I don’t know why God brought soccer and jiu-jitsu into my life, but I could not be more blessed by those decisions.
Historical Journey
We are taking advantage of more time inside by exploring the courses that Tom Woods developed for the Ron Paul Homeschool Curriculum.
Don’t Teach What You Know
An important realization I had was that I was much better at teaching subjects I was less knowledgeable about. I brought more curiosity to those subjects, while I was (am) more likely to trust my own knowledge too much in the fields I have historically enjoyed.
You may be unaware of the damage done by schooling, I certainly was.
Always Learning
Someone tried to tell me that adults aren’t as good at learning as children.
I’m convinced that 13+ years of schooling distorts the way our brains naturally work. We are trained to learn on a regular, 8am-3pm, Monday-Friday schedule. Then we are released into the world as fully formed adults who have been coveted away from the way the world actually operates. We collapse into regular, 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday jobs because they are familiar.
It doesn’t have to happen like that. There has never been a better time to learn in human history.
Today I learned some fascinating things about Thomas Paine on the great Tom Woods Show.
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I don’t know if I’ll read David Benner’s book on the subject, but it will go on my long list of possible reads.
I do know I’ll be listening to a collection of writings by influential anarchists from a variety of standpoints. The Anarchist Handbook is a collection of essays organized by Michael Malice and I just borrowed the audiobook from the library.
We limit ourselves in so many ways. Physically, mentally, and spiritually we see doors closing. We fail to see how many doors of possibility open everyday. Home education and the learning lifestyle have taught me these things.
Now go learn something.
Parkday Family
Today felt like a family gathering. We had homemade cookies and nachos and someone brought hot chocolate. We huddled around the fire and caught up with loved ones we haven’t seen in too long.
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Christmas music played and Isaac and I slow danced to Elvis’s “(There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me).”
The sun shined on our faces and the children seemed totally content without parental interference for hours. I’m not sure it could have been a better day.
Build the Alternative
When there isn’t a soccer team, start one. When your groups close up for Lockdown, establish a new one. When fellow homeschoolers won’t respect your values of inclusiveness, go elsewhere and build an alternative community.
This is why Delaware Homeschool Buy/Sell/Free Homeschool Stuff was established. I’m not involved in the founding or administration of this new marketplace, but I am a huge proponent of creating spaces where adults can treat each other as such and trust that commerce can happen without a heavy hand of guidance.
Go check it out. Unload some of those educational materials that have been sitting around. Make some money or bless a family with new resources. Find your next favorite science experiment.
Too Dang Cold
I got a cold shower between a midday roll at Elevated Studios and an evening game of indoor soccer.
It was awful, but I have little doubt that it helped me do two of my favorite things in the same day (the first time I’ve attempted this).
I rolled for nearly an hour and played a full 40-minute game. It felt great to give each my full effort.
A Jolly Roll
Elevated Studios is so magical that I got to roll with the man of the hour!
Spontaneity
A couple weeks ago we were hosting our Lego Unschool Club. When some of the boys were done building, they asked to go for a walk. They can be trouble, but they’ll be that trouble whether I let them out or not.
It turns out that they performed impromptu carols around the neighborhood. Until I saw this post on social media, I was nervous about them bothering neighbors.
One of the blessings of unschooling is to see the good work that children voluntarily choose to engage in.
Back to Competition
Westen and I are training to compete in a jiu-jitsu tournament for the first time in over a year.
This is only my second competition while Westen has been in around a half dozen.
This is his first time competing since joining the adult class and I’m excited to see this more intense training get excercised in an elimination atmosphere.
I’m more nervous for myself as I’ve missed a week of training and I have yet to access the aggressiveness that seems so natural for me in soccer.
In both cases, we will be tested in new ways, aiming to grow before, during, and in the wake of the tournament.