The Mother Lode

Probably not.  Unless of course you wish to invite a boatload of stress into your home.  Not to mention the expertise and evaluations required.  I mean—let’s be real now.  You’re just a mom.

Yes, you heard right.  Now let me clarify.  We educate our children at home….including the young man who had a string of diagnosis’ behind his name.

There is a huge difference between trying to recreate the institution we call “school” and educating your children.  And when you have a child with learning differences or disabilities..you are on a fast track to burnout if you’re trying to replicate a public school classroom.

Why do I believe this?  Because I believe the classroom setting is particularly destructive to boys that have an ADD/ADHD diagnosis.  To me it’s about as ridiculous as insisting that a fish should climb trees.

True education must begin by asking yourself Who did God create my child to be?  And then by giving your child the freedom to explore his interests….not trying to squeeze him into a one-size-fits-nobody box.

Christopher Paolini, the home educated boy wonder from my home state of Montana, said it best in a recent article in the Costco Connection magazine.  (Paolini penned the wildly popular “Eragon” and will release the third book in his trilogy this month.)

Referring to how his parents made endless trips to the library to allow him and his sister to indulge their interests he said,

“This [kind of learning] ultimately leads to an attitude where you’re not afraid to pursue your interests.  It’s very liberating whe you realize that you don’t need other people to tell you how to do something.  If you want to learn woodcarving,well, you can go get books and teach yourself woodcarving.  Or physics.  Or math.  Or whatever the subject may be.”

If his parents were busy doing “school” I’d bet the farm that this remarkable young man would not be enjoying the level of success he is experiencing.  The doing’s got to come out of the being.  Paolini’s parents understood this.

Good on you!

Filed under: homeschooling, Individuality Tagged: | christopher paolini, homeschooling, Individuality