This afternoon we sat in our living room reading. This is where you find us every afternoon. I read aloud to my kids daily so that they can extend their vocabulary and practice analyzing the works we read.
And so today we sat, each child in their own corner of the room, and I read Churchill and Russell Kirk to my children. My kids are built to multitask and actually learn better when they occupy part of their attention with a low level task. My daughter was practicing German flashcards and my son was playing a bubble game on his tablet. (this keeps me on my toes when a random question about the meaning of a German phrase interrupts my efforts at reading, say, a section of St. Augustine’s City of God, but I guess it keeps my mind nimble.)
Then it was my son’s turn to read aloud. He is reading Macbeth aloud to his sister and I lately. He loves Shakespeare for its action and humor and historical references. And today my boy was feeling his teenage oats and so he sang the part of one of the characters. He sang out loud and strong and in an accent I haven’t ever heard.
While his sister giggled into a sofa cushion, it hit me – he was the class clown today. Homeschoolers can be class clowns whenever they are joyful or feel a little spunky. And as mothers, we laugh along. There is no one to feel indignant and put out. No teacher upset by a distraction. In homeschools we embrace distraction whether it be a spider at the window or a child who wants to sing a play out loud.
And that is what fosters creativity and confidence in our children and makes our homeschooling days wonderful.