On goals, dreams, and lack of vision

I have been thinking alot about our homeschool lately (I know…what else is new, right?) and how we “do things” around here, for Superboy in particular.

It seems that every time I write about how we do things, I end up later eating my words because we change how we do things so often.

I have written about schedules, methods, materials, goals, guidelines, philosophies, etc that we have used, but each and every one has changed time and time again, so that when I look back over past weeks, months or years (or past blog entries) I often must admit that our school no longer even resembles what it once was!

So…is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Are we being flexible or are we being inconsistent?

Am I evolving as a mother and teacher or am I just scatterbrained and indecisive?

Am I a good model of following a child’s lead or am I an example of poor leadership?

(Umm…these questions are rhetorical, btw, just in case you were thinking this is your chance to tell me what you REALLY think!LOL! )

But regardless of the answers to above, I am growing more and more satisfied with our flexible outlook and accepting of the fact that we will never be the stick-to-one-thing types.

And though we tried and rejected unschooling last year as not our cup of tea, I find myself again moving in that direction-not “pure” unschooling, but our own “hybrid” variety. Being a fairly rational human being (most of the time) why would I think something that most decidedly did NOT work last year just might work this year? (isn’t that Einstein’s definition of insanity, actually?) I think I may have stumbled upon the answer to that.

In a discussion of goal-setting on the 4reallearning boards, Loenie of Living Without School fame pointed me towards this article by one of my favorite educational gurus, Julie Bogart (of Bravewriter, the writing program that literally turned our homeschool around).

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

Please read it if you have a moment it is so worth it! I found myself nodding in agreement as I read, enthusiastically re-reading and churning ideas in my mind. One quote that sort of stands out in my mind as summarizing the whole idea is this one:

We can stand aside and hope our kids will be more motivated than we were to realize a vision of their futures, or we can jump in with both feet behind them and support their dreams… with our commitment of time, energy and love.

This year Superboy HAS a dream, a goal, a plan, and it is a big one! He wants to learn to sail, to become a ship’s captain and sail around the world. He doesn’t know how he will get there (his ideas are to gain experience through commercial fishery or the US Coast Guard) but he definitely has the will. And I believe that where there is a will, there must be a way. And after reading Julie’s article I see ever more clearly my responsibility in it all.

I have always admired those homeschooling families you read about where the children have built barns, started their own business, patented an invention, or assembled a biodiesel car from junk parts. You know, the “super-achievers.” I’ve admired them but secretly thought they were not “realistic,” not “normal,”in other words, not us.

But why not? What is the difference here? Is my child just not as smart, capable, or enthusiastic as these kids? Does he somehow lack the vision of those others? Do most children lack this vision and are thus permanently set apart from the “super-achievers”?
I find that conclusion just does not ring true. What does ring true , however disturbing, is that it is the lack of vision of the parents which keeps children from super-acheiving. And by “the parents” I am including myself here. Does my own lack of vision hinder my son from Super-achieving? From reaching his full God-given potential? From attaining his own “big, hairy, audacious” goals?

Sure, I have always been supportive of Superboy’s interests in the past and been willing to adapt our schooling to respond to them. I’ve included his ideas in school plans and purchases, I’ve designed unit-studies around his passions, I’ve taken trips to support his obsessions. In fact, I feel I have been more willing than many homeschool parents to plan around my child’s plans. But have I really gone that extra mile to support his dreams? If not, do I covertly sabotage his efforts by not throwing my full support his way? Or am I somehow secretly thinking that his dreams couldn’t possibly actually come true? That they are too big and wild and foreign for a little mountain boy? Do I lack vision? Because Superboy certainly doesn’t.
Perhaps I need to open my eyes a little wider.