Does your classical homeschool look just like mine? It probably doesn’t. Actually, it probably shouldn’t!

It’s helpful to remember that a classical liberal arts education won’t look the same from one home to the next.

Awhile back, I posted on my blog that the biggest homeschooling mistake I’ve made yet is overthinking methods and philosophies.

I’m not sure I’d still say that’s my biggest mistake (I’ve made some other doozies since I wrote that), but it’s surely one of the bigger things that have tripped me up as a homeschool mom.

In that post, I wrote:

For awhile there, I was unable to read a book on any method without feeling like I needed to change something in our homeschooling, even if everything was going fine. I neglected to do what worked and follow my instincts, in favor of following a particular model or educational pioneer….

If I had spent those hours watching my children and following my instincts instead of reading up on this or that educational philosophy, I would have reaped greater rewards far sooner. My children would have received a better education, and I would have been a happier, more content homeschooling mother.

The great temptation when reading about other peoples’ homeschools is to think that because something worked for someone else, it ought to work for you, too.

We are all at a different place, and that’s okay. Actually, it’s more than okay- it’s wonderful! Each of our circumstances are different from each other’s in some small (or not so small!) way, and it’s a good idea to keep that in mind as we share our stories here.

Though the principles of a classical education weave through our homes as a common thread, they may manifest themselves in different ways.

Some of us memorize timeline facts, others don’t.

Some allow our children to play on iPads and computer games, others don’t.

For some, making something visually beautiful is second nature; for others, it’s not on our radar at all unless we intentionally make it so.

We choose different classics, prioritize different subjects, and organize our days differently from one another.

We’re all coming from a different perspective after all, and are motivated and inspired by different facets of the liberal arts tradition.

The big thing we ought to remember is that we can be ourselves.

There is a lot of beauty and goodness in embracing who we are and where we are at on our own journey.