New Age Homeschooling

So, this may or may not surprise you: we are a homeschooling family. Yeah. That's right. We also believe that the world should be totally turned upside-down, that vegetables have feelings and that body odor is the natural expression of the magnificent gift God has given us and should not be stifled. And if you believe this then you have absolutely no idea what homeschooling is about. Not that I necessarily blame you. Most people think that homeschooled kids don't comb their hair. They have no idea what sarcasm is. They don't know how to initiate a normal relationship. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. How many stigmas can I list before it becomes apparent that I would never home school my kid and let them get like that? Let me just put it plainly: homeschoolers are NOT crazies. Yep...perfectly normal people. And by the way, have you seen what some of the public education students look like? Right. And homeschoolers are the weirdos?

The truth is actually kind of startling, but in a positive way. The more I learn about the methods of homeschooling, the more jealous I become. I really, really wish I could have had the opportunity to go at my own pace, with subjects that I really wanted to learn more about, with people actually mixing it up in the real world, to go to a college to get college credits instead of a high school class that poorly imitates collegiate expectations, to see how the world works because I've been participating in it, to be able to speak my mind because my teacher didn't make me raise my hand to speak...or even go to the bathroom, to see first hand the results of my choices....etc., etc., etc. I could go on and on and on and on and on.

Normally, I don't like to get started about education. I feel very passionate about it. Today's educational model is disgusting. Gone are the days of preparation for life. Decades ago began the dark ages of mediocrity and test satisfaction. Gone are the days where someone was allowed to excel and encouraged to do well in something that makes them happy. Now all we get savvy about is how much money this or that can earn for us. When were the twin virtues of wisdom and sincerity replaced by the equally repulsive lust and greed? And why do we try to refine the quality of our lust and greed instead of returning to our moral compass? (I can seriously go on like this for hours.)

Like Dr. King, I have a dream. It is a dream that all can reach. It is a dream that all strive for. It is most especially a dream that will ensure a better future for all of us. It is a dream of revolution: a self-imposed social regression that reinstates logic, reason and wisdom as our instructors. A dream where parents are our heroes. A dream where rewards are based on excellence based on a higher standard. A dream where a person can fulfill the destiny that will ultimately make them happier and desirous for perfection. I believe that correct mentoring, compassionate understanding, realistic planning and great preparation are the keys to this dream. Insatiable optimism should be our mast amidst the turbulent winds and seas of teenage drama queens and photojournalistic voyeurism. Unconquerable persistence should be the sticking post that all flock to when the demands of worldly subtleties attempt to convince us that the world is changing. Let the world change! Correct principles are universal and crucial to success in change. Build tall your mast! Bury deep the roots of your sticking post! Let all know that leadership never was, never is, and never shall be about following the crowd. The Joneses are entirely too beset with everyone trying to catch up to them. They won't care about you. And no one else will either. Be a standard. Don't just set one. Embody the masters. Don't just learn of them. Set the example. Don't settle for your comfort.