Sharing Inspiration - 3 things on Tuesday

As we are nearing the end of our time at school I thought I would celebrate three things inspiring at school this past year. There have been so many amazing things experienced through our time at school, and now, they are inspiring me to continue pursuing opportunities to learn and explore the world with similar breadth and depth.

First inspirational thing from school is having a great volunteer program. The school we have been a part of has a very open attitude for parent and grandparent volunteers. It has been such a privilege to be invited to provide extra support to the staff and get to know the kids our children are making friends with. The kids benefit so greatly also. Being part of a bilingual program, my oldest has gained much confidence in his skill of speaking and reading our second language from having a grandparent volunteer read with him in Spanish.  I benefit from that as well, now he corrects me so that I can learn the correct pronunciation.

I am also inspired by the individual and collective creative work of the kids at the school. I have always been one of the parents who really try to notice the artworks kids have created for display in the hallways.  Our school has also made efforts to fund having an Artist in Residence program for the students which has always produced impressive results.  It is a school-wide effort. Having been on the teacher side of such an endeavor, I know that all the staff contributes time and effort above and beyond the regular classroom routines for the students to benefit from the program, not to mention coordinate volunteers and organize the completion of the pieces needing adult assistance. A previous year I was in awe of the professional looking mural that the students created with the artist. This year, many of the adults in the audience were amazed with the talents displayed in an opera the entire school performed. 

Finally, the older two have been singing a song at home that they have been learning at school. I really appreciate when they learn a great song (child appropriate, not overly annoying to hear) and especially when they actually know all the words correctly. I know they have really enjoyed the music program at school this year. For today though, I will leave you with this link (click on song title) to the song as I found it on YouTube, I’ve Got Canada In my Pocket.  My youngest is even learning the words as the others sing it.

In the beginning...

I have been learning from the time I was born, and likely before.

We are wired to take in observations from our environment and to interact within our understanding of those observations. These actions develop new understandings and new questions to encourage us to observe again, noticing similarities and variances with each experience. This process is a part of what we call 'learning'. Learning is such a unique experience as every person brings a different set of observations and understanding to each new encounter and we build on those... how could any two experiences be alike?

Observing patterns in our lives, discussions and observations about learning began my journey into the world of schooling at home. This past year, while my kids still attended school I have been researching and planning. Then unplanning and more researching in the manner of asking my kids questions and observing the things that motivate them to learn.

I am surprised by what I thought I would learn in this past year and what I have actually come to learn. It is always a process, isn't it?

In the beginning I thought that I would discover certain methods, schedules, and plans for teaching at home. I hoped I might have a heads up because I am trained as a teacher. I was uncertain about who I might connect with on this journey, who does this?! I was convinced that I would receive more raised eyebrows than support.

I continue to learn much. I am released from the idea of one way to do this 'right' and encouraged by many who, although not choosing homeschooling for themselves, project merit and success to our venture, thank-you.

Our family is excited about this journey and we still have so much to learn. When we talk about things we'd like to do and learn about...I think we might need some significant time to cover them all. I love the way learning is so fluid.