Conversations with Little Boys

"The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself."
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

 

     There are times when all I can do is smile: When a little boy designates himself as 'The Earthworm Rescue Squad' and carries off all the little creatures to the compost area so that they can 'Make the world a better place' or when, at a School district surplus sale, a 4.5 year old finds an ENORMOUS Geography textbook and half drags/half carries it to me saying 'I want this book. It has maps. I want you to show me how to read this book!'  These are the moments that make homeschooling worth it.  These are those precious, never to be recaptured experiences that I selfishly want for myself and not for some nameless, faceless other who, burdened with dozens of children, does not fully appreciate the wonder of the individual.

 

     Yes, we went to a Surplus sale yesterday. We ended up with two big boxes of books -- not something that we needed since we are in the process of packing up our house but nonetheless, a worthwhile investment since, for 1$ per book we got texts that usually retail for 25$ and up.  My sons had a field day. Maps, Books, Games and even -- HA -- a test tube rack. They were also the ones who, looking at the load that their mother was packing, decided that we should leave. In the words of my eldest 'Mom, if you can't carry anymore, maybe we should stop -- before the car can't carry anymore!'  The haul included that HUGE geography text -- my 4.5 year old HAD to have it. He was enamoured of the maps and the illustrations and quite firmly stated his intention to learn to read it. I was agreeable as I am firmly of the conviction that we learn to read when we are motivated to do so, and the best motivation is insatiable curiousity.  So we stood in line to buy our tons of books and an older lady behind me said 'How many of you here are Homeschoolers?' The woman in front of me raised her hand as did a number of folks around the room and I laughed 'I guess you could say 'a lot of us!'' She just shook her head.

 

     We had fun and as we were lugging the load back to the car, J. said to me -- 'Thanks for bringing us, Mom. I liked that.'  His younger brother, arms wrapped firmly about his precious book, nodded and said 'Me too!' The hardest part of the whole trip was getting them strapped into their seats since they both wanted to read...

 

     Having spent the morning immersed in books (we stopped at the library on our way home from the sale and the boys found a few more friends with whom to converse), we spent the bulk of the day outside, me on my knees, digging up sod and planting tulip bulbs, the boys in their underwear running through the sprinkler and hunting up bugs for their bug zoo.  At one point, noticing how hot and muddy I was becoming, the boys went and found some styrafoam which they filled with water and rose petals. They then came out and got me and brought me back to my 'own personal washing up station.' Smiling, they indicated their makeshift sinks and told me, 'You can use that to wash up -- the water is cool and it smells nice.' Hmmm... I do love the creativity of their souls.