7. Reason Exposed

He sat patient and engaged. He smiled in adoration as tears welled up in my eyes. It's a thing I do. When emotion stirs within me a part of me exudes the happiness that the English vocabulary can't describe.

For a whole hour my husband hung on my every word as I described the previous three weeks of our first year of homeschooling. From explaining that feeling you get when you witness your child finally comprehend the trick to making a complete sentence to describing the enthusiasm another child had at receiving their first wild blue ticket, these are the things that make it all worth it. It's the fuel that keeps a teacher/mother moving.

Dr. "J" asked a series of questions to the ol' quartet during their yearly check-up last week. At finding out we were now homeschooling she asked me, "How do you like it?" Rather than looking her in the eye with a matter-of-fact reply, I looked in the eyes of my four children and said, "I absolutely love it". This heartfelt response must have moved them because I could see the look of one in particular that said, "We love it too, Mom."

Within 3 weeks we have reviewed what they ought to have learned in public school the previous year. To my disappointment I have learned that a couple of them need more review. This does not concern me. Learning is a goal-directed act. It involves combining different types of information. As their learning coach it is my God-given responsibility to guide them in understanding that information.

To educate means “to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession.” A balanced education should help us (1) to read well, (2) to write clearly, (3) to develop mentally and morally, and (4) to acquire the practical training needed for day-to-day living. These are my personal goals as my children's learning coach.

I recently read someone say, "Getting an education is one of the best things you, as a younger person, can do for yourself to ensure you lead a better, more fulfilling and prosperous life." I agree 100% by this. However, who gets to determine what defines "fulfilling" or "prosperous"? The world? We see what the world is doing? It's deteriorating, falling apart, becoming morally borderless. I encourage my children to decide for themselves while I train them to have high regard for moral value and to keep their standards unmovable. After all  they are children training to be adults one day. 

What kind of adult do I want to see my children become? It will be their mental attitude that determines their future. With that thought, I know what sort of learning coach/parent I choose to be.