by Joanna Martel
We are Grateful…
- For not having to say good-bye to our children.
- For growing with our children
- For freedom from fear.
- For being a part of their mistakes.
- For being present when the light of cognition goes on and their faces light up.
- For the frank conversations when the reality of the world and the material in the book do not mesh.
- For the frank conversations when the reality of the world and the material in the book do not mesh.
- For the freedom of religion.
- For the community that loved and raised them.
- For the flexibility to go deeper, go sideways, or go back.
- For the whole calendar in which to learn, 24-7, 365.
- For the opportunity to exemplify the character of and work that much harder because of those for whom we have holidays (i.e., Dr. Martin Luther King, President George Washington, and our brave men and women of the military).
- For the freedom of speech.
- For the opportunity to interact and socialize with all age groups every day.
- For the opportunity to make serving others a part of who we are.
- For allowing the student, even the youngest, to be the teacher of others.
- For the time to process, how to lovingly, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.
- For the freedom from want.
- For the chance to become friends with our children.
- For the understanding of the motivations and actions behind each learning assignment.
- For the chance to stop reading a book or taking a course when the student can logically and articulately explain why it is not of long-term benefit to their education, time, and development of executive functioning skills.
- For the opportunity to have relationship with my children so that when all those activities come that pull them away from home, I still know who they are.
- For the chance to learn how to live together, day in and day out.
- For the chance to be a part of each other’s successes and understand, not just the time that went into something, but how it took more than just ‘self’ to accomplish it.
- For family dinners, audiences, teammates, instructors, pen pals, cheerleaders, and best friends.
- For the freedom to learn from the natural world around us and not be bound by textbooks.
Joanna Martel, BS, MS, is a 30 year educator who works with home, private, and public schools to support educational innovation and lifelong learning. She has homeschooled for 13 years, been a school administrator for six, and has run her own consulting business, Martel Learning Group, since 1991. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education from Northeastern University.