I’m thinking about doing a new series of posts featuring ‘Questions & Answers’ since I receive so many emails from friends and readers asking me about my experience as a homeschooling mom that I’d love to share with you. Your questions don’t have to be exclusively about mothering or homeschooling. I’d be glad to answer anything (within reason!) that interests you about my life. Submit your questions (anonymously) here at formspring and I’ll pick out several to answer here on the blog. Thanks!
One question I’m frequently asked is how I reconcile being a highly educated woman that now works full-time as a stay-at-home mom.
I should preface my response by explaining that I personally believe that raising our children is the most important job in our society. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom so that I could be the one who brought up my children. (I even discussed this with David on one of our early dates to make sure that he was on board before I got serious with him!)
That being said, I didn’t neglect my education, nor make the decision to quit the work force and stay at home full time lightly.
I grew up in a house that valued education and life-long learning, and had well-educated female mentors throughout my life. I understood that college was mandatory, with graduate school being optional, but highly encouraged. I attended college at a small liberal arts school in the Midwest and then went to an Ivy League university for graduate school. After that I worked for a water resource engineering firm, supporting our family while my husband attended graduate school.
Now here I am, raising our daughter, staying at home with her. Do I no longer use what I learned in school? Do I feel as though my education is wasted? No, on the contrary, I believe that I use my education on a daily basis through critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and perpetual skepticism. Now that I am a mother, and a homeschooling one at that, I constantly rely on my education in explaining everything (EVERYTHING!) to our daughter.
Do you know how hard it is to concisely explain concepts like photosynthesis, death, electricity, and evolution to an inquiring four-year old? I don’t dumb down any of my answers for her and always make a point of using the correct language in explaining said concepts (thereby increasing both her understanding and her vocabulary). She often asks me questions to which I don’t have an answer and we scour the internet (or library!) together to gain a better understanding.
I find that I value and appreciate my education on a daily basis. I believe sharing my knowledge with my daughter, being there for her as she grows up, and introducing the world to her is the most important task of my life. I personally feel challenged and fulfilled, which is why I anticipate that we will be able to homeschool our daughter for the long haul. I can’t imagine doing anything else. (Now we’ll see how long she’s game for it!)
Have a question for me? Please ask away.
Well said Carrie. I don’t have any questions, and although we are not homeschooling, I feel the same way.
Thanks! I’m glad we get to share this motherhood journey together.
Your posts are so well-eduationally-written (if that is a word) so I KNOW you are using that A+ brain each day – and becoming a writer with some great articles up your sleeve into the bargain. I love your crafty ideas (although I am so un-crafty myself) and can see that your little girl is going to get a wonderful education through your commitment to home-schooling. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, Kathy! That means so much coming from you!
Have you read Radical Homemakers yet? Or fallen in love with Shannon Hayes? If not, you should. She says all of the above with PhD from Cornell. Oh and she eats a Paleo diet too.
Oh, Becky, I haven’t read it yet although I’ve had it on my queue at the library for months (!) now. I need to read that asap. Thank you for the reminder!
wonderfully said!
regarding the last line – has miss leyba expressed any interest in doing things differently, or going to school with her friends, etc? it sure seems like homeschooling would be a lot of fun as a little one!
Alice: Oh, I should write a post answering that question! I’m going to keep you in suspense.
I think “using” one’s education means acting in an informed way based on one’s knowledge. The compensation for that exercise of mind can be monetary (a paycheck from a job), personal/emotional (raising a child), or sometimes both. Stay-at-home parents effectively get “paid” in a different way for their use of their education. Whether others recognize or value that is really beside the point.
(On that note, I can personally attest to the fact that when put on a spot by a group of inquisitive five-year-olds to explain how water goes UP inside a tree despite gravity, this highly-educated teacher had to go look it up. ;-) My education — and theirs — in action!)
the expression is long haul, not hull. besides that though, great post!
Thanks for spotting that, Claire! Fixing it now… :)