Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Education Must Not Be Rushed

Readers in the Reading Room Have Access to One of the Largest Collections of Books in the World



In my little homeschool, I have gotten in the habit of rushing our lessons. We had errands to do. We wanted to relax in the afternoons. We wanted to hurry and finish our work. I would be too tired later and wanted to rest. So we hurried.

But yesterday, I slowed down. I started a new schedule. We were to have school from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. We would have a one - hour lunch break. We would have short breaks throughout the day.

Yesterday, great things happened.

My 13 year old (dyslexic) son took the time to research and study. He relaxed over his lessons. He did not dawdle, thinking he couldn't wait to finish, or daydream about what he could do instead. He actually studied and learned and made me proud.

It made me remember the old days of our homeschool. We spent hours in the library. We read and we searched and we relaxed. We learned without rushing.  Education was everything.

I think of great scholars who lean over their books with a curious mind. They want to learn. They are eager to learn. They get excited about knowledge.

I also learned that, just like small children need a bedtime story to settle down to sleep, my student needs to have a quiet, enjoyable lesson to ease him into his assignments. I read to him about the pioneers in the 1800s. Then I ask questions. Then he does his math. We work at his pace. We work slowly and steadily. We learn that school requires effort. It requires concentration and focus. We also learn that weekends and holidays are far more appreciated when we labor in our books all week long.



Blessings
Mrs. White

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7 comments:

Susie said...

I love this post. I have just discovered your site. I sometimes feel so discouraged that the concept of "scholarship" has taken such a backseat in our fast-paced world. Backseat? It's not even in the car anymore! I am a thinker, a writer, a researcher, a wanna-be scholar, and I lament the lack of time to spend at it in this day and age. I think we are poorer for it.

Anonymous said...

Some really great thoughts for me to keep in mind as my babies gradually get to an age where our homeschooling will become more structured. Thanks for writing this!

Debbie said...

You are so right. In the beginning of our little school (14 years ago) it was such a priority. Sadly over the years, it has become just another box to be checked off. Thank you for this sweet reminder.

Sarah said...

following from the crew. I love the blog! www.homeschoolblogger.com/ohiosarah

RebeccaL. said...

We've homeschooled 12 years and I feel the same way....we rush. Thanks for opening my eyes. We are currently on a break but I am going to re-think and re-do our schedule this year! When the children were smaller, this was all we did for the majority of the day, and we weren't shook up about it taking all day. I need to return to that mindset!

Laura O in AK said...

I sometimes find us in that pattern of rushing to get to the next thing. I long for a quiet paced day with the kids all learning. I'm thinking even just a read aloud time or shared audiobook scheduled into our day might help.

Now I'm thinking about a dear friend in Ohio who had all the kids start their school time as a family in relgious studies. When we do that here, the day usually goes better (and our focus is where it should be!) And, it does ease everyone into the frame of mind that we are going to be learning.

Angie said...

I agree with you! I have found myself rushing through curriculum all year, just to slow the pace to make it more effective. Guess what? We're not finished with the curriculum yet. I'm trying to be ok with that. Are we really learning? That should be the yardstick, not did we slog through all the books?

Your post reminds me of a biography I read of CS Lewis years ago. He was taught by a tutor in the mornings, and spent all afternoon outdoors, taking in his surroundings, strengthening his mind and body, sharpening his powers of observation.