You Can See Clearly Now

My  initial  reasons  for  entering  the  world  of  homeschooling  revolved
solely  around  my  children.  I  saw  an  opportunity  to  spare  them  from
spending  many  adult  years  shaking  off  the conditioning  that  would  limit
their  thinking, their  potential,  and  their  happiness.  My  oldest  child’s  brief
stint in public school kindergarten had already revealed 1) the stress of too-
early formal book learning, 2) the behavior-altering effects of peer pressure,
3)  the  personality-altering  effects  of  school  “discipline,”  4)  the  spirit-
altering effects of boredom, irrelevance, separation, etc., etc.
I decided to bite the bullet and “sacrifice” my time to this scary, almost
revolutionary approach to raising a family, all the while thinking how noble
and self-sacrificing the act would be. Little did I realize how wonderful an
awakening lay right around the corner of my own life.
As the children acquired basic skills – reading, writing, arithmetic – their
interests expanded. So did mine. Their sense of wonder blossomed. So did
mine.  Their  abilities  multiplied.  So  did  mine.  Their  confidence  increased.
So did mine.
The  true  meaning  of  education,  courtesy  of  the  examples  right  under
my nose, grew clearer every day. The subject of education, I soon realized,
was  worthy  of  further  study  and,  more  importantly,  deep  contemplation.  I
dove into my first “interest-initiated” learning experience void of a prepared
curriculum or teacher but fully attentive. I learned how to learn.
Within a relatively short period of time I discovered I was bringing the
same  reasoning,  contemplation,  and  freedom  of  inquiry  to  other  areas  of
concern in my life. “Teaching” my kids at home brought universal life skills
into  sharp  focus.  Awareness  increased. Consciousness  increased  (with
guidance from other areas of study and contemplation).
This  side-benefit  to  the  “teacher”  in  family  centered  education  –
awakened  consciousness  to  environmental  forces  (including  social  forces)
that affect your family’s day-to-day life – harbors major potential for
societal  change  as  it  naturally  multiplies  within  the  family.  Children
growing in close proximity to an adult experiencing growing consciousness
reap  the  benefits  early  in  life.  They,  in  turn,  take  this  awareness  out  into
their  world,  touching  the  lives  of  others.  One  day  they  will  pass  it  on  to
their children. The potential is unlimited; the implications exciting. Here is
an  opportunity  for  you,  feeling  unable  to  fix  a  society  sorely  in  need  of
improvement all by yourself, to truly make a difference on a scale you and
your family can manage at home.
You  don’t  need  millions  of  dollars  or  political  influence  to  repair  the
damage you see around you. Granted, we as a nation are far from realizing
the “critical mass” of folks it will take to restore true freedom and equality
in  America.  But  if,  as  quantum  physicists  are  saying,  “The  key  to
understanding  the  universe  is  you,”  so,  too,  the  key  to  the  freedom  and
wholeness  necessary  for  significant  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of
happiness is you.
Grab  the  bull  by  the  horns.  Wholeheartedly  accept  responsibility  for
yourself and your family. Question and, when necessary, refuse the “help”
of institutions bent on creating and perpetuating infantile dependency. Your
freedom and heightened consciousness  will provide  you these life-altering
advantages:
1)  Giant  steps  toward  personal  fulfillment  – Once  you  answer  the
question  “Who am I?”  by  stripping  away  the  conditioning  of  your  past  in
preparation  of  accepting  responsibility,  understanding  of  your  real  Self
frees  you  to  follow  your  own  internal  callings.  By  honoring  your  calling
(sometimes  called  an  “inner  voice”),  you  set  upon  Life’s  most  rewarding
journey, at the same time serving as a most inspirational example, the most
believable and readily available guide, for your children.
2)  Balance,  or  wholeness  – No matter  whether  your  family  centered
education allows you partial or complete freedom from values, pursuits, and
time  schedules  arranged  by  others,  you  will  find  you  are  quite  capable  of
controlling  your  own  destiny.  No  longer  obligated  to  act  for  others’
convenience,  you  find  your  own  rhythm,  just  as  your  children  discover
theirs.  You  are  free  to  listen  to  your  heart,  to  create  a  schedule  for  living
that  serves  your  needs  (or  to  avoid  schedules  completely!).  As  external
callings decrease or disappear according to your needs, you possess the time
to attend to  mind, body, and spirit as  necessary. Every aspect  of  your life
benefits from the balance, or wholeness, that results.
3) Abundant choices – When once you  experience the reality  of many
ways to learn, you’ll see there are also abundant lifestyle options available
to  you  and  your  family.  The  singular,  rigid  cycle  prescribed  by  the
education  institution  – school  as  path  to  job,  job  as  path  to  materialism,
materialism as path to necessarily increased earnings, necessarily increased
earnings as path to increased tax payments, increased tax payments as path
to  larger  government,  larger  government  as  path  to  greater  control  of  our
time,  our  thoughts,  our  money,  our  families  and  our  schools  – is  one  you
can skip if you choose to.
When  old  priorities  ruled  your  life,  lifestyle  options  were  few.  With
family centered education, a whole world of possibilities opens before you
as your family’s time – your  very  lives – become, as they should, yours to
direct.

From The Art of Education: Reclaiming Your Family, Community and Self by Linda Dobson

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