Learning history can be boring if you are taught badly, or truly engaging if the subject is introduced as a story that relates to you and your life. This week my kids learned about Miyamoto Musashi – his struggles and his impact on society today. My kids were strangely drawn to Miyamoto’s violent story, perplexing me until I realized the reason – Musashi was a prototypical homeschooler.
In many ways the life of Miyamoto Musashi was the path by which many homeschoolers travel, starting in many cases with physical and emotional adversity in the public school system only to find the freedom to follow your education in an adventure designed with the individual in mind. This is followed by years of devotion, honing and perfecting eclectic skills and interests without influence by mainstream culture or thought. The end result is a truly exceptional person who impacts humanity with his ideas.
The list of examples of the homeschooled is very, very long, but here are a few my kids really admire:
- Abraham Lincoln,
- Thomas Edison,
- Susan Wise Bauer,
- Erik Demaine,
- Einstein, and now
- Miyamoto Musashi.
And so history is truly and forever relevant and critical to understanding ourselves and our future… and this week my kids are learning the Book of the Five Rings and adapting Musashi’s lessons of devotion, bravery, focus, imagination, fortitude, diligence, and patience into their own character.
What a great week!
