A Typical Homeschool Day--Part I

Back when I started this blog, I thought it would be nice to describe a typical school day, but there were other, more interesting, picture-related things to share, so I left that thought for another time--like now. From January to Easter our family life is generally very quiet with very few events to record so these thoughts won't be competing with cute pictures.

Why homeschool?

"Right now our family is in a state of crisis. We are defined at least in part by what we do not have. We do not have our house, we do not have our baby, we do not have the books and materials we have accumulated over several years. Nothing is status quo right now. …The ideal Charlotte Mason education and the ideal Charlotte Mason educator seem as far away as the moon. So once again, what is our goal in homeschooling? …if we are homeschooling our children because we want to raise saints, we can take comfort in the fact that God blesses us in our deprivations as well as in our abundances…. A family is uniquely suited to sanctify its members- That’s why I am homeschooling. Because I want our family to meet in heaven someday, and I think we have a better shot at it if we journey together as much as possible."

--Willa Ryan on living with her family 3 hours from home to be near her infant son who was awaiting a liver transplant

When I started to think about describing a typical homeschool day, I realized that it wouldn't be as meaningful without understanding our curriculum. And to know why we chose the curriculum we use, you would need to understand why we homeschool to begin with.

I think most people think that homeschoolers are opting out of the school system as a reaction against something they perceive being wrong with it. I think in the beginning that was true for me, but it hasn't been a primary reason--or really even a consideration beyond hearing something bad and thinking, "I'm glad we don't have to deal with that."--for a long time. Instead, I have come to wonder if there is some reason that I should put the kids in a traditional setting, i.e., is there something essential that they are missing by being at home? What is the goal of education?

You might think that the goal of education is to assure someone of getting a good job so they can have a secure future. But is having a good job the point of our life? What is a secure future?

Willa, a woman I know online, and Laura Berquist who is the designer of our curriculum reminded me that a secure future is only found in the next world. The Baltimore Catechism says that "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next." I agree, and therefore think that everything I or Bill or the children do should be ordered toward achieving those ends. (Not everything is, but that is our goal.) I believe it is easier to make our journey's goal of Heaven clear by having the children learning at home. Just from rereading what I've shared since I started this blog has shown me how integrated our faith is into our day to day lives. Our faith is essential, more important than anything else, and the kids are guaranteed to live it at home. And I believe they get it in a better way than they could in public or even Catholic schools.

I also believe they can still get an education which will enable them to get good jobs in this world and be socially functional human beings too. And those beliefs then lead me to wonder what style of education is best....