Swirling Mind and Hoping Heart

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
Col 3:23 (NLT)


     My mind is swirling with ideas that I've been gleaning from various books and articles I've been reading about homeschooling methods.  I have always labeled my style as "eclectic".  I have combined the Charlotte Mason methods with a little bit of classical and even leaned toward guided unschooling in certain seasons, intermingling unit studies for good measure.  We use actual textbooks for Math and might use other text books as sources for ideas or topics, but not as a primary source for history or literature.  Once we get to high school level, we have used parts of textbooks for higher sciences or even government, although I am setting my aims to use more original documents in our studies.

     So back to the swirls! After reviewing the possibilities of all of the truly inspiring books that can be pored over, studied, and ruminated on, I have been digging deeper into Charlotte Mason's methods of education that cover immersion in quality music and its composers, fine art and its artists, classic literature and its lofty ideas, and nature and science study that allows time to observe and understand creation in a way that flying through a textbook in a year can never do. 

     But I'm also taking another hard look at some of the traditions of the classical mode of education and realizing that I can easily implement what seems profitable without having to be a purist.  I feel pretty excited about that because up to this point, I have had a negative view of classical education, feeling that it is too structured, academic, and BORING (I might as well be honest!).  Now I'm seeing that I can allow my child (especially now that I'm down to only one that I'm homeschooling) to partake of the best of several homeschooling approaches. 

     I plan on implementing some new practices and continuing in some familiar old ones.  My young scholar will be memorizing poetry, hymns, Scripture, geography, historical events, famous speeches, and more.  She will be reading (and listening to) great literature and beautiful music of different time periods. Appreciating and learning about fine artwork will be a regular part of her week.  Narration (telling back in as much detail and in her own words after listening to an oral reading) will be a big part of assessment and developing her attention span and language skills. Of course nature study is a given and so is math. Creative lapbooking will be one way to allow my sweet girl to produce a project that can be admired for years to come.  As she progresses in maturity, she will be studying Latin and Greek, logic and writing. Hopefully her days will be balanced out with crafts, play, and exercise!

     All of these activities will definitely not be crammed into each day.  If there's one thing I've learned over these many years of home education, we must move with the ebb and flow of life.  Set goals and then be flexible. Allow for delightful surprises that come our way in the form of invigorating discussions, unexpected discoveries, and even breezy sunny afternoons that beckon us away from the books for the rest of the day! 

     Will we actually follow through on these ambitious plans with consistency and longevity?  I really hope so. All I know is that  I'd rather set high goals and not reach them than have only mediocre intentions that can be reached with only half hearted effort.

Motivating the Unmotivated

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
Heb 10:24 (ESV)

     Okay, I'll just say it at the onset.  I had trouble getting motivated to write this blog entry about motivation!  How lame is that?  Lack of motivation has been an ongoing struggle for me for awhile now.  I find myself feeling apathetic (sounds a lot better than "lazy" or "slothful") about my goals.  What's with that?  I will set goals and even break down the steps that it's going to take to reach those goals. When it's time to "take the next step", I freeze. Take a power nap. Decide to get a cup of coffee. Scrub the sink.  Those steps will only lead me to be a groggy, yet caffeinated procrastinator mama with a sparkling sink which will cause me not to want to cook supper because my beautiful sink might get dirty. You laugh.  Come on! Have you never been there?

A motivation isn't a motivation if it isn't motivating.  I know.  Another profound statement.  That's why you read my blog. What am I looking for when I set life goals?  What do I desire that my children accomplish in their life while under my roof and why do I want this?  If these achievements are not their own goals, will they be motivated to adhere to my instruction and guidance? If I don't see true value in the goals that I have for my own life or even for the day at hand, how will I stay on course until I reach the end of the road that I have been called to? If the ones under my charge don't see the worth of the tasks before them, what will keep them following my lead?

I think the wisest way to keep myself motivated (Listen up, Self!) is to be sure that I start by envisioning what I want others to remember about me when I die.  What legacy do I want to leave for my children and grandchildren?  As I write down specific qualities of character that I hope to live out and as I narrow down possible concrete activities that I want to experience (such as starting a charitable organization, teaching my granddaughter how to crochet, helping feed children in Africa, or mentoring other women in practical life skills), then I can work my way backward.  If those end-of- life ideals are 30 years away (which would make me 81 at death), where will I be on the road in twenty years?  What will I have to be doing one decade from now so that I can arrive at the goals that I have two decades from now? What would I like to see forming in my character and in my daily habits five years from now?  Now I'm starting to sense the sleeping motivation in the depths of my soul beginning to stir from its slumber.

A similar "tactic" must be used as we mothers attempt to motivate our children.  Their hopes and dreams will awaken as we wisely inspire them to look out over the horizon of their lives to see where their decisions today may end up leading them. Granted, they probably won't be able to glimpse (or even care at this young age) what their epitaph may say as an old adult.  How rich and rewarding it is, though, when we see our kids moving forward with zeal, even doing those tasks that are unpleasant to them, because of the internal motivations that are driving the goals that they have set for themselves.  What pleasure it brings to this mom's heart when I observe my child studying with delight and intensity because of an inner vitality that I could never formulate externally. She sees which stepping stones (practicing self-discipline, saving funds for a mission trip, voraciously reading to develop her mind, honing certain skills, studying today to be wiser tomorrow) will lead to her ultimate destiny. 

Effective and lasting motivation is most definitely intrinsic.  As a Christ follower, His calling upon my life will resonate with the deepest desires that were planted in me as tiny as mustard seeds waiting for germination and growth. The amazing combination of  the fertilizer of work, stirred into the soil of faith, saturated with the water of perfect timing, and shone upon with the intense sunshine of God's blessing will bring to fruition those God-ordained goals that were fully established in God's mind as He was knitting me (and you dear sister) together in my mother's womb. 

Now I may get hit by a car tomorrow and not realize the goals set before me.  But I don't want to meander my life away. I don't want to wander into the wilderness of aimlessness.  I so desperately want to hear the Shepherd's voice, even if it's only one step at a time.  I know the ultimate goal is to grow in the fruit of the Spirit which will impact the lives of others in this sea of humanity. This is also my hope and prayer for each of my kids.  That motivation is enough as long as I keep my eyes looking up, my ears poised to hear that Divine Voice, and my feet prepared to walk the walk.  

Recalibrating

"But let all things be done decently and in order."  1 Corinthians 14:40

     It's fall break for this mom teacher!  After having an unusually busy summer and getting right into the school year without much time to clean or organize our environment, I have to admit that the clutter and piles were really getting to me.  I decided last week that fall break would be earlier than planned (huge advantage of being in charge of our home schooling schedule - flexibility!) and that I would spend much of this break decluttering and organizing every square foot of our home. Piled books?  Shelved.  Cluttered drawers?  Neat!  Moldy food and outdated canned goods?  Trashed!  Outgrown and outdated clothes?  Well, I'm kind of an outdated sort of gal (ask my kids) so I held on to my flannel button up shirts and relaxed fit jeans.  But now I can see what I have, which was my goal.  What about all of those cords, cables, chargers, and other electronic mysteries that have sat in a drawer for way too long with no one to claim them?  They've taken a trip to electronic wasteland.   
     My personality is one that craves order. Thus I cling to 1 Corinthians 14:40 when my disorderly family members seem to fall short of this glory!  After all, maybe I need to preach that verse to them (which I realize is actually addressing corporate church worship).  But do those darling mess-makers need to know that?  I think I'll keep that truth to myself! (tongue-in-cheek).  Actually,  I have learned to tolerate a certain amount of disarray and disorganization since this entire creation is in a downward spiral. A home does have to be lived in.  My children are probably the most creative and artsy kids on the planet so they will make messes.  It's a part of daily life! (I know to prove I'm a good mother that I have to say that even though inside the messes stress me.) And because I really don't want to be the one whose OCD tendencies drive my family members to the looney bin.  I'm sure you discovered many moons ago that anything that is neglected has the tendency to fall apart, multiply (like unmatched socks), and decay. That's called defaulting.  I can only live under default settings for so long until I think I will just check in to said looney bin if I don't get things "under control".  Hence, our early fall break!

My Personal Junk Drawer (Before)

My Spice Cabinet (Please don't slobber on your keyboard)

My Personal Junk Drawer (After) Yes, you can try this at home!

     Yes, I'm feeling pretty good right now.  Orderly surroundings. Clean closets.  Meats categorized. Spices accounted for.  I can bask in this, but only for awhile because I know that far more important is the recalibration of my priorities and plans as I try to live a life on purpose that will bring about dividends of blessing.
     My hope (and prayer!) is to  recalibrate our learning schedule and goals before next week rolls around.  Exactly what do I mean by recalibrate?  Here is the dictionary's definition: to check, adjust, or determine by comparison with a standard. I have recalibrated my living environment and hoping I can keep it in this shape for awhile.  Now I'm ready to work on where my time goes and analyze whether it's being spent on valuable and even eternal activities.
     So I will take time, effort, research, and reflection to compare the "standard" with what we are doing in our home school and how we're doing it.  The standard is something that I must have eyes to see. And ears to hear.  I have got to be willing to adjust my methods and my priorities in order to get a little closer to it. Notice I said closer.  I already know (after 25 years of trying to reach the standard) that I will never get there!  I only have to do my best to listen to God's voice.  Each day.  Every day.  Lead me Holy Spirit.