Pondering the Homeschool

After twenty plus weeks of running a school year of busy-ness and newness we are all a little jaded. Its been a big step up. for some of my children a struggle to focus on learning not playing at learning. We dived into the Veritas Press history and bible curriculum, and I have to say that in so many ways I love the ideas that this curiculum pulls together. I love the cross over in thoughts and ideas, the reformed basis to the questions. The pondering.

But its busy. Our days struggle to find a balance of learning and growing. The space to stop and think and enjoy is lost in acquiring facts, getting it write, finding the next part of the equation. The worksheets give nuances at times that the kids miss on their own. So do the discussions in omnibus. But in the business there isn't room to grow together and enjoy the beauty. 

I've enjoyed this morning looking at this post and seeing the possibilities..journaling reflecting processing.  When we went through Bible college the information in its own was good but there was always a sense of so what, what does this mean in our lives, what are we really learning. In other words we were encouraged to grow from what we were learning, not just gather information.

Classical education has always been about the idea of seeking truth, beauty and virtue. Its there in all the curriculum that we use, and yet its hidden by the business.  When we combined everyone's studies that was what we were focusing on, the reflection, the beauty the good in what we were learning. I could listen and interact with my children and see all of that journey. as we have separated them out and leaned more heavily on curriculum it is harder and harder to have that sense of what are we learning as opposed to what information are we collecting. Maybe we need both. I really don't want to add in extra to our already burdened lives.

I want to being in more freedom and peace.  Its a case now of pondering how.