A Peaceful Calm

When I finally made the decision, in 2005, to homeschool, I felt a peaceful calm come over me. I felt this same peaceful calm with the career I chose (I am a nanny school grad that has been running a family daycare since 1995), and when I became a mom. Not that being a mom, daycare provider, and homeschooler is stress-free, but I felt in my heart, deep in my sole that these were the things, I, Storie, was to do in my life. It was like puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together.

Following a loose Charlotte Mason philosophy has brought that peaceful, calm to our everyday life. My son feels this same *fit*. That the philosophy (tweaked a bit) just matches us just right. It sure makes our days much nicer. The weeks, months, sometimes years, we would slip into moving too far from a CM style Oak and I both felt stress with homeschooling. 

Why did we slip? I was a public schooled child. At times I fear he may not be doing enough. When I let these thoughts whirl around my head I start worrying about other things; college, his future career, etc. One thing we have never worried about is what others think. If we did, or I did, this would have reared its ugly head during these times also.

I will always be the product of a public school system. I remind myself that Oak is not (he went for two years but spent most of his life homeschooling). A CM style has proven over and over to allow him the freedom he wants in his learning. He gets more motivated, he enjoys the beauty of his surroundings, his thirst for knowledge grows and grows. Our days flow, mesh between learning, play, living. 

Public school crushed my love for reading. Public school did not allow me to enjoy the fact that history is an on going story, a wonderful story, full of adventure. Public school did not allow me to see the beauty of science. Public school taught me to worry about a test, to wonder what part of this or that would be on a test. Public school taught me that learning was something that was a drag, that happened for 5 to 6 hours monday through friday. 

Homeschooling has allowed me to feel that peaceful calm about my own learning. At least homeschooling with a CM approach, for us. If we were using a different homeschooling approach we would not feel that peaceful calm to our days. 

As homeschoolers we can find that homeschool method that finds that peaceful calm in each of our families. I hope you all have found that place. If you have not found that place just yet, my wish is that you will find it soon.