Little by Little

“EDUCATION, LIKE FAITH, IS THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN.” ~ CHARLOTTE MASON

Am I doing enough? Every home educator wonders about this. Between life’s messy moments and the many to-dos, the days spill over into the next and you wonder if your child is gaining mastery of any skill besides eating, playing, and bickering. “What was your favorite thing you learned today?” I asked my five-year-old. “Nothing, can I go play?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, he is already out the door. “Sure, go play we will try again tomorrow.” I pass my boys completed Degas sketches. At least we covered art and one of the great artists; math will have to be practiced in the car… again. The nagging question bubbles up…

“Am I doing enough?”

I run my day by my mother, a retired teacher, and she encourages me, “It all counts and it’s all going in little, by little.” The other day my five-year-old played with his Legos and sang, “Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma, these are the states of matter, ding ding dong, ding ding dong!” I thought back to when I made up the silly jingle to the tune of Frère Jacques. I sang it over and over in hopes they would join in; neither of my boys would sing.

Who was learning the states of matter me or them? I smiled with satisfaction as I listened to my little guy sing. Later the same day, I drove with my boys to an appointment. “Let’s talk about some of the countries of The Levant,” I said to them. I asked my oldest son, “What do we know about Turkey?” He joked around about the bird eaten on Thanksgiving. I sighed. He went on, “Turkey is where the Hagia Sophia is. The city of Istanbul was renamed after Constantine moved the capital to Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. Constantine also legalized Christianity after he had a dream and saw the words In hoc signo vinces.” My jaw dropped. He just recapped some of last year's history lessons! It is indeed all going in, little by little.

The sage educator, Charlotte Mason, is right; education takes faith. During the messy moments of the day, we don’t see all that is taking shape in our children’s minds and hearts. Slowly, and steadily we are educating a whole person. Understanding happens throughout the day. It happens while reading together, cooking together, or walking along the water's edge asking and answering questions, on vacation exploring great cathedrals, enchanting gardens, or simply driving in the car. Education doesn’t happen all in one moment or place, but rather like seeds planted or sometimes scattered; they eventually blossom into something magnificent. Have faith, it all counts, it’s all going in. It is enough.

Written and photography by Olivia Assaf