For The Sake of Trees...and Learning

“Education is a system of imposed ignorance.” 

― Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

  Koala and Bug, my littlest littles are not so little anymore. Finn will be three in 4 months and I will be officially without a baby (or a toddler for that matter.) The more time that passes in this school year the more happy I am with our decision to homeschool. I didn't really believe I would feel this way - I thought I would be ready to pull my hair out and to throw in the towel. Me? Capable of actually teaching children to read and write and add and subtract...and learn about planets and plants and stars and volcanoes and kangaroos and the government?! Well, looks like I can because ....shhhh...it's a secret...they kind of teach themselves. Yep...that's my secret. Shocker. Being relaxed seems to be working for now ... and really, everyday in life there are opportunities to learn - it doesn't have to come from a book.

For Instance....

 Finding a man up in a tree with a chainsaw. As if North Aurora had too many trees or something - ,yah, they took it down. No, they didn't just trim off the dead branches. Just one less blooming tree in spring, less shade in summer, no more orange leaves across from my back porch in fall - one less tree.
    Now, I'm not a tree expert but I have done my fair share in helping to load firewood...which included going with my entire family into the woods, my dad with chainsaw in hand....and he would walk around until he found a dead tree...timber!!!!...and we would all help load up the logs in the back of the truck. This tree they cut down was not dead. So... a lovely lesson in why we needs trees, why we love trees...why the city may have felt that the tree was unsafe (we've been having pretty strong winds today) and then, alas, why if we're going to climb that high up in a tree, why we should be harnessed with a helmet on. I'll save the chainsaw lessons for another day - currently we are just learning how to properly hold a knife. :)

“I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays and have things arranged for them that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas.” 
― Agatha Christie, An Autobiography

 Watching my kids climbing in the backyard today, playing tag ... having them "help" me with chores, making our beds together, sitting at the table and enjoying our lunch and good conversation made me feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. It's not always perfect, I often feel isolated and when I give into self pity instead of thankfulness...I feel just a smidge "unimportant" in the grand scheme of the things. But, really, what a wonderful gift that I get to watch my kids be kids, that they truly need me and want me ... and teach me on a daily basis.

“There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Now..just to own the  "virtuous" part....

Hope your Monday was lovely,

~* Alyssa Spring *~