Recently, we had a Black History Month event, where I invited a local artist, Delia Miller to come and share her work with a mixed-age (spanning about 10 years) group of homeschooled kids. The 2024 theme for Black History Month was African Americans and the Arts. The children in the group presented some of their research on artists throughout history, and even their own work of similar styles, in a museum-type display. Delia gave a wonderful presentation on her experience as a muralist and aviator. You can see an example of her work here.
I loved the questions that the children asked her. You could tell that many of them were interested in her pursuit of two seemingly different passions. The young artist confidently spoke about how much joy she found in not putting herself in a box. Her interests were varied and she was exploring them freely. Delia shared about when her interest in painting began, how it grew into a passion, and the steps she took to pursue learning. She was bold in her efforts to seek out mentors, training, and experience.
I also loved the conversations that happened after Delia’s presentation was over. At one point my daughter remarked that even though this artist went to a traditional high school, the path she took to learn something that went beyond what was offered within the parameters of her high school education was giving off some serious homeschool vibes. I laughed, knowing exactly what she meant.
Later, at home, when I was discussing with my children all that Delia shared, they said it reminded them of two other stories we had learned about. One was the story of Wilson Bentley and the other was Craig Foster.
Wilson Bentley, also known as “Snowflake Bentley,” was someone who loved nature from the time he was a boy. He was a farmer who grew increasingly fascinated with the microphotography of a snowflake. From his first snowflake capture around 1885, his images would eventually revolutionize the world’s understanding of what a snowflake was by the intricate features that he revealed.
Craig Foster was a filmmaker who started to extensively document his diving experiences in South Africa and the interactions he had with an octopus that continued to fascinate him for close to a year. His documentary, “My Octopus Teacher,” released in 2020, is one that my children and I still have conversations about a few years after watching it.
As we discussed the similarities we found in Delia, Wilson, and Craig’s stories, some interesting things they noted were:
*These individuals had a passion they were pursuing. They went after it with intensity to find out more.
*They pursued things that were interesting to them no matter what anyone else said about them.
* They didn’t give up on their dreams (goals related to the interest or learning about the interest) even when things were difficult.
*The things they were passionate about drove their work, where they put their time, energy, and resources, and even their later career choices.
They likened the three experiences to our Project Time when they’re at home pursuing interests that allow them to grow and learn more about various things. That’s why I understood my daughter’s “it’s giving homeschool vibes comment.” Having the opportunity to self-direct their learning is an important element of their education. Really, it’s an important element for all of us when we think about natural ways of coming to know and understand something we care about. How else do we put true mental energy and engaged activity toward an interest other than with the freedom to decide what interests matter?
Unfortunately, natural curiosity, or a desire to learn, is often at odds with the postures implicitly esteemed by “schooling,” no matter where that schooling happens (at home or in a traditional building-based setting). Connor Boyack wrote in his book Passion-Driven Education:
“The first thing we need to do is recognize that education does not equate to school; the former is not bound by buildings, schedules, and formalized instruction. Too many people have conflated the two in their minds, and thus in their homes, such that learning and instruction are confined to the hours dedicated to formal schooling. Children are being raised to perceive their free time and personal interests as separate from and unrelated to their education. If parents don’t emphasize education outside of structured schooling, then should we really expect children to do so?”
“School” that is only defined by material to learn no matter how interesting, useful, or connected to a person’s goals, cannot expect to foster natural curiosity in the ways that most parents desire for their children to possess it. If we only teach our children that they are “educated” when they have proved that they can remember and regurgitate information they were never curious about in the first place, we have limited their understanding of the breadth and depth of all that learning can be. The possibilities are vast. The potential to expand their mind is broad. Learning is truly limitless.
