I came across this quote this morning:
"Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he's not interested, it's like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating."
~ Barbara Lansing.
(I found this at Throwing Marshmallows, following a link from Here in the Bonny Glen)
My immediate thought was that I would remember these words to say to the next person who asked me what I would do when my children didn't want to learn (with the implied message that somehow school would make them learn whether they wanted to or not.)
However, if I imagine myself actually quoting this in conversation, I fear that I would inevitably sound critical of the choice to school children. So this, along with many of my other top reasons for Home Ed, will be filed away to be shared with my husband and the good friends I have who tolerate my eccentricities and, it would seem, the entire world if they care to read my blog.
This ties in with another subject close to my heart, breastfeeding. This is the connection: how do I state what I wholeheartedly believe when it runs counter to popular opinion, without causing offence or 'making people feel guilty'? Of course, I respect the choice of other mothers to do as they see right, be that a feeding, educational or other choice but the very fact that I have chosen otherwise because I believe it to be better for my children is sometimes taken as criticism and even judgement. Perhaps I am not very tactful, although I try hard to be I do have a tendency to drag out my soap box. Perhaps these are uncomfortable topics. Perhaps religion and politics would make for easier conversation!
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