Creative Class

Emily and Paul Pastor homeschool their three children in the community of Bridal Veil, about 35 minutes west of Hood River.

By Amanda Rickenbach / Photography by Nakalan McKay

Why did you choose to homeschool?

I’d love to say we made the decision to homeschool based on a lot of research and soul searching, but in many ways it was a gut decision.

Both my husband and I had been homeschooled for many years. It felt like a comfortable and natural choice, in the same way that other educational options must seem natural to those who were raised in them. When looking at our values, goals, and dreams as a family, homeschooling seemed like a natural fit.

My husband is self-employed and has a lot of flexibility on where and when he works, so we also wanted an education that we could “take anywhere, do anytime.” We also want to instill a love of learning and a curiosity in our children and there are so many unique opportunities to do that in the context of everyday life when home life is focused on learning.

Often, homeschooling parents feel defensive when talking about important issues like education or parenting styles from fear that others who make different choices are judging our decisions. We always say we will take our childrens’ education year by year and choose options that are best both for our individual children and our whole family.

What do you like best about homeschooling?

I love the flexibility and freedom of homeschooling. We have done school at the beach, the park, in a hammock in the backyard, in the car, and more. Our world is a bustling classroom for the curious. Any situation or activity can become an educational moment with a little intentionality.

One example of integrating learning with life comes during car rides. Living in the Gorge, we end up doing a lot of driving, which used to be stressful or a “stickon-a-DVD” situation. But it’s become an extension of our read-aloud time as we work through new audiobooks together. We have listened to history told as narrative from prehistory to the fall of Rome, to some children’s classics or just-for-fun stories. We recently listened through the entire Chronicles of Narnia in less than two months just from our car rides, and are getting started on The Hobbit. Getting into stories together involves language, history, ethics, literature, and so much more.

What type of curriculum do you use?

One of the joys and challenges of homeschooling is choosing from the many different ways to do it. It’s overwhelming. There are so many wonderful and inspiring methods within home education, such as Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, Waldorf, Montessorri, Reggio, etc. Then, each of those “traditions” have specific curriculum, which can be daunting. As a beginning homeschooler, it’s confusing to see so many thriving families doing very different things. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is not to use a curriculum or activity only because it works for “so and so’s family” but to be open to trying new things and ditching them if they don’t match the rhythm and needs of my own children. Our family gravitates toward a Charlotte Mason and Classical education with a little Unschooling and Waldorf-inspired nature education thrown in.

We use a variety of resources and curriculums, but rely heavily on literature, nature, and imagination as inspiration—with an emphasis on “living” resources (such as original books and primary sources instead of textbooks “about” a subject). There will always be gaps in one’s education no matter what curriculum you choose, so the important thing is to quiet the fears in your mind and do what meshes with your family. This is a lesson I’m still learning. But it’s getting easier to give myself permission to do this.

What are your kids’ favorite subjects?

All of our kids love reading and outdoor education. Because learning about nature draws in so many senses, and because we live on such beautiful, vibrant land, it lends itself to enjoyable and memorable learning.

With that said, each of our kids has different interests and affinities. Our oldest is on her way to becoming a little herbalist. She can identify edible and medicinal herbs, both in the garden and through foraging. Our five-year-old loves learning about animals and has a remarkable memory for their names and attributes. You can often find him impersonating his latest favorite creature. We just started keeping a nature journal, and it is developing their sense of observation and appreciation even more for the natural world. Our almost-three-year old is taking it all in, but has great savvy for being outside and a wonderful attention span for listening to his older siblings’ stories and activities.

What do you like about living in the Gorge? Did you grow up here?

I love the wildness of the Gorge. My husband and I grew up in the Northwest but only moved to the Gorge three years ago. I feel so privileged to live in a place that people from all over the world come to visit. I love being able to observe how this beautiful and wild place changes so surely and subtly each day. I’ve never felt more in tune with the rhythms and cycles of nature and I know that’s already part of our family culture. This wildness is always teaching. Some of the lessons are a joy, and some are a struggle, but they are all valuable. Over this last brutal winter, we lost our well, septic and power for days at a time, but our kids experienced using a camping toilet, cooking on the woodstove, washing dishes in a tub on the floor, and using candles for light. What seemed like a horrible inconvenience really was a valuable lesson in adaptability and resourcefulness for all of us.

What is your husband’s role in homeschooling?

While I do the majority of the “schooling,” I would say my husband Paul is a more natural teacher than I am. He is so good at taking ordinary moments and imparting wisdom and knowledge without the kids even knowing it. The outdoors is his specialty, and he has taught all our children how to identify plants, birds, animal tracks, constellations, and so much more. Even our two-year-old knows the plants he can eat in our yard and is usually seen with stains around his mouth from handfuls of lemon balm and salal berries.

Paul is not just giving them head knowledge about these things, but imparting a love and respect for their surroundings that you can’t learn from memorizing facts. The kids are learning to see themselves as part of nature—not just in it as a visitor, but as where they belong. I’m so thankful for his love of learning and playfulness that make homeschooling enjoyable and integrated throughout our days.

You are also an artist. How does this work into your days?

I never considered myself artistic, and I didn’t start painting or drawing until four years ago. It was the

concept of nature journaling that inspired me to get my first little watercolor set and notebook. It became an area of self-growth and challenge that felt new and life-giving. It’s only been in the last year that I’ve begun to do some commissioned art and sell pieces on the side.

This is a season of my life when I am wearing so many hats that I’ve had to be very careful about how I spend my time. Art is something that started as a life-giving hobby, and if it ever turns into something that becomes a drain on me, then that will be my cue to scale back. I only do art if I feel inspired or if I need to finish a commission, but that usually is in the evenings after kids have gone to bed.

What advice would you give parents considering homeschooling?

Two things. Don’t make lifestyle choices based on fear, and don’t be afraid to be different. I know a lot of people may be afraid they’re not organized enough, or “type A” enough, or qualified enough to teach their kids. I know a lot of people may be afraid their kids would be socially awkward, or offbeat, or wear Lord of the Rings capes or something all the time if they homeschooled.

As much as possible, quiet those fears and look at the deepest desires for you and your children. Put the fear aside and have faith that the people and resources

will be there when you need them. Likewise, if public or private school lines up with the beat of your family, then pursue that in the joy and knowledge of an intentional choice. Homeschooling, public school, or private school, we all just need to lay the fears and insecurities down and run hard after our calling to encourage the people we love to grow in strength and love and good thinking.

What are some of your favorite books?

For personal enjoyment:

A Circle of Quiet by Madeliene L’Engle Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

For homeschooling:

Home Grown by Ben Hewitt Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins The writings of Charlotte Mason

Do you have a strong community of other homeschoolers you connect with?

We have a very strong community of like-minded people, but they don’t necessarily homeschool their kids or even have kids. I’m very thankful for the friendships and perspectives of those whose lifestyles look a little different from ours. I’m slowly meeting more homeschooling families in our area, and also finding homeschooling support, inspiration, and resources online. But I would love to get connected with a weekly co-op or homeschool group for some extra support.

What are your family’s dreams for the future?

My husband and I are always dreaming and starting sentences with “what if…” It’s a family value to follow those dreams as much as possible.

Both Paul and I have had formal education. We’ve worked manual or “daily grind” labor in manufacturing, in restaurants, in cubicles. We’ve both committed to jobs we didn’t like because it paid the bills. I think self-discipline and a good work ethic are crucial to a happy life. But it’s also easy to get trapped

in doing things you hate because “that’s the way life goes,” or to support a lifestyle that you “should” have but that doesn’t bring true blessing to you or those around you. In our culture, our lives are filled with going places we don’t want to go, to do things we don’t really want to do, and we’re told that’s just how life is so, buckle down to get that raise.

We want to foster an adventurous spirit in our family that values different things. It’s easy to think about adventures in the context of traveling, or doing something big and crazy. But I’ve found that adventure really starts with an attitude that’s willing to do things differently and creatively in spite of circumstances. Work, family life, education—all can be rich and wonderful adventures. As much work as it is, it is sure worth living that way.