I occasionally have friends ask me ‘But what do you do for you?’ and it always stops me. It shouldn’t, but it always seems to imply that I should not get anything out of the stuff that I do with the kids and for our family.
When it comes from non-homeschooling friends (like it did the other day) I realize that it, in part, comes from no appreciation of what homeschooling is and how it happens. But I’ve also had a couple of homeschooling friends throw that one at me, and for them, I’m at a loss how to answer.
Maybe I’m weird, but I’m learning and relearning stuff right along with the kids and even though Girl is using some of the same materials that Boy has used, I’m still making connections and picking up things that I missed the first (my schooling) and second time around. And on top of the ‘expected’ things, there are the directions that they lead me that I never would have gone myself.
One of the more obvious things right now is foreign languages. We’ve studied French now for a few years. I’m learning it with the kids, and while I’m sure I’ll never be truly fluent in it, I was able to go to a French website the other day and read it. Girl’s interest has also introduced me to Russian and now Japanese. Two languages that are so different, but I’m slowly acquiring them. It may not be something that I would do just for myself, but I’m enjoy having some understanding.
And all this leads me to the point of this post. This past week has been seen us dabbling in ‘new’ things and some of it has made me think about that innocent question.
First, it was the Shakespearean Drama class that Boy really wants. (Though we actually have had 2 classes at this point.) I’ve never taught drama, and while my parents started taking us to the university’s drama department’s performances while I was still in elementary school and I was in my high school’s drama club and active in the senior class play; I’ve never ’studied’ drama. (From drama club, I found out that I couldn’t act, but enjoyed working back stage.)
For Shakespeare, I studied the bare minimum in high school (maybe 3?). Though I enjoy seeing his plays on stage and have gone to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, seen the free preformances in the park in Buffalo, and had tickets for the Rhode Island Shakespeare company while we were in Providence. I’m not a ‘Shakespeare Nut’ that knows all the plays and can recite lines from memory.
So, here I am leading more than a dozen kids through exercises using Shakespeare as a focus (mostly because if we actually stage one, the set can be minimal, and modern) and realizing that I’m loving it.
Boy asked me to do it. Does that mean that it doesn’t answer the ‘But what do you do for you?’ qestion? I’m getting just as much out of it. Food for thought.
And other new things:
Second – Girl had her first riding lesson. It didn’t go the best. She had trouble gripping with her knees and pointing her toes forward (too many years of dance probably) She ended up gripping with her lower leg, which goosed the horse (she was probably too sensitive for, at least, this beginning rider) and caused much too much miscommunication between them. I had already set up a second lesson, believing that only a single lesson isn’t a real chance to check it out. But Girls knows that it is either riding or dance (and not both) and I think she’s going to go back to dancing. The instructor wants to put her on a different horse next week, so I’m sure it will go better, but I expect that it is back to the dance studio after that. At least it will be warm and dry.
Third – I’m singing again. When you’re not part of a church it’s hard to find a choir to sing with. This area is big on barbershop, but I sang that years ago (before we were married) and while it was fun, I really didn’t want to do that again. I really don’t feel like I’m ‘good’ enough to sing with the formal choir at the state university, but I have missed it.
I had heard that the cooperative extension (4H) had a woman’s choir and I decided that if I’m not dancing this year because of my aging knees, I’m going to give it a try. Monday was our first practice, and I’m so happy that I didn’t chicken out. I know I was way off pitch as we sightread the music (I sing alto and so didn’t have the melody very much), but it was a great feeling.
Okay, that will work as answer to the question.
What did you think?