Most homeschoolers have a deep love and respect for living books. We appreciate quality resources and tools for our classrooms. However, I have stumbled upon something that is even better than living books or amazing classroom resources…you too have taken advantage of it.
People. The pros.
A friendly and older gentleman (the dad of a friend of mine) offered to teach chess to a small group of homeschoolers. He is a serious chess champion and his passion for the topic shows in his teaching. During the 8 week course, he has infused his interest and love for chess into our kids and it’s rather fun to watch.
Not only has chess class been something I couldn’t teach my own children, but it has been a topic that another person in our community does love. This class has given my kids a chance to meet someone new and enjoy their passion and interests. We have made a new friend that we wouldn’t have known otherwise and allowed him to shine through his seemingly unending knowledge.
People.
Leadership materials claim that people are our best resources, our most valuable asset and the thing we should treasure most in the business world. I think this applies to our community and homeschooling world as well. When we stumble upon people that love a particular topic and can spend a great deal of time talking about the topic, we should listen and teach our kids to listen. Often we can see their pride swelling inside when individuals are given a chance to share more about the things which excite them. Have you met a child with a strong interest in the Civil War, or one that loves building circuits? When asked the right questions, these people can dynamically shine as they share about their interests, then we benefit by learning from people who have studied these topics in detail.
I challenge you (and myself) to keep listening for people in our communities that are the pros, the ones passionate about interesting topics and are willing to spend a little time sharing with us and our kids about their field. Can you imagine how good it feels to be the expert on a given topic? We have so much to learn about our world around us! Let’s take advantage of those around us and learn all we can.
Looking for homeschool resources?
United Digital Learning has a number of online curriculum options for an affordable monthly subscription.
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.oaksreplanted.blogspot.com.
