Sometimes I think about all the scriptures I want the children to learn, and I think, there’s no way.  They should’ve learned so much more by now.  There are so many more they need to memorize.

I notice they don’t recite their multiplication facts quite as snappily as I’d like.  And I worry a little.

I think about the list of US presidents I want them to know, and while we’re at it, the vp’s to boot.  And I hear the clock ticking.

I flip through my favorite curriculum catalogs, and I take mental notes about ALL the books I want to read and study with them.  The list keeps growing.

I look at my children and wonder, am I challenging this one enough?  Was there a better tool I could’ve used with that one?

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Then I notice the scripture on the wall.  The fact that there is scripture on the wall.  They haven’t learned them all, but they are learning that reading and learning scripture should be part of daily life.  They are learning that it is important.  That it matters.
And I breathe a little sigh of relief.

We encounter a real-life situation where multiplication is involved, and I take the time to do a real-life lesson.  Context created.  Just like that.
And I remember, that’s the whole reason for knowing multiplication anyway.

Conversations come up about presidents and government and I realize…that my children are learning about our country…in real time…because we take time to talk about it.
And I’m glad.

Books spill from the shelves and I am filled with memories of hours spent reading together.  Years and years of reading…and snuggling…and learning.
And I smile.

And I watch, as they seek out information on their own, and teach me the newest technologies.
And I know…they are accomplishing just what they are supposed to…

because, as someone once told me, education isn’t about filling a bucket…it’s about lighting a fire.
And I’m thankful.

Because I get to be the spark.

Learning is ongoing.  It doesn’t start with the 8 o’clock bell, and it sure doesn’t end with a diploma.  It happens at the breakfast table and in the car and on the playground, while eating, working, and playing together.  We “do school” for a portion of each day, but learning is always.

Because it’s a way of life.

And I love it.