Today I loved homeschooling because:
Well, many reasons. First of all, it's Wednesday, which means we start an hour later. Tuesday night sees us at youth group, and because my one remaining student stays late to clean the church and then eat burritos with the youth pastor and several buddies, everything notches up an hour the next day. Hey, what's the use of homeschooling if you don't flex it when you can? Kid is a 15-year-old who sleeps and eats in pretty much equal timeframes. Insisting on an early start is dumb when it buys me a cranky teenager who falls asleep during history class. So, today I used that hour to walk with my neighbor, shower, and eat breakfast. Works for me.
Next, we got to take a 30-minute unplanned educational journey through the Beatles. Kid is a musician (drums, specifically) who loves documentaries and educational videos (because he is also a videographer). He asked, "That guy from the Beatles, Paul? I've been seeing him on some ads lately because he's touring. Who were all the guys in the band and when were they big?" ( I KNOW I KNOW keeping all the gasps and shrieks and horror behind my lips was a challenge!) But he was genuinely asking, and here was the perfect time for some music education. We watched their two sets from The Ed Sullivan Show and talked about why that was iconic, something that just needs to be part of my son's Great Conversation. How this was the beginning of the British Invasion and a vital milepost in the youth culture of the 60s. He identified each band member and asked about John Lennon's death, which he already knew a little about. He was particularly interested in Ringo, commenting that the drum kit he used is actually enviable because it was so solidly made. Then we segway-d over to Ringo's son Zac Starkey (who now drums for The Who, a band I could point to as also lining up in the British Invasion roll call) and watched a video of him. The drummer and inquirer in my son satisfied, we went on to school work.
Lastly, kid and I alternated between his independent work and the work we do together, which enabled me to run an errand (needed an immune-system herbal supplement for the cold that popped up IMMEDIATELY AFTER I finished the antibiotics for my strep throat *SIGH*) and even catch a 20 minute nap because of the misery of said cold. All the work got done, in no particular order. Works for me.
So, chalk this up as another day I loved the spontaneity, flexibility, and adventure of homeschooling. Thank You Jesus for it one more time!
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