A million, billion, trillion, quadrillion times this:
“…didn’t have the have the heart to make him march with the band. I kept him home.”
This article popped up on my newsfeed today. I read it, I cried, and then I proceeded to read it three more times before printing it to keep for always. Amanda Mancino captured, so eloquently, what it felt like those early days… weeks… months. She described the difficult, lonely, and frequently painful moments in a way that made them, in retrospect, appear extraordinarily beautiful. The truth is, they were beautiful moments, even though they didn’t seem so at the time. In the years since, I have gradually grown to love this little island of mine. Yes, the journey continues to be challenging at times but we, as a family, have learned to [mostly] hang onto our respective hats and enjoy the ride. Suddenly, unexpectedly, homeschooling is just one example of our island adventure.
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If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him.
~John Holt, American Educator, How Children Learn
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