Esther lives in Indiana and enjoys following a more unstructured style of learning for her family. She knows it's best not to try and force learning, but to just relax and let it happen.
It's like playing badminton. If you try too hard to force the shot, you only end up slamming the shuttlecock into the net where it gets stuck. Then if you try to force the shuttlecock out of the net instead of gently guiding it, you knock down the entire setup. And the next thing you know, you're all tangled up and stressed out and ready to strangle someone.
No one needs that kind of pressure so let's see how Esther does it...
1. How long have you been homeschooling (or if finished, how long did you homeschool)?
We have been homeschooling for five years now.
2. One of the main benefits of homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility it allows. Can you give us a few examples of how this freedom and flexibility benefited you (your family)?
We had lots of fun campaigning before the Presidential primary and election. It felt good to be involved in the political process and led to lots of interesting discussion. Learning about our government and past presidents was sparked by our participation.
Since we don’t do “homework” in the evenings, we have plenty of time for extracurricular activities (without pressure to hurry home) and we don’t end the evening wanting to strangle each other. ;-)
We seek out all kinds of opportunities for learning together.
3. Another benefit of homeschooling is the fun factor. Can you give us a few examples of some especially fun times you had as a result of homeschooling?
Tromping through the woods and making dams in the creek was lots of messy fun. Learning to play badminton in the backyard and counting the number of volleys was lots of fun. Curling up to read the Inheritance Series together in the evenings made for a satisfying end to many days.
4. We all have funny experiences while homeschooling. Can you share one of yours with us?
Our driveway can be a nightmare in the winter. One day my oldest son (age 13) and I had been out there with the snowblower and salt on the steep blacktop for ages. The snowblower blades quit. Of course, the store from which we purchased said snowblower is out of business. Discouraged, I kept up with salting while my oldest took the snowblower back to the barn. When I came up 20 minutes later, he came out of the barn with a beaming smile and a working snowblower! He had discovered the problem and fixed it on his own initiative. If that’s not a testament to homeschool children, I’m not sure what is!
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