Diana Waring
Unpacking the Essentials... What is absolutely necessary in your homeschool? Essential
Essential
Non-Essential
Non-Essential
The
Relational
Homeschooler
Would you expect to gain insights that are pertinent to homeschooling life by unpacking a kitchen? I know; I know. The homeschooling-kitchen continuum is a strange connection to make. But if you can stay with
me for a few minutes, I think it will shed some light on something
profound, something that can give you a huge new dose of liberty to
enjoy your kids and your homeschooling journey.
We moved. Two simple, uncomplicated words, but for those who
haven’t done it recently, that short sentence does not begin to express
the depth of experience—the initial decision, the joys and struggles
of transition, even the numbing, constant decision making of placing
familiar things in unfamiliar settings—implied in those little words.
We homeschooled. Two simple, uncomplicated words. However, as
stated in the preceding paragraph, that short sentence does not begin
to express the depth of experience.
Having just moved from the Pacific Northwest to Indiana, the
similarities between these two monumental activities have become
increasingly clear. While the mountain of unpacked moving boxes
still looms before me, I want to share with you some thoughts about
the importance—the necessity—of unpacking the essentials as quickly as possible and, while you’re at, tossing the non-essentials that are
clogging up your life.
The Essentials
What do I mean by “essentials”? They are things that are absolutely
necessary to your effort and central to your task. They can, of course,
be different from one person’s kitchen to another. If you enjoy home-
made curry powder, your essential spice collection will undoubtedly
be larger than most. Please recognize that I am not making a list here
for what your essentials should be; rather, I am pointing out that you
should determine what is essential to you. Early in our first week
here, I was hoping—unsuccessfully, as it turned out—that the things
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