The two cars ahead of me had an interesting exchange at the stop light. The car on the right frantically tried to get the attention of the car on the left. I didn’t understand why at first, but when the driver was finally successful, I saw the reason. There on top of the left car was a plastic bin of what looked like to be markers. Imagine if the light had changed and off the car had sped. From the roof would have launched colorful projectiles in all directions! But the driver was alerted and Crayola disaster was averted.
Watching this unfold, I chuckled to myself remembering a similar incident. Only my rooftop amnesia was not realized until after the fact. I had set a plate of baked chicken on top of the van while hurrying to load the five kids to go to church. This was during the days of 4 carseats and 1 booster – everyone had to be strapped and buckled with the help of an adult, namely me. I was likely running late (punctuality was a battle during those days. Who am I kidding??!! It still is!!) and in my rush I forgot all about the plate of chicken atop the van. Completely forgot. Didn’t even cross my mind again. Until a gentleman AFTER church took me aside and with solemn tone said, “There is a chicken leg on top of your van.” Sure enough! The only thing left of the plate of chicken was one solitary leg that had defied the laws of physics and somehow remained on its perch.
Hey, it happens! It’s easy to forget things when we’re in a hurry.
Yes, homeschool allows families to function at a different pace. Yes, it’s usually a more laid back pace. Yet for many families there is a demanding sense of needing to get everyone from academic Point A to Point B. That urgency of needing to cross the finish line with the math curriculum can cause us to forget that following a recipe is a great lesson in applied math. The rush to master spelling and grammar rules can make us feel there is no time for creative writing for pleasure. Checking off science concepts like passing mile markers robs our kids of the opportunity to ask, “What if . . . “ A race to memorize history dates can make the discussion of the cause of those events slide right off the . . . roof??!
One of the best things homeschool has going for it is time. Time to explore, time to think, time to read, time to discuss, time to write.
Don’t forget that as you’re buckling up your little ones for another day of full-throttle learning!
Copyright © 2014 J. Hoffman / Global Student Network
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com