(insert something witty here)

My aunt was in town last week on vacation, so I decided that we'd all take a week off too.  In all the time we've been together and all the traveling that we've done, Husband and I have never really taken a vacation.  Even though we go to cool places, we're still living, working and teaching.  Last week we played.
It was the best 4th of July of my life!  We really got to enjoy great food, good company and once in a lifetime experiences.   We didn't really get any "school work" done, but we had such a great week.  That being said, it's time to get back to business!

I did read the Colfax's book Homeschooling for Excellence this past week.  If you haven't read it, you should, even if you don't homeschool.  The book is all of 90 pages excluding the appendices.  There were no amazing revelations, but it did remind me to focus on my goals as a homeschooling mother.  What do I want to teach my kids, and why?  Do I want to pour knowledge into them, or do I want to teach their hearts and guide them as they discover their own interests?
The other really important point I got from the book is that it is my job to help my children succeed, not to point out where they have failed.  This one kind of smacked me upside my head.  It seems counter intuitive to everything I learned in my teacher education classes.  My job is not to show them what they are failing at, but what their strengths are.  Not to point out what they don't know, but help them find out what they want to know.

Obviously (at least to me), the 3 Rs are an exception to this rule.  But the Colfax's method seemed to work out for them.  All four of their boys, two of whom were adopted, were admitted to Harvard.  No formal education.  No curriculum shoved down their throats.   Just quality materials and opportunities made available. They filled their days with real life work and activities.  And they didn't patronize their kids.

I like it.