Sunday, February 17, 2008

Embracing the Beauty

This article deserves its own post.

In my mind, one of the primary goals of unschooling is to allow children to discover and embrace Beauty as it becomes evident to them, and to always take the time to wonder. Does it always happen? To be honest, I do sometimes rush my children off past something that calls to them. But aside from dire, emergency circumstances (which I can't even recall ever happening) if I start to hurry them like this, I either stop or I know that I have blundered as I proceed.

It also reminds me of something Jesus had said to Anne about hurrying, in the September 1, 2003 message.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, here's confirmation for you, in the London Telegraph...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2008/02/16/faidle116.xml&page=1

Marie said...

It's hard for me, sometimes, to tell when Brits are talking tongue-in-cheek, but I get the sense that the telegraph article is a wee bit that way. However, because I am incurably serious I have to point out that when I turn into a slacker our house goes to chaos. The absolute best is when I am actively engaged in work that involves at least a bit of movement. My children see that and somehow feel free to engage their own thing. It also makes it possible to pass through the house without breaking limbs.

Embracing the beauty, to me, involves a lot of purposeful attention. I think perhaps that is because my kiddos want to share Beauty the moment they find it. So, I need to be able to stop and consider their call as it arises, and take it seriously.

But yes, let them discover. Mine won't feel free to do it unless I'm invested in my own vocation.