In homeschooling, it is easy to slip into a check-the-boxes mentality. There are lots of things to do in any given day and we want to make sure that we have done all that we set out to accomplish in our children’s education. As a result, we may rush through things just to check them off the list and be able to say that we covered the material.
Is there a better way? Leslie M. Martino, a former classroom teacher turned home educator and homeschool consultant, thinks so. In The Joy of Slow: Restoring Balance and Wonder to Homeschool Learning, she advocates slowing down and embracing the joy of learning rather than racing to complete a prescribed curriculum. “Slow schooling values deeper understanding over shallow mastery.” It “honors a child’s interests” and “prioritizes doing work that is meaningful.” In short, it values quality over quantity.
Begin with Connection and Interests
She encourages homeschoolers to first focus on their relationship with their children. Martino states, “I’ve realized that we cannot do anything even remotely related to school if we haven’t first cultivated an atmosphere in which each person feels loved, known, and seen.” She then recommends reflecting on the values homeschoolers hold most dear and what they want their homeschool to emphasize. Consider what you care about and what your children care about. What do you enjoy doing together? How can you incorporate more of that into your lives and your homeschool?
Practical Tips
This all sounds good on paper, but how does that actually work? Martino offers some practical ways to reconfigure your homeschooling life to incorporate slow schooling. She includes suggestions on implementing routines, setting up an environment that fosters education and creativity, and establishing schedules that foster this sort of learning. She also offers suggestions on how to assess work and create the necessary homeschool reports to comply with regulations when you are embracing this style of learning.
The Gift of Time
One of the best gifts of homeschooling is time: the time that we get to spend with our children as they grow and the time that children/teens have to devote to what interests them. “The time that we have at home with our children is precious. . . . When we choose to slow down, we reclaim the freedom for our children to learn at the tempo that feels right.”
If you are interested in getting out of the checklist mindset and having a more interest-based, deep-dive approach to homeschooling, The Joy of Slow: Restoring Balance and Wonder to Homeschool Learning is worth reading and reflecting on.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made after clicking a link help support this site. Thank you!
