Storing Notebooks

By Renae

My son’s school work is stored in binders. At the end of each year,
his revelations are bound with thick rubber bands and placed in the
garage closet. Five years worth of notes, pictures, and maps hidden
away. Not anymore.

Photo: BurningQuestion

I planned to start school on Monday. And we did, sort of. After
eating the Deckard’s famous waffles, we sang, read
a Scripture, and prayed. Craft time followed, because bookmarks save
time, and our stash vanished. While coloring, my youngest informed me
making bookmarks is not school. “You have to go to school,” she
insisted. She’s only three, so there is time to persuade her. Her own
pink binder helped a bit.

Then I needed to decide what to do with my son’s notebooks.
Relinquishing them to the garage, yet again, seemed to obscure the
purpose. I want my children to have a record of their learning, to
delight in reviewing their discoveries. That doesn’t happen if their
work is stuffed out of sight.

I mulled over the idea of combining five years worth of notebooks
and building on the foundation already laid. The stacks intimidated,
but the reward waited.

I separated each subject for various grades and removed math and
spelling worksheets. First year drawings brought smiles of
remembrance. Growing understanding is demonstrated as the pages
progress. Every year we discuss the what and why of each subject, so I
threw away duplicates. A few subjects like geography, math, and
literature were easy to weave together; others are in portfolios
separated by grade. My son has his own reference library, a reminder of
what he accomplished.

However, the rewards of my labor aren’t shelves full of handwritten
books. They are only tools. The true prize is in the heart of my child.
When he applies what he learns to life. When he knows how to find
wisdom. When he experiences the calm peace of industriousness. When he
remembers the reasons for integrity.

More than records on paper, may truth be written on his heart, where it can never be erased or tossed aside.

Renae has been homeschooling for five years. Her goal is to

give her three children a Life Nurturing Education.