I am a Product of Public Schools.

I enjoyed school and had a great experience overall. I was well prepared for college. Because of this, I've never had any reason not to send my children through the public school system. So far, it has gone well for them. The shift to thoughts of homeschooling for me was not a reaction to any negative experience for us. It was literally a result of pure inspiration. It would have to take something dramatically positive (or negative) to get me to change course, and this was absolutely positive.

Homeschooling, in the traditional sense, has never appealed to me. I am not interested in doing "school" at home. I've had enough experience with homework to know that it would be a painful experience for everyone trying to move my children through a set curriculum at a pre-determined pace. What completely turned my head and led me down this path was an introduction to a method of homeschooling that resonated with me and the goals I have for our family.

I need to back up, though and tell a little story: When Luke was in pre-school, a group of mothers and I stood around talking one day about pre-school options in our area. A number of mothers voiced their concerns over whether this pre-school or that pre-school was academic enough. Our children were all 3 years old at the time (!!) and we were making plans for the following year. The general consensus of the group was that a pre-school emphasizing socialization and play was fine for 3 year olds, but that 4 year olds ought to have more of an academic base in order to prepare them for kindergarten. No one wanted their child behind the others from the get-go.

I had an interesting experience- not unlike a movie, where the cameraman zeroes in on one person and amplifies their thoughts over the background conversation. My thoughts were definitely amplified, and went something like this:

"Why are we concerned about academics for four year olds??"
"What did the Founding Fathers do when they were four years old?"
"I'm sure their mothers weren't sending them off to pre-school."
"What did Benjamin Franklin do?"
"What about Thomas Jefferson?"
"How do children become the kind of leaders they were?"
"Pre-school has to be entirely irrelevant."

I have a memory of making a brief comment to that effect, without mentioning the Founding Fathers. It settled the question of academics in pre-school for me, but what is interesting is how that discussion in my mind has stuck with me over the years and affected my expectations with elementary school. Whenever I would start to worry over whether Abby's teacher was helping her progress as fast as she was capable with reading, or whether Luke's teacher had an eye on his math skills, I would remember the Founding Fathers, and common sense and intuition would replace my brewing anxieties and frustrations.

The Founding Fathers lived a very long time ago. Our environment and our culture have changed dramatically, but human nature does not change. Principles of truth, knowledge, understanding and wisdom do not change. I did not know until recently what these men did for their education, but I was certain it was not what we are doing now. I was sure they were not propelled and pressured academically at such young ages. And yet these men had a wealth of knowledge and a sound understanding of truth and the ability to apply it that is rarely seen today. I think we would all blush at our ignorance trying to carry on a conversation with them. They were leaders and statesmen. They were men with chests! When their moment came, they knew what to do to change the course of the entire world for good.

These men were truly educated. They were wise. They had a specific mission to fulfill and they were specifically prepared for it. That is what I want for my children. It is what I hope for myself. It's easy to forget all of that in our scramble for degrees and careers and financial independence.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago and a phone call with my friend, Tina. I knew she was homeschooling, but I only knew a little about it. She began describing her method of education, which is based on a set of principles emphasizing classics over textbooks, mentors over professors, inspiration over compulsion, simplicity over complexity, quality over conformity, and structured time rather than content. It is a method of education that is propelled by the student's own curiosity rather than a set curriculum of required information and testing. I was particularly intrigued by the principle of inspiration and curiosity as the driving force in learning for children.

That made absolute sense to me.

When I recall my own grade school years, the only things I can repeat to you today are those facts and skills I still use in every day life, some information I absorbed from teachers who inspired me, and the knowledge and skills gained from projects I was allowed to do based on my own curiosity. To this day I can tell you all about the Loch Ness Monster, the country of Iphacles I created, my book of poetry, how to run a bread bakery for our class store.... Because these were things I got to choose to do and was curious about! Other than basic math and spelling, all the rest made a quick exit from my brain as soon as testing was completed.

We absorb and retain what is most interesting to us. And what is most needful. Particularly when we're young.

Tina went on to explain that when we allow learning to take place in this way, the student naturally develops a desire to study deeply and pursue more scholarly learning over time. Because he has a hunger for it. Learning has been a pleasure. And when the desire is there, the student learns, understand *and retains* exponentially more. What might take years in an elementary school setting is learned in a matter of weeks, or days, or even hours. And it grows from there.

When the education is based in classics, the student is inspired by the actual works of great thinkers, artists and individuals in history- ultimately to think independently, to create, to improve upon ideas and errors of the past, to preserve freedom, and especially to recognize his own unique mission in life and chart a course to fulfill it. All along the way there should be teachers, leaders and mentors to inspire the student to greatness.

It sounds so lofty and impractical in my pathetic attempt to outline it here. But it makes so much sense! Somewhere in my conversation with Tina, she mentioned the name of this method of education:

A Thomas Jefferson Education

I almost had to laugh. Sometimes God is so mysterious. And other times, he just lays it all out and tells you how it is. I am sure there was no coincidence in the thoughts I had about the Founding Fathers that day with those pre-school mothers. He was simply laying the foundation in my mind because I was asking the questions. And here I am years later, coming full circle to it.

There is so much more to this method than I can cover in this post, but you can read a little more about it Here

A Thomas Jefferson Education, or TJEd, was my jumping-off point with homeschooling, but over the past year, I have continued to explore the subject of education in an effort to understand how God wishes us to undertake it. I know, I know- I'm always bringing God into everything. I can't help it. I wish I could go into every detail of what I am learning, but I suppose it's an individual journey... I would probably just write in circles trying to explain myself. In short, I have found myself experiencing a paradigm shift that I didn't entirely expect. I am coming to see education in a new way- layer by layer, as I study about ideas and methods I hadn't taken the time to consider or question before. It is enlightening to open the door to a whole new realm of thought that is so relevant to my life and my future goals.

Basically, my approach to homeschooling right now uses the principles of TJEd as a base, with a particular emphasis on scripture studies. I feel strongly that the day to day details need to be a matter of trusting my own inspiration as to what Luke (and each of my other children) needs, following his own cues, and expecting that I will be led to the best resources. I know that sounds scary and vague, but it's not. If Nephi can build a ship, I can come up with the tools my children need to become truly educated. That has been confirmed to me. And it has already begun.

Fortunately, I have had some time to read, ponder, observe, pray and outline a plan for this first phase and to define an overall vision. I expect that I will grow into preparation for the next phase, because I haven't planned for that yet! I'm sure I will stumble and fall plenty of times along the way. But I'll dust myself off and keep going. I don't know every detail about everything, I just know what I need to do right now. Today.

And sometimes that's all it takes to move in the right direction.