Toad, It's May!

Ok, not exactly May, but I've been feeling like Toad lately--reluctant to venture out of hibernation and into spring. I tell DD that she is Frog (optimistic, happy-go-lucky, whimsical) and I am like Toad (blah--To fully appreciate, you will have to listen to the CD of Frog and Toad: The Musical. Check it out at your local library.)

Well, I'm hibernating no longer. The past few days have energized me. I cleaned out DD's art closet and our office closet to make room for homeschooling supplies and to generally make crafty things more accessible to DD. Now I've vowed to tackle each room in the house. This will mean many trips to Goodwill, but I just know I'll feel better once all this STUFF is out of my life. I think stuff, especially taking care of our stuff, has become the major focus of our lives, and that is just wrong.

I've also been reading more of John Holt lately. Now I'm reading How Children Fail and it's really opened my eyes to the intense pressure I am capable of putting on DD. Now that I'm aware of it, I'm trying to relax. IMO, Holt is saying that kids are under tremendous pressure to perform. Sometimes the pressure is applied unwittingly, sometimes not. Nevertheless, the kids develop coping strategies to keep from being buried under the weight of all these expectations.

Reading this book has really made me examine some of the expectations I have for DD and I've discovered some I didn't know I had. I'll admit I was disparaging of "unschooling," but now I feel I have a clearer understanding. Even though I still don't think we are an unschooling family, I definitely plan to incorporate some of Holt's philosophy. I am starting to see myself less as "teacher" and more as "facilitator."

I've also been giving a good deal of thought to our school's mission statement. I think it's a great idea to write down why we are homeschooling and what we hope to achieve. I might just borrow the lyrics from Working Class Hero...