Thursday, September 21, 2006

Homeschooling, a way to make a real difference

Every month I copy a set of poems and sayings into my planner. This is one of the poems:

Procrastination is a silly thing,
It only brings me sorrow,
But I can stop at any time,
I think I will, tomorrow.

My daughters love to recite this poem. They get all dramatic when saying the last line.


A saying I copy each month is:

"The greatest cause of failure and unhappiness is giving up what we want most for what we want at the moment."

Each time I copy it I am reminded to not get distracted by trivial things.


A year ago I came across a saying by Henry David Thoreau:

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who's striking at the root."

I’ve added this to my planner and copy it each month.

One of the interesting things I've learned in gardening is that often pruning helps a plant. It provides balance. If you cut a few branches often the plant will end up being stronger. Many people try band aids and feel good that they are making an attempt, but aren’t really improving a situation.

We have a fern on the side of our house. I don't want it there. A couple times I've literally cut the fern down to the ground. But it keeps coming back. If I ever destroy the roots the fern will be dead.

In life it is easy to be distracted by things that have the appearance of making a difference. There are many (most?) government programs that got started because someone thought some policy or program would help, but often nothing fundamentally changed.

Homeschooling is an effort to address the very core of child development. It makes a huge difference.


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Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education

1 comment:

ChristineMM said...

Loved this post.

Here are my three favorite quotes:

It is better to have tried something and failed then to have tried nothing and succeeded.
-anonymous
(seen on a sugar packet from a Diner)

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead

Make Something Happen
(seen on a coffee mug with no credit)

I live out these mottos.