{photos by Nicolay Walz}
Here’s a glorious moment captured by SLOCA parent Nicolay Walz. Nicolay and her husband Matthew have 4 kids at the school: Amelia (HS Junior), David (LMS 6), and Catherine (Intermediate 3) on Track A, and Lilly (UMS 8) on Track B. They are in their second year at SLOCA.
At the August parent meeting, we were challenged to consider some ways that we could “dare greatly” at home. My response was that I wanted to try to enjoy the spontaneous learning and discussions that happen at home, instead of being so focused on checking items off the grid. Shortly after the meeting, Lisa Ann Dillon suggested that I submit a post for the blog. The excuses flooded in. “Just think about it,” she said. See, I don’t do social media and I had anxiety about creating an entry that would be worthy of a read. But I decided to commit to keeping an eye out for a spontaneous moment when all 4 kids and I were engaged in learning together (and try to snap some pictures because you always have to have photos for a post, right?!).
One night the kids were all at the kitchen counter waiting for the pizzas they had assembled to cook. I apprehensively decided to ask David how continental blobbing was going. (This is a map-drawing activity they do in LMS.) I say apprehensively because I get the most pushback at home on topics that my kids think they have already mastered. David has loved maps since he was a toddler. He often picks the map drawing option for his Setting HRA. Amelia, Lilly, and David have all mapped at least part of the world from memory before (see pictures below of some examples). So they consider themselves experts. But boy was I glad I opened that can of worms! David started explaining some debate at school on the exact location of Africa. They started discussing the exact shapes of the continents. Everyone grabbed their own marker and white board. Amelia ran to get the globe. And Catherine was taking it all in. Wow, I thought. I couldn’t stop smiling. I actually had my phone in my pocket and I managed to take a few pictures. This moment happened in October. My kids immediately thought a blog post was a great idea. But I’m just now getting around to holding myself accountable…
It’s never too late to share on the blog – thanks for sending this in, Nicolay! These spontaneous moments are the best, when it’s not about the assignment, but about their genuine love of learning, discussing, and sharing ideas.
Feats, Wonders…. call them what you will, but send them to Down Home! We love hearing what’s happening in your homes and in the classroom. Share a favorite moment with our SLOCA community and blog readers. Email [email protected].
