DoBeDoBeDoBeDo

To do is to be. - Socrates
To be is to do. – Plato
To be or not to be, that is the question - Shakespeare
DoBeDoBeDo. – Sinatra

Yep, that’s kinda how I’m feeling today. It’s a dobedobedobe day, a funky day, a day when you should smile at strangers (it makes them wonder what you’re thinking). It’s a day for wondering about wondering. It’s even a day to ponder BIG thoughts about life, love, and yes, education.

Education you say? Why education?

Well, it all started with Kiva over at Eclectic Granny. She’s posted a video about creativity which of course is, in many ways, linked to education. It’s long, nearly twenty minutes, but it’s so thought provoking, so clearly stated, that it is well worth the time to listen to what the man has to say.

Maybe it’s because I’m one of those militant, color-outside the box, homeschooling, kinda girls, that I feel that our educational process here in the states really needs to be re-examined. And soon. Too many children are comatose by behavioral drugs, too many are graduating with a sub-standard education, and too many are steered away from who they really are inside.

I first heard about homeschooling fifteen years ago when two of my friends announced that they planned to home educate their children. Weird hippy chicks! They were the types that practiced co-sleeping (massive eye roll). One was a vegetarian; the other had very pointed views on child discipline. They were weird, weird hippy girls. So, of course they were going to homeschool, although I wondered if it was even legal.

Yet…

The idea grew on us. We decided to try it for a year; after all, how bad can you screw up kindergarten?

My children have never attended a public or private school. We kept them locked in their cages where they were only allowed to watch PBS and never eat sugar. They have no close friends and are unable to hold a conversation with a stranger. They are ill equipped for college and higher math is completely out of their range of expertise…but they do know how to use a calculator.

Snicker

Seriously, our kids have thrived. Our son graduated last year and has been serving as an intern with a Christian organization this past year. He studied New Testament Greek, Biblical Studies, Worship, and Preaching. He has also had hands on experience doing everything from landscaping and construction to office work and kitchen duties. He traveled to Europe, made new friends, and learned to do his own laundry. The only major problem with homeschooling him came when it was time for him to take the PSAT. He had to study up on how to use a calculator on the math portion…

Our daughter has two more years of high school left. This past year she took a college level writing class and continued to study piano. She volunteers every chance she gets and will be serving at a camp in Washington State during the summer. A few weeks ago she came in to my room before bed and said, “I’d like to continue schooling through the summer.”

My response was simple: “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”

She wants to continue learning Russian, a language she’s been studying in her spare time. She’d like to get a jump on math and see if she can get ahead of the game. Our daughter has developed an interest in drama and would like to pursue this as well.

My point is that education is not one size fits all. I have friends whose children attend public or private school. The key, since the NEA isn’t going to change their opinion any time soon, is to be involved in your child’s education. After all, you are the parent, not the teacher, not the school board, YOU!

End of rant…dobedobedobedbo