Obsessive...Compulsive...Direction
I tend to like to learn new things. And when I learn new things I tend to be a bit obsessive about the process. And then if I like what I'm learning I tend to have a compulsion about delving into said subject with even greater gusto. And then my direction (for the time being) is plowing through, nothing wavering and straight on 'til morning.
(I'm pretty sure this is a quality that on some level drives my dear sweet husband nuts...thanks for hanging in there with my honey.) In my defense...I don't think this is necessarily a BAD quality...it can just take those around you by surprise and maybe give them a little whiplash when all the sudden you are 'totally into' something new.
So what is my latest OCD? Blog reading. I blame you...you know who you are...the ones that got me all psyched about this blogging thing anyway. :) Thank you. I've been enjoying myself immensely.
What kind of blogs have you been reading? You ask. Oh this, that, the other...and several on education. If you know me that is a hot topic and has been an OCD of mine with hot and cold moments for years. I have strong opinions on the subject and regularly bore my friends with my ideas. (Thanks for still being my friend...you know who you are.)
My educational philosophy is basic.
'Don't let schooling get in the way of your education'.
I inherited this philosophy from my father. He is an educated and a wise man.
To me, it means...that learning moments are all around us. There is really no time or place that learning cannot occur. Some of these things are 'academic' some are 'lilfe skills' and some are from the school of 'hard knocks'. You would 'think' that certain types of learning might be more likely to occur in a school setting as opposed to a home setting, but that is not always true.
This philosophy is especially important to me because I have 5 kids whom I'm educating. It is my (& that dear sweet husband of mine's) responsibility to ensure they have the 'education' to be successful in the world. I most want my kids to have a LOVE of learning. I think they do. I am especially pleased that this love is being nurtured at school and home this year.
Alot of the blogs I have read are homeschooling blogs. I think blogging is a great way to show the product of learning. It has been very interesting reading these blogs because they have given me lots of ideas. And I LOVE ideas. In a way you could say that our family is a homeschooling family, though perhaps in an untraditional way. Untraditional in that my kids do go to an organized school, traditional because we still try to 'learn' in the moment. I'm guessing that this is not unique to our family but it is a fun way to be. Ideas happen...and when they happen I think you should hold on to them...inspect them....look at them upside down and sideways...then see where they lead.
I love when my kids get an idea and we can go all out and explore all the facets of it. My latest example was with Savanna and Ethan. We are headed to the Grand Canyon in a few weeks as a family...in preparation we have read a bunch of books on the subject, talked about how canyons are made and what erosion is. Savanna can tell you that erosion is caused by wind or water and she is excited to look for the animals that we might see there. I hope that the actual trip will be a bit more exciting now that she knows that the different colors in the rocks are actually different layers...and that in SOME of the layers lie fossils. Fossils sounded pretty dang cool to Savanna.
Savanna made my day while were exploring the Grand Canyon...she said, 'Mom, I love it when you are my teacher.' Man talk about an ego boost. It brought to my mind this quote by
M. Russell Ballard:
"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction. "
DESPITE all those times that the 'moments' where frustrating, challenging or anything BUT shining...isn't it great when that small sunbeam breaks through? THAT is what IT is all about.
5 comments:
Geeze...I am so long winded...that post seriously did not look like a '3' scroll bit when I was writing it.
Amen, sister!
And, Savanna's comment was too cute (about liking you as her teacher).
I like blogs too. For awhile there I was following a beekeeper's blog. Very interesting, I tell you. People do such interesting things.
That was long and interesting. I wish I could be long winded. I have a terrible habit of just getting to the point, but because of that, sometimes my point doesn't make sense.
I loved this post. You eloquently pointed out that we are our children's teachers. They learn more from us then they do at school.
I hope you never wonder why your kids are so intelligent. As Randy Pausch puts it in "The Last Lecture," some kids win the parent lottery and yours won. Not to say your kids aren't awesome, but I think there are far less "gifted" children than there are children that have been gifted with great parents. Ooooh, I should got put that on my blog.
Well said. And well quoted. :)
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