Homeschooling: Observations of an Outsider

So I was at my sister's house.

Not my sister who placed at the State track meet in the 200 meter dash as a freshman, who went on to get her Master's degree in Theology and have a hobby farm.

Not my youngest sister who is all things ravishingly beautiful and stylish, who left a trail of tears as she dropped everything to marry her dashing and talented high school sweetheart and have an exquisite daughter named for Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

No, I was at my middle sister's house.  She is an interior decorator by degree, and an artist by nature.  She is all things lovely and elegant.  I tell you--it's hard to be me in this group! :)

Well, Sister #3 is pregnant with her 5th child.  Her oldest is 8.  Unlike the rest of us sisters, her oldest is a boy, followed by another boy, and then two girls.  All of her children are ridiculously beautiful and ridiculously STRONG!  I am telling you--have you ever seen little kids with ripped calves?  Six packs?  Sculpted biceps?  That's them.  The girls too!

They are all bursting with great joy.  Their eyes shine.  They are everything enthusiastic, loving, and happy.

My sister loves her children, but has found herself homeschooling when her school of choice closed for lack of funds.  Our schooling options are limited in our area, so she decided that for now, she could do better at home.

She has had at least 4 foreign exchange students live with her family, which is bilingual, to help her children learn Spanish.

Her husband is into gardening and aquariums as hobbies (amongst many other things, bear with me).
 My sister has been lamenting how this year, with the pregnancy and her husband traveling with work a bit, she hasn't had the home schooling year she has hoped for.  Some days it seemed the children got in nothing but handwriting and map skills.  I commiserated, I compassionated.

But I say it "seemed", because let me tell you!

I was at my sister's house the other day:).  (I know, I know: the point!  Bear with me.)

My godson, her oldest came up from the basement with a crown on his head.   It was tied with a shoelace in the back.  In the front was cut a large serpent.  Upon questioning, he explained it was a Pharoah's crown.  He pointed out the men drawn on either side, one with a dog head, another with something other head...when I asked him who helped him make this, or if he was studying about Egypt, he casually just said, "you know, like you see in books".

Yeah, like that.

Her second son had a bandage on one finger, and my son discovered he had a wart.  They were laughing because my son had had a wart years ago on the very same finger.  Then, my darling nephew said "you know the plants 'spider warts'?" (I only did because I bought some a few years back) "I named it (his wart) 'spider wart'."

Now, this is a little silly, and the boy is only 6.  But this 6 year old boy knows what a spider wart plant is!  And it reminded me of the afternoon that his older brother was casually pointing out ALL of the plants in thier beautiful yard and naming them.  They can name the bugs in their garden and all of the birds that are in the Audobon guide too!

They just picked it up from their dad.  (And the books).

And the aquarium?  My son told me on the way home that the cousin with the bandage was naming each of the fish by species and, again, casually speaking of them as if everyone knows what neon tetras are.

Home educated.

And my sister is worried about the lesson plans.  I know, I know.  It's true, curriculum is something we need to attend to.  Clearly, my sister isn't "ok" with just "letting things go".  I'm just saying...I think it's going to be ok.

Yes.  Very much OK!