that I knew people would think it was weird and would most likely judge us, but there was also the chance this choice of ours might cause offense because if public school is good enough for the kids of whomever I happened to be talking to, then why wasn’t it good enough for mine? I avoided going to the store or library even after finishing our school day at noon because I didn’t want to be questioned about why my kids weren’t in school. What will I say? How will they respond when I tell them that we homeschool? How will I prove to these complete strangers whom I owe nothing that my kids are learning?

That was part of the fear factor for me. I wasn’t homeschooling because I was confident it was the better path. I was homeschooling because I couldn’t comprehend my six-year-old, sensitive son navigating the world of public school. And in that, I was saying, “Well, yes, public school is where most kids go, and I know it’s the ‘normal’ thing to do, and maybe someday we’ll do that too when he’s a little older, but we’re going to do this other thing for now and please don’t judge me for that.”

But the conversation with my church friend, the subsequent mulling over it, and the experience of a few more years of homeschooling changed my view. Since I started homeschooling from a place of freedom instead of fear, what others may think about this non-traditional choice of ours doesn’t phase me anymore. What might cross the minds of friends and family or even random strangers at the places we visit in the middle of the day on a Tuesday doesn’t enter my mind. I obviously don’t want to cause offense, but I also know I need to follow the path that’s right for our family regardless of how others take that choice, and I am now confident in that decision.

While I can’t say that my kids will never go to public or private school because life is fluid and we need to stay flexible, this is the plan for the foreseeable future. Now, when I tell people we homeschool, I don’t qualify it with a caveat and hope they won’t judge me. I say it with confidence. I say it with pride. I am proud that we homeschool. I am glad that we homeschool. I am thankful that we homeschool.

Homeschooling out of freedom is far better than homeschooling out of fear.

So why do we homeschool?

The advantages of homeschooling vary with different families. The reasons for our family are numerous, ranging from our worldviews to how and why we want our kids to be taught, but my very favorite part of homeschooling is that I get to be with my kids each and every day. No, it is absolutely 100% not easy and often very hard, but it is also absolutely 100% worth it to me. I cherish this time and am genuinely thankful for the myriad ways it allows me to know them better and experience life with them.

I also get to go on the journey of education with them. I mentioned once on Instagram that homeschooling sometimes feels like being on a very long cruise that visits ports in different times and different places, experiencing a little bit of that age and location for a short amount of time before moving on to the next destination. And that’s what I feel like we’re doing each and every day. We read rich, living books and experience the stories of history and great literature together. Those are shared experiences that I wouldn’t give up for anything.

Finally, one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling for me can be summed up in this quote from John Taylor Gatto, a former NYC public school teacher who said:

Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges; it should allow you to find values which will be your roadmap through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.

John Taylor Gatto, “Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling”

I do not want my kids to go through school thinking it’s only so they can pass the test, someday get a job, conform to “normal,” and become Productive Members of Society. That should not be the purpose of their education. I want them to be people who love to learn, who know how to learn, and who aren’t afraid of choosing the path less taken.

This is why we are confident in choosing to homeschool. This is the better path for us.

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Hello! I'm Rebecca. Wife to E, homeschooling mother to B and C, and currently living in Colorado. I have a degree in art history and find joy in being able to offer art-related resources to homeschooling families as well as a gentle, Charlotte Mason-Inspired Kindergarten Curriculum. I also share our own homeschooling journey in the hope that it can be a help to others! Read More…

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The Park Service does have a page with a list of Junior Ranger programs at different parks, but in the past, it has not been complete, and I like to see them broken down by state and region. So this week on the blog, I thought I'd offer a list of all the Junior Ranger programs at parks in the Western region, which includes Arizona, California, and Nevada. I'm also including an interactive map so you can figure out which ones are closest to you. If you happen to be taking a vacation this summer in any of these states, I highly recommend stopping at a park to earn a badge!​​​​​​​​
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You can find the list at the link in my profile!
"It is well that we should choose our authors with "It is well that we should choose our authors with judgment, as we choose our friends, and then wait upon them respectfully to hear what they have to say to us" (Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education). One of my favorite CM quotes. 😊​​​​​​​​
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Patreon friends, your monthly printables are ready!​​​​​​​​
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I like to revisit this entire quote in Home Education every so often because what she said was true in 1886 is also acutely accurate today: we are an overwrought generation. And it feels that each successive generation is becoming more so. I know that when I feel overwhelmed and think there is no time for a hike or a walk or even some time out in the backyard with my feet in the grass, that is precisely when I need those things the most. I have experienced firsthand the calming effects of being out in nature, away from screens and radios and all the distractions this world shoves in our faces. I think her suggestion for a new rule of life is an excellent one.​​​​​​​​
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This has become my favorite hiking shirt, and it's available in my shop! You can find it at the link in my profile!​​​​​​​​
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#charlottemason #charlottemasonquotes #homeschoollife #homeschoolingfamily #homeschoolgear #charlottemasonhomeschool #charlottemasoneducation"
"Musical Appreciation, of course, has nothing to d "Musical Appreciation, of course, has nothing to do with playing the piano. It used to be thought that 'learning music' must mean this, and it was supposed that children who had no talent for playing were unmusical and would not like concerts. But Musical Appreciation had no more to do with playing an instrument than acting had to do with an appreciation of Shakespeare, or painting with enjoyment of pictures. I think that all children should take Musical Appreciation and not only the musical ones, for it has been proved that only three per cent of children are what is called 'tone-deaf'; and if they are taken at an early age it is astonishing how children who appear to be without ear, develop it and are able to enjoy listening to music with understanding." Charlotte Mason (Philosophy of Education)​​​​​​​​
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#charlottemason #charlottemasonhomeschool #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonmusic #charlottemasoncomposerstudy #composerstudy
If Vincent van Gogh had what he considered a "happ If Vincent van Gogh had what he considered a "happy place," this bedroom in the yellow house at Arles was one of them. About it he wrote in 1888: “This time it’s simply my bedroom, but the colour has to do the job here, and through its being simplified by giving a grander style to things, to be suggestive here of rest or of sleep in general. In short, looking at the painting should rest the mind, or rather, the imagination.​​​​​​​​
The walls are of a pale violet. The floor — is of red tiles.​​​​​​​​
The bedstead and the chairs are fresh butter yellow.​​​​​​​​
The sheet and the pillows very bright lemon green. The blanket scarlet red.​​​​​​​​
The window green.​​​​​​​​
The dressing table orange, the basin blue.​​​​​​​​
The doors lilac.​​​​​​​​
And that’s all — nothing in this bedroom, with its shutters closed.​​​​​​​​
The solidity of the furniture should also now express unshakeable repose. Portraits on the wall, and a mirror and a hand-towel and some clothes.​​​​​​​​
The frame — as there’s no white in the painting — will be white.”​​​​​​​​
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After he left Arles and admitted himself to an asylum in 1889, he revisited this room in his imagination and repainted it two more times.​​​​​​​​
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I made a picture study video walking through this piece a few years ago that you can find at the link in my profile. I also have a Vincent van Gogh Picture Study Aid and art prints available there as well!​​​​​​​​
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#charlottemason #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonhomeschool #charlottemasonpicturestudy #picturestudy #arthistoryforhomeschoolers #homeschoolarthistory #homeschool #homeschooling
Sealed into an album somewhere in my house is a ph Sealed into an album somewhere in my house is a photograph of an art gallery wall. In the middle of this gold-toned wall is a tiny rectangle with the barely-discernible image of a woman enclosed in it. She is behind thick glass, and her green-hued features are difficult to see in detail at such a distance. However, the lack of proximity is explained by the sea of people in the bottom part of the photograph. Even at that distance, however, her unmistakable form is easily recognized.
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This was as close as I got when I visited the Louvre 23 years ago to a Leonardo da Vinci original. The oft-professed "most famous painting in the world." La Giaconda. The Mona Lisa.
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I would honestly love to see more of his pieces. The only one in all of the Americas is Ginevra de' Benci's pale face at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. I have read in various places, and believe entirely based on what I've seen with paintings by other artists, that reproductions can not even remotely give his originals justice. There is something about experiencing a piece in person, not only the true colors with my own eyes but seeing the brushstrokes. The fingerprints. The work itself.
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Leonardo himself was the ultimate tortured genius, and this is part of what I truly appreciate about him: the frenetic pace of his mind. He moved from one project to another project, from one medium to another medium, from one study to another study, from one city to another city. He was so consumed by the myriad paths his mind traveled that many of his pieces were unfinished. Aside from the creations we have in his journals, had he been gifted with more regular patrons or even a little more self-discipline, it's incredible to think about the things he may have accomplished.
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Today I'm excited to announce that I am now offering a Leonardo da Vinci Picture Study Aid and art prints! You can find it at the link in my profile!
A month or two ago, I posted about how I've been a A month or two ago, I posted about how I've been adding more recipes from Nourishing Traditions to my meal plan lately. It's a book I've had for over a decade now, but there are still so many recipes I haven't tried.​​​​​​​​
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In that same post, a few of you asked what some of my favorite recipes from that book are and I tried to list them in the comments, but I don't think IG liked how long it was. 🥴 So, I'm replying with pictures of the tried-and-true recipes we've been using from Nourishing Traditions for several years!​​​​​​​​
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Today's is breakfast. Clockwise from the left we have homemade yog(h)urt (p. 85) which is what my kids get with their breakfast. We top it with honey from a local beekeeper for the added seasonal allergy benefits. On the top is milk kefir (p. 86) which is what I have with my breakfast or first thing in the morning if it'll be a while before we have breakfast. For both of these, I use vat-pasteurized milk (Kalona Supernatural Whole Milk) because our raw milk is pretty expensive and the yogurt is being heated anyway. (I do have a recipe for raw milk yogurt on my website if you're interested in that too!)​​​​​​​​
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On the bottom is oatmeal (p. 455). I soak this in water and a little kefir overnight in our microwave which is above our stove and stays nice and warm from the stove surface light. In the morning, I dump it all in a pan, cook it until it's thick, add a pat of butter and 1 tb of ground flax seeds and mix it together until the butter melts. I then scoop it into bowls and add more butter, then everyone can add however much cinnamon or maple syrup they want.​​​​​​​​
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This isn't all we have with breakfast, but these are the specific recipes from Nourishing Traditions that we have nearly every day!​​​​​​​​
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#nourishingtraditions #westonaprice #wapf
I am a firm believer that the kindergarten year sh I am a firm believer that the kindergarten year should not be complicated. In fact, there is a lot of evidence that suggests taking a "better late than early" approach to beginning more formal lessons with your kids is more beneficial to them than starting too early. (I linked to a post on my website about this last month with the studies I found, but it's back up at the link in my profile if you're interested in reading it!)​​​​​​​​
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You’ve probably heard the saying that childhood is not a race, and this is especially true for kindergarten. Children at this age don’t need worksheets, flashcards, and standardized tests, they need unstructured time (especially outside!), open-ended toys, art supplies, and good books read to them. They need to be allowed to take in the world in their own ways. They need to be allowed to be little kids for a little while longer.​​​​​​​​
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With all this in mind, I feel like we kind of need a kindergarten revolution to break away from the idea that we have to do "all the things" during the kindergarten year. If you're interested in how simple it can be, I have a printable book list available on my website to help you build your own kindergarten year! You can find it at the link in my profile!​​​​​​​​
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(Also, the 2022-2023 Charlotte Mason-Inspired Kindergarten Curriculum is back in stock! Those on the waitlist should've received an email notification. You can also find it at the link in my profile!)​​​​​​​​
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#charlottemason #charlottemasonhomeschool #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonkindergarten #cminspiredkindergarten #homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolingkindergarten #kindergartenhomeschool
"...we know that the human hand is a wonderful and "...we know that the human hand is a wonderful and exquisite instrument to be used in a hundred movements exacting delicacy, direction and force; every such movement is a cause of joy as it leads to the pleasure of execution and the triumph of success. We begin to understand this and make some efforts to train the young in the deft handling of tools and the practice of handicrafts. Some day, perhaps, we shall see apprenticeship to trades revived, and good and beautiful work enforced. In so far, we are laying ourselves out to secure that each shall 'live his life'; and that, not at his neighbour's expense; because, so wonderful is the economy of the world that when a man really lives his life he benefits his neighbour as well as himself; we all thrive in the well-being of each." Charlotte Mason (Philosophy of Education)​​​​​​​​
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I love, love, love this quote, especially the last part...."not at his neighbor's expense." ❤️​​​​​​​​
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Continuing with the series I started in April going over our favorite resources for Charlotte Mason homeschooling, this week I wrote about art (a subject dear to my heart!) and handicrafts! You can find read all about it at the link in my profile!​​​​​​​​
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#charlottemason #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonhomeschool #picturestudy #handicrafts #homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolhandicrafts

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