When I Hear Yo-Yo Ma play Bach, I don't care if he can divide fractions
Homeschooling as a way of helping your children discover what they love at an early age
Last week, my sister said something to me that gave me a new dose of courage where homeschooling is concerned. First of all, she gave me a day home with Randy, and she had all eight of the kids over for the day. I made up my mind in the first few sentences in my journal, crying, soaking in the quiet that I wouldn’t do any cleaning that day. I would just let my heart unwind and do things I loved.
I wrote by hand, typed a few thoughts, listened to Randy working out a new song on the piano, relished the thought that no new messes were currently being made in the house and that I was not going to be interrupted all day long. For fun, I made some basmati rice with coriander, cinnamon, cloves, tumeric, black pepper, ancho chile, and cashews and some spicy lentils and a coconut-lime-tangerine lassi to drink along with it. Randy and I ate together at the kitchen table. We talked.
We took a walk around the neighborhood. The leaves were at their peak colors. It was just a glorious day.
We picked up our children in the early evening and were happy to be back together.
The next day, my sister called and told me that my daughter, Paloma had shown her some of her little handmade dollies and that she had encouraged her to photograph them. She thought they were beautiful and needed to be documented.
We talked a little bit about Paloma, who is 12 years old, and is one of the most creative souls I have ever known. She literally wakes up with her little bag of projects, and almost every blank space in her days are used up drawing, sewing, or making adorable little things out of clay. She has been a gifted artist since she was 4 years old, and is constantly surprising us with the beautiful things she makes. Monica was telling me how she couldn’t imagine what kind of things she would be creating by the time she was an adult. And then she said the words that meant so much to my soul…
“It’s like your kids know what they love and are getting really proficient at their specific giftings at a really young age.”
This is what I long to hear. Isn’t this what education is all about?
When I hear Yo-Yo Ma play Bach on the cello, I do not care if he can divide fractions. I only care that he makes music that nearly stops my heart.
I want my children to know who they are and what they love. I want to lay down a broad foundation for their education, teaching them how to learn, giving them the basic skills necessary for life and lifelong learning, and narrow in as I see a spark light in their eyes and that creative fire start to spark. I want them to know how to pursue an idea, to be led by passion, to know that they bring something to this world that is unique, precious, priceless. I want them to use their voices, their hands, their minds in ways that only they can. I want to give them time to become who they are becoming.
So this week, we listened to that advice and photographed Paloma’s dollies. Here is a sneak peak at three of them. I send these out to you today as a reminder that the little things we do to add beauty to this world matter immensely! May your day be filled with small wonders and simple beauty.
Love,
Mackenzie
I have not read that book. It sounds good, though. My primary influences were Debbie Strayer and Ruth Beechick.
❤️ it! That is definitely another advantage of home education. Peers and teachers in public and private schools all want to push kids into THEIR molds.
But God has his own plans. He places children in families not schools. Wise parents create a nurturing environment where they practice intentional discipleship and then watch expectantly as God reveals what each child has been uniquely designed to do and to be in this world. ❤️
And those dollies are absolutely adorable. They don’t look like they were created by a 12yo. I’ve seen dolls from professional artists that were not nearly as lovely as these.