Our family’s journey
Despite the scramble at the beginning of the school year, having our children taking courses with our “Homeschoolers at Gordon” (soon to be Core Homeschool learning) group has been a wonderful experience in several significant ways. Tuesdays and Thursday begin quietly as our two not-children-yet-not adults leave for the morning at Gordon. I then have a few hours to plan the day, work around the house, and do my daily writing and then the “karate kids,” as we like to call them, arrive.
First my daughter and son pull into the driveway, usually with a friend or two in tow. They are followed by Mr. O’Brien, karate teacher extraordinaire and his friendly (and adorable!) son, who toddles, waves and is happy to see us. We all chat, some of us grab a snack, others change into their dobaks (karate uniforms), and there is a sense of merriment and connection as we greet the kids and wave to the parents. Karate kids go off nearby to learn and practice, and whoever remains for the hour does whatever homework needs doing - whether it's a zoom lesson, workbook lesson or math problems with a friend.
The Civics class conducting a mock trial in our living room
The “karate kids” finish their class, parents circle round for pick up, and Mr. Boisvert pulls into the driveway for Civics class. There are four students, and while I try to give them privacy for their class discussions (which have taken place in the living room, downstairs in our rec room when they need to watch or display something, or on our back deck in the nicest weather) it’s not hard to listen in and be impressed by their conversations about the history of democracy, the Constitution, the three branches of government, current headlines and so much more! Ian and I even got to participate in a recent mock trial, and it was quite exciting to be on the witness stand, interrogated by our own children! Mr. B. makes a very good judge and he walked us all through the process. It’s been an absolute joy to have these students and teachers in our home twice a week and we will miss them once summertime comes, way more than we anticipated.
Another wonderful experience happened during the (most excellent) three week break over the holidays. We invited our three teachers over for an Advent retreat. We did a little sharing about the year before diving into the wonderful Advent story, and I was so touched to hear from each teacher that the classes themselves were outstanding. They spoke highly of the classroom experience (despite the small numbers in a few of the classes) and of the quality of the students. What an answer to our prayers back in July, and such an encouragement to us all to hear from each other in that way.
The students who participated in classes with us this year have had the unique opportunity to be part of something new. They’ve seen the adults around them be flexible and creative, and had the chance to bond with a small(er) group of students that are becoming friends. It’s exciting to launch Core Homeschool Learning so that we can build on this very good work and provide for more years of homeschool courses!
