Delight Directed Learning

Posted by Sallie | 0 comments

Today (the day that I am typing this) is the 15th of June. Due to time needed for editing, etcetera, our HOTM articles are due by the first of every month. Needless to say, I’m a bit late. I have been dwelling on what profound insight or encouragement I could share with you for weeks but, I’m sorry to say, I got nothing. We had a virus take over our computer about a month ago and it’s like an empty shell up there in the nether regions of my brain. All of my sensibility was lost with my old computer. On that computer, I was constantly typing out small tidbits and notes on my desktop, or in the file my husband had lovingly titled “Sallie’s junk pile”. That meant I always had a story “starter” to “finish” when I need to do an article for any of the websites I write for. I literally had hundreds of text files on it and I could just go in and grab any of them and finish them up lickety-split. Now, I feel like my brain has been turned off without those backup notes.

It’s not that there isn’t anything left in my brain to write about. Heaven’s NO!! I am a homeschooling mom, afterall, and my children give me fodder, er, uhm, brilliant specks of literary genius to write about all the time. I think the issue that has become so daunting for me is simply that I have to start something from SQUARE ONE because I don’t have my arsenal of daily tidbits of our lives built up yet on this new computer. Yikes!! Can anyone say panic attack?!

As I sit here typing, I realize homeschooling can leave you with those same daunting feelings… those “I got nothing” feelings… even for veteran homeschoolers. A move to a new house; a new family member born/adopted mid-week of your mid-term; a transition from kindergarten to elementary, or middle to high school, or any other grade level in between; a new job for mom or dad (or both in today’s economy); a new set of curriculum. All those things, and more, can throw off your groove and leave you feeling like you are flying blind. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Homeschool does not have to be the same thing as ordinary school aka public school. That is why it is extra-ordinary! That is why I love it!!

Recently I discovered the name of the homeschool approach for what I have been doing for years. I knew we weren’t Classical. I knew we weren’t Charlotte Mason. I knew we weren’t unschooling. Though, perhaps we do have a bit of each of those in our routine. We just aren’t full blown regulars to any of those learning approaches. I have always simply called our homeschooling approach Sallie’s Way and that sounded just fine by me. In all actuality, though, it does have a more specific name: Delight Directed Learning. I’m very thankful that this method of homeschooling does not leave me with feelings of being lost and flying blind. The main reason for this is because the schooling is nothing about me and how great a teacher I am, but is instead about my individual children and their interests and desires.

Our oldest son, Caleb, is nearly 15 years old, and is on the autism spectrum. He was diagnosed later than most at age nine. One of the doctors that Caleb saw early on in his diagnosis told us that homeschooling would be our best option for Caleb, and that teaching him towards his interests was the best way to prepare him for a job in the real world. We decided that made pretty good sense to us and if we were teaching him towards his interests, then it would make complete sense to teach ALL of our children towards their individual interests. Guess what?! It WORKS!!

Delight Directed Learning is NOT letting your children do whatever they please. However, it is letting your children learn through what pleases them. My children have attended DOD (Department of Defense) schools, charter schools, and public schools throughout their educational careers, before we moved over completely to the homeschool way of life. Public schools, as well as most of the other school venues we were involved in, want cookie cutter children. They start work as early as possible to strip children of their individual personalities.

God did not create a cookie cutter society but instead gave each of us gifts and talents to be used according to His call on our lives.

Exodus 28 speaks of workmen whom God gave specific talents for creating the priestly garments for Aaron. Exodus 35 speaks of the men gifted with skills for building the tabernacle. We read in verses 30 and through the end of the chapter that God even specifically called the men out by name so that there was no confusion as to whom he had given certain talents to:

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers.

In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 12 gives a list of spiritual gifts and services. Verses 4-6 tells us that even though there are different gifts, and services, and workings, there is only one God who works them all in man. The chapter further tells us that we are to use our individual God-given talents and abilities to work as a unified body in Christ. In His great understanding of the human mind (He DID create it afterall), God knew that he was creating us to be different from each other and that there was a job and place for each of us in His Kingdom.

I use several translations of the Bible at home when I am doing studies and such, but I would have to say that probably my most favorite translation is the Amplified version. I truly love how indepth the translation strives to be. The Amplified gives a bit more meaning to the original translation of Proverbs 22:6 when it says:

6Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

And in keeping with his individual gift or bent. WOW! Do we strive in our day to day homeschool routine to teach our children based on our wants and desires (or individual gifts) or do we strive to teach them what God has gifted them to do? Teaching my children based on their own individual gifts from God has opened my eyes to one of the true blessings of homeschooling.

No longer do I worry if my children are where they are supposed to be educationally compared to other children. No longer do I worry whether or not they are competitive enough in the sports world. No longer do I worry if their music lessons are progressing as well as I think they should be.

Instead, I ask myself daily two questions: 1)”Are my children learning and excelling in the talent God gave them?”, and 2) “Are we giving God the glory for His work in our lives and thanking Him for it?” ( per Colossians 3:17)

As long as I can continue to answer YES to both of those questions, then I know we are on the right track for growing our children up to be the adults that God would have them be. Are you on the right track, too?

Sallie is an off-again, on-again homeschooling mom to her 4 children, ranging from elementary to high school. In her writings, she discusses the challenges of homeschooling a child with disabilities and offers insight to those who sometimes feel all alone in a round hole world. Please visit her at Seaside Tales