I am grateful for the opportunity to teach our kids. Homeschool is a living, breathing, beautiful learning beast. Our learning path is constantly in motion because our kids’ passions, energies, wants, and needs always change; thankfully, we can change with them. Shouldn’t the river of learning be a fluid, flowing mass with back eddies, calm flats, and roaring rapids?

This year, we are studying Physics, Calculus, Economics, Leadership, Spanish 3, Piano 4, Leadership Studies, and Advanced Composition at home. Simultaneously, Oliver takes English, PE, Painting, Model UN, and Personal Finance at our local high school.

I love that in our homeschool, there are no bells or schedules to tell us when the learning is over. But why not some bells and schedules?

This year, Oliver wanted a traditional high school experience. Negotiating a transition aligned with our College Prep homeschool required understanding what he was looking for and a school system willing to work with us. Thankfully, we live in a town with curious and progressive educators prepared to meet us at the table. So, Oliver’s senior year is a combined homeschool-public school structure, and so far, Oliver is experiencing the best of both worlds.

At the high school, which is a 3-minute drive up the road, Oliver has advisors and teachers who introduce topics like the relative function of comedy in writing and guide parameters on his senior project. Oliver also has a new social life and is getting to know teachers, administrators, and peers in our town, which brings a value of its own to his life.

“Maturity is the ability to live fully and equally in multiple contexts.”

David Whyte, poet and philosopher

The combination of learning styles and levels is paving an enriched educational path and increasing Oliver’s adaptability in multiple simultaneous environments. This multi-level learning is fodder for a healthy mindset.

However, the logistics of this hybrid learning plan require some inflexibility with set schedules, extra paperwork, and phone alarms chiming, cutting short our ability to be that easy-flowing river of learning. We have limited time now to meander or deep-dive into a topic that opens before us. We might be discussing current world events, outlining an essay on misogyny, or researching child labor laws for a Model UN position paper when we notice the time. Quickly, we close up our books, and five minutes later, Oliver drives to his “other” classes/school. After high school finishes for the day, he puts in another 3-4 hours of school at home. It’s not ideal. But the benefits, so far, outweigh the distractions. More importantly, Oliver is doing the work. Even though his school schedule is hours longer than it would typically be, he has owned his decision, and we have been impressed with how the school and his peers have welcomed him with open arms.

British writer Alain de Botton says, “Be the author of your own ambitions,” which illustrates why we felt it was important to help Oliver challenge himself this year and write his unique story of attending school in two places.

“A mind in a healthy state is, in the background, continually performing a near-miraculous set of maneuvers that underpin our moods of clear-sightedness and purpose…”

– Alain de Botton, author and public speaker

In Advanced Composition (homeschool) class last month, Oliver wrote an essay on a satirical piece of writing by Judy Brady titled “Why I Want a Wife.” In this essay, Oliver incorporated details of the comedic formula that he learned from his (Portsmouth High School ) English class called “Comedy in Writing.” It was a great moment for me to witness, as his English teacher for the last ten years and a consummate skeptic of outside English learning. I loved it.

Being open to alternate solutions for any situation requires research, listening, humility, and flexibility, all while most of us are hard-wired to resist change. I hope our experiment opens the (figurative) door for future homeschoolers who might want to take a class or two at their public high school. I also hope that we are making a successful case for public schools to continue to open their (literal) doors to homeschoolers wanting to expand learning in multiple contexts.

We are two months in, and so far, so good; our ‘river of learning’ is flowing!

Notes:

Alain de Botton is a modern Swiss-born British author and public speaker. Influenced by Proust and Flaubert, among others, his books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy’s relevance to everyday life.

Poet and philosopher David Whyte (English/Irish) centers his work around the idea of “the conversational nature of reality,” drawing from both his personal experiences and his love of nature.

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