December 4, 2014
As many of you know by now, this year we made the choice to radically change our lifestyle. We sold almost everything (including our homes) and set out on a new path with a promise to ourselves to live life in the moment every single day. However, this left us with a very scary reality—we would be in charge of our children’s education. It didn’t take long for us to realize that there is a huge difference between sending your kids off to school, helping with occasional homework, to being fully responsible for all they learn day in and day out. It also didn’t take long to realize that by sending our kids to school we had been missing out on a huge portion of their development and growth. Roadschooling has put us face to face with our kids and who they are becoming as individuals.
Both Tyler and Haley have so much potential, but they don’t always see it. It became evident that our focus this year would be beyond teaching them core subjects, we would show them that they are absolutely capable of anything. We finally had the time and energy to pour into them and their interests and they had the time and energy to pursue their interests without any boundaries. The world around them would be their playground and platform of inspiration and we would be their cheerleaders.
Previous to full time travel, they were stuck in the typical routine of go to school, perform well enough to bring home decent grades, and then come home to play video games or whatever they chose to do to escape the mundane routine the rest of the day. This led to no real ambition for any particular hobby or subject. This was the consuming life we all lived with no purpose whatsoever. Going through the motions.
We soon found that with roadschooling, books weren’t necessarily the challenge. The real challenge was for our kids to discover who they were as individuals. What makes them tick? What puts wind in their sails? What do they want out of life? What dreams would they like to fulfill? What kinds of things do they want to learn about? How do they want to make their mark in the world? No longer are we teaching them basic skills at age 11 and 13, we are presented with a much harder job as they wander through the most pivotal time of their lives—middle school. As parents, we are their main support as they blossom into young adults. As daunting as it may seem, we realized that we were the guides they are looking to as they grow and develop. No pressure, but we are teaching them how to lead their very own lives and fulfill their dreams. During our travels it has become obvious that this might be a bigger and much more important task than teaching them Algebra or History. At what point did they go from being precious little children to growing into young adults? So this is our new challenge, one that we openly embrace as parents. We, (not a school, a teacher, a relative or anyone else), WE alone are responsible for molding our kids into independent thinkers who are self-motivated, filled with hope and have confidence to pursue their passions.
Roadschooling has enabled us to reach an entirely new caliber of learning, but not the core curriculum kind. It goes way beyond books. Our growing teen and tween are learning about who they are, their passions, how interesting learning really can be through real life living. This type of life opens up hands on learning, where we are all learning things together about our country’s history, science, influential historical figures, economics, agriculture, charitable organizations…you name it we are learning about it! Through our time roadschooling, we hope that the one major thing our kids learn is that they can accomplish anything they choose. If they see a need in the world, THEY can solve the problem or address the need. If they don't, who will? We are cheering them on to reach beyond their wildest dreams. They are brilliant and capable of anything they choose. And that, my friends, they won’t learn in a book.
School doesn’t always offer an environment that keeps a child intrigued or nurtures his or her talents or natural abilities. It is kind of a one-size-fits-all of required subjects that you either pass or fail. Is it really about learning at all? It seemed to us that school was teaching them to jump through the necessary hoops to graduate. It wasn't about learning all they wanted to learn or molding them into the distinct individuals they are. It felt more like we were putting them through a factory where they needed to fit into a particular mold. Tyler and Haley are both very different in their learning styles. The classroom isn’t geared toward each child’s unique passion for learning or the innate curiosity that a child naturally holds. Our kids aren’t merely lemmings trying to pass a grade or measure up to some invisible standard society sets, they are creative young minds eager to learn. We don’t want them to be bound by the mentality that there are boundaries to learning. There are no boundaries to learning or what someone can achieve. We don’t want anything suppressing their creativity and individuality. What should they learn, you may ask? Anything their heart desires! This new freedom is something we are all getting used to every day. Roadschooling is anything but acquiring a grade. It’s about an environment where there is no distinction of where learning ends and living begins. Everything in life is a learning process that is used to cultivate who we are as individuals. Learning should be a choice not a demand. Life should be a journey not a destination.
In roadschooling, above all, we want them to realize that the sky is the limit and to embrace this life that God has given us with everything inside of them. Our message to them is to live a life fueled by love, to always strive for excellence in everything and never be scared to live outside the boundaries society sets. Life is bigger than that.
No comments:
Post a Comment