The Essence is of Time

Like many mothers, a part of why I homeschool is... in my sweetest, most angelic, maternal tones... "because the time is so short. Soon, my children will be grown and on their own, and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. Besides, I want them to have ample time to explore and develop a wide array of interests and passions."

Ah, time in which we cherish our darlings as they grow, discover, and develop into full-grown human beings.

Somewhere along the line, though, usually midway through a homeschooling year, something happens.

We forget that the essence of what we do is the time we have with our children and the time they have to develop through study, creativity, play, and a host of other daily experiences.

We rush our children to get the bulk of their schoolwork, if not all of it, done before lunch. Play can wait. Work first. While I see the importance of prioritizing, I wonder if this hurried attitude links study with work, and ultimately, with treachery. (That's another post...) At any rate, it tends to lead me to anxiety, as I worry that I'm not doing everything I need to do in the time in which I ought to do it. Instead of the essence being of time, time become of the essence. We MUST get school done NOW!

But what if, rather than time being of the essence (chop, chop), we remembered that the essence is of time? What if we structured our days so that school does not equal work, but that disciplined study becomes a natural part of the great experience of a relished life? What if we ordered our days not so that the books are all put up by a certain hour, but so that our children's minds have periods of activity and rest throughout the day... so that their minds are able to absorb and ponder one subject before moving the the next?

I'll admit that I stink at schedules. I am dreadfully distractible. I'm sure that plays into the thoughts expressed above, and I'm sure some would be appalled to think of not getting ALL of the schoolwork done before playing Legos.

But I really, really, really like the idea of letting our days flow seamlessly through all of our duties... from study to play to rest to study to play.... or however you want to distinguish and order our activities. I want to hold fast to the belief that time is to be savored, both in our attitudes and in our routines.

As I've played around with this whole philosophy of lesson planning and living, I've noticed that it allows me to spend more time guiding each child through his or her lessons. The pressure to "keep everyone on the same page," literally or figuratively, has eased. We are free not only to take the time we need, but to savor the time spent working together, one-on-one, through what I still believe must be done, even if not done at a particular hour of the day.

I feel I'm getting back to the essence of why I do what I do, and it's a fine time to be here.