Buried treasures

Dear friend,

Summer is flying by!

I often refer homeschooling as a journey, or an adventure. Why is that?

Because you just can’t see the whole experience until you live it.

(We can’t go under it. We can’t go over it. Oh no. We have to go through it.*)

You can think about your destination, how you want to get there, and what you might do along the way, but if you try to plan and manage every last detail, you’ll be missing the point.

When you set off on an adventure, you don’t know everything that will come your way. You can’t foresee all the mishaps and sticky spots and delays. You don’t know when there will be exciting surprises and detours that are worth your time.

An exacting itinerary can hold you back from a meaningful adventure. An overly strict timetable keeps you from paying attention to the sights, sounds, and life all around you.

On your homeschooling journey, I encourage you to pay attention to the living, breathing moments of each day.

What are the little moments of connection, the sparks of learning, the unexpected conversations?

What are the unanticipated interests, the growing strengths and capacities?

When does everything flow easily and freely, and where do you keep getting stuck in the mud?

How is your child becoming more himself day by day, and how are you?

To teach is to form a living relationship to your student and to your subject matter.

So please, do not draw up a plan, lay it down in concrete, dig trenches around it, and set yourself up as guard.

Instead, draw up a beautiful and exciting map. A good plan is a treasure map!

You are the adult, you have the curriculum in front of you, you know about all these buried treasures along the way. You can’t wait to show them to your child! Yes!

But your child is also good at finding buried treasure that you didn’t even know was there. You and your child together will make new discoveries.

Sometimes you might see a shortcut and decide it makes sense to take it.

Sometimes you’re enjoying the path you’re on so much, you aren’t ready to take the next turn yet, so you dawdle.

Sometimes you see a trail to a hidden overlook, and it’s worth the time to go and enjoy it.

So draw up your beautiful treasure map. Get excited to uncover the buried treasures along the way.

Lead your child on this adventure, but don’t be afraid to let her lead sometimes, too.

Take breaks as needed, because it’s a long hike! Shorten, dawdle, and extend as you go. Delight in sharing stories and lessons with your child, and in what she teaches you, too!

I hope that you will love your homeschool adventure, through all the ups and downs, and look back fondly on these special years.

Remember, connection first.

All my best,

Kelly

*You know this story, right? "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," a must-read if you have little ones!