For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Welcome back to Blogging through the Alphabet. Today we are looking at the letter F.  My co-host Desiree is sharing F is for Farm in her Lego ABC series.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (first published in 1984) is the very first book I was given to read about home education. 

This book was paradign shifting for me.  Homeschooling was the furtherest thing from my mind.  I had no idea that home education even existed until I met someone who was homeschooling in 1997 in New Zealand when enquiring which preschool to send my children to. 

Susan challenged some of the fundamental beliefs I had and the surprising thing is I was not even aware I had them until I read the book. I was introduced to Charlotte Mason in this book and really loved the idea of twaddle free books. 

The idea of real books as a basis of education really appealed and still appeals to me today, and thus began my search for a curriculum that contained 'living' books.  Twaddle Free Books  that would touch our lives for years to come, books that were not dead, books that were real and did not leave us treading water going nowhere.

Education a Word Study

In 1883 according to Websters dictionary - noun [Latin educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.  

138 years later education is defined as -

• The act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgement and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
• the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills for a profession. 
• A degree, level or kind of schooling - Dictionary.com
  
• discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments  - Britanica
  
• the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.
the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include teaching, training, storytelling, discussion and directed research.- Wikipedia

• the process of teaching or learning, especially in a school or college or the knoweldge you get from this. - Cabridge Dictionary
• the action or process of educating or being educated.
• the knowledge and developemnt resulting from the process of being educated. - Merriam Webster. 
  

 As home educating parents it is of paramount importance that we understand what an education actually is in order to fully embrace the educational life. As we can see from Websters dictionary it's so much deeper and fuller than simply subjects and classifications.  It encompasses all of life.

For the Children's Sake is a great read for every parent who wants to give their children the best education possible. 

Although For the Children's Sake was published nearly forty years ago the ideas within it's pages are as relevant today as they were then.  You will be introduced to one of the greatest education giants of history Charlotte Mason. Susan expounds upon her ideals and shows you the parent what a pivotal role you play with every choice you make along your journey.

It's the type of book one reads to enlarge upon oneself.  It feeds your soul and stretches you to grow in ways you could not even begin to fathom. It encourages and expands the mind and soul. It is an inspirational call to give ourselves and our children the best education possible and extend learning into every single facet of life possible.

Buy the book here:

• Book Depository
• Simply Charlotte Mason
• Amazon
• Booktopia
• AbeBooks
• ChristianBook
  

 What books would you place on your must read pile as a homeschooling parent?

Blessings

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
4. Delight Directed Education
5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
6. For the Children's Sake 
   

Featured from Week 4 all things 'E'

• E is for Easy over at Our Homeschool Notebook
• E is for Elmira Prison over at A Mom's Quest to Teach.
  
• Homeschooling Tips from A to Z: the Letter E over at Homeschooling Highway 
• Elgar ~ Composer ABCsby Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens.
• Discovering the E Rabbits of the World by Annette over at At Home Pets. 
• E is for Edgewalk and Errors in Judgement by Annette over at A Net in Time.
  

 This week  over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is F is for Farm.  

Please link up your posts starting with the letter F for this weeks ABC Blogging. This is a Blog Hop!

Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers

Welcome to week five of blogging through the alphabet. Today my co-host Desiree is sharing E is for Easy and I am writing a letter to weary homeschooling mothers.

Dear Homeschooling Mother who is feeling weary...

You are not alone.  We have all been there.  Sadly not very many of us feel we can voice our weariness.  Weariness is one of the early warning systems on our journey that we need to change something. However if we do not we are plowing headlong into homeschooling burnout.  

**Please be aware this post is not intended as medical advice.  If you’re experiencing serious or prolonged issues with depression, please see your doctor for support and advice.

 Weariness a word study

To better understand and address weariness I found it helpful to look up the definition...

• physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion or strain. (Dictationary.com)
• Characterized by or causing dissatisfaction.
  
• a reluctance to see or experience any more of something.
• having one's patience, tolerance or pleasure exhausted (Merriam-Webster)
  
• the state of being bored with something because you have experienced too much of it. - Cambridge Dictationary
• Being physically or mentally tired. (The Free Dictionary)

As a parent we vigilantly look over our children.  We watch them for signs of hunger, fatigue or illness.  However as mothers we neglect to watch ourselves for these very same things.  The consequence of this is, that we become over taxed and then want to quit or we enter into the realms of depression and exhaustion.  We need to become more self aware and self evaluative as we carry many many roles and responsibilities within our homes. Every single thing you do is saving your family money, and contributing to their wellness.

Homeschooling is both physically and mentally taxing and is not often talked about within the homeschooling community.  This is why it's important to surround yourself with healthy friendships and great community.

 5 things to do to overcome Weariness

1. Find your own rythym. Stop playing the comparison game, it will sap the life out of your homeschool. Find what works for your family and stick to that.  Do NOT change the method that is working, as the old adage goes there is no need to fix it if it is not broken. This is true in the highschool years too.
   
2. Remain committed to being true to yourself. - Stop comparing what you are doing to what other homeschooling families are doing.  Remember social media and blogs are not a true reflection of what others are doing nor are they a a list of "I need to do this in order to succeed..." It is better to do a little with excellence than a multitude of things incompletely.
   
3. Time alone is important.  By this I do not mean a retreat or isolation.  I'm talking about creating space for each and every member of your household. There are many benefits for ever single person in your home if you incorporate this aspect into your homeschooling.  Take a read of How Important is Alone Time and Homeschooling for more information.
4. Do something to fill yourself, because you can't give what you don't have. Think of something to do that replenishes you body, soul and mind. Stop creating reasons as to why you can't and make it a point to do it.  Your family and your homeschooling need it.
5. Choose your support/mentor network carefully.  You need support and the people you are surrounding yourself with are a far greater infulence than you release.  Choose those who leave you feeling encouraged and supported.
   

 Charlotte Mason advised the teacher to replenish her soul with a continual supply of ideas. ...stimulates your educational thought in many directions and keeps you from drifting into mere routine... Do not think this is a selfish thing to do, because the advantage does not end with yourself."

For more encouragement read

• Overcoming Homeschool Burnout What is burnout and how do we combat it? Some practical tips from a Veteran Homeschool Mom
• Dear Homeschool Mom … a collection of encouragement letters to homeschool Mom’s from the Homeschool Review Crew
• Staying On Top of It All – keeping up with all that needs to be done.
• Dear Mom Who is Feeling Overwhelmed – Be True to yourself. Let go of the things that entangle and weigh down your homeschool and go back to the basics. Homeschool unique to you and your family.
• Mother Culture – Time Out {Homeschooling Essentials} – Time to answer the question of What is Mother Culture and why you need to practice it daily in your Homeschool.
• Homeschool Burnout what is it?  How do you deal with it? Practical steps to help you heal and set up ways to combat it.
• One Step at a Time – lets talk about the journey of homeschooling and how to take it one step at a time and prevent becoming overwhelmed and burnt out. 
• Home school Co-ops and what the benefits are for you the home educator
• 5 Days of Homeschooling Encouragement.
  

What are some tips that you have found useful when feeling overwhelmed or weary?

Blessings

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
4. Delight Directed Education
5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
   

Featured from Week 4 all things 'D'

• D is for Display and Donuts over at Our Homeschool Notebook
• D is for Devil's Den over at A Mom's Quest to Teach.
  
• Homeschooling Tips from A to Z: the Letter D over at Homeschooling Highway 
• Debussy and de Meij ~ Composer ABCsby Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens.
• Discovering the D Rabbits of the World by Annette over at At Home Pets.
  

This week  over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is E is for Easy .  

Please link up your posts starting with the letter E for this weeks ABC Blogging. This is a Blog Hop!

Delight Directed Education

After seeing some of the great lego builds by Desiree in her Lego ABC challenge I was inspired to watch  Lego Mastersthis week.  I've been astounded by the creativity of the contestants.One of the things I noticed however was that each team did so much better at their challenges when they were delighted in the concept.  Delight as a concept is something that can hugely impact your homeschooling. 

Last week we explored a round up of posts on Charlotte Mason.  This week I would like to take a look at Delight Directed Education. It's one of those technical words bandied about homeschooling circles that can often leave both new and veteran homeschooling parents wondering what it's all about. I first heard the term when doing a homeschool conference by Greg Harris many years ago in New Zealand and then was reintroduced to the topic when Marcy shared with me that she was using this philosophy to home educate her son Ben.

What is delight directed education?

• Teaching your student according to their interest and passion.
• Working with your children's natural curiosity and interest. Ask yourself does this fit in with the individual's strengths, interest and goals?
  
• Following those 'rabbit trails' along the way and exploring a topic inspired by your current learning.
• Looking for a learning opportunity as it presents itself in what you are already doing.
  

There is no right or wrong way to follow a delight directed educational path.   One of the advantages of incorporating a delight directed approach into your homeschooling is you are able to encourage your student to learn on their own terms, in their own way and help them to take ownership of their education. Delight Directed homeschooling is NOT unschooling.

 "Delight-directed study is child-responsive, but still parent-supervised. Delight-directed study strategies are more responsive to the interest of the student, without being indulgent. Rather than allow the student to study whatever he sees fit, however he sees fit, delight-directed study urges parents to guide their child’s studies and establish clear accountability for his work." Greg Harris

 You can read the full excerpt from Greg's book here: Delight Directed Studies by Gregg Harris.

Delight Directed Education - a word study

• Delight - a high degree of gratification, joy, extreme satisfaction, something that gives pleasure. Delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.
• Directed - means Aimed; pointed; guided; regulated; governed; ordered; instructed
• Education - Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations 

More on Delight Directed Education On the WWW

• On Pinterest - Homeschool Delight Directed
• 31 Days of Delight Directed Learning by Marcy at Ben and Me.
  
• The gifted child and delight directed homeschooling
• What do you mean, Delight Directed Learning?
• Our Homeschool Afternoons: Delight Directed Productivity
• How to include Delight Directed Learning in your homeschool. 
• 10 Days of cultivating curiosity using delight directed homeschooling. 
• Delight Directed Curriculum Planning starts here by Jamie at The Unlikely Homeschool
• How to use delight direced learning to simplify your homeschool by Penny from Changed by Love.
• Delight Directed Homeschooling by Amy at Raising Arrows.
• Sara over at Heart and Soul Homeschooling shares a free Guide and many posts on Delight Directed homeschooling.
• Tips for delight-directed science learning.

Have you used a delight directed approach in your homeschooling?  If so what are some tips/secrets that helped you implement this method?

Blessings

Chareen

Featured from Week 3 all things 'C'

• C is for Civil War Books over at A Mom's Quest to Teach.
  
• C is for Creator 3-in-1 over at Our Homeschool Notebook
• Homeschooling Tips from A to Z: the Letter C over at Homeschooling Highway 
• Aaron Copland - ABC's of Composers by Lori at At Home: Where Life Happens.
  

Find the other posts here:

1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
4. Delight Directed Education

This week  over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is D is for Display.  

Please link up your posts starting with the letter D for this weeks ABC Blogging. This is a Blog Hop!