Episode 136

Today on the Art of Homeschooling podcast, we’re delving into the value of your homeschool story. And examining the stories we tell ourselves about not only ourselves, but also our children, our families, and our homeschool life.

It’s time to dive deep and remember that you’re on a journey, too. As a person, a parent, and a homeschooler.

In this episode, you’ll gain powerful insights into the “why” behind your homeschool and learn how to share YOUR story with friends and family.

Getting clear on your homeschool story can also help guide your homeschool decisions, be a comfort on the hard days, and empower you by reminding you why you chose to homeschool in the first place!

So you can embrace what you truly want homeschooling to be for your family.

Tell Your Homeschool Story

Homeschooling is a deeply personal and unique journey for each and every one of us. And I’ve noticed that we often find ourselves trapped in narratives that are imposed on us by society or by our own judgment and internal dialogue.

These narratives may be rooted in comparison, self-doubt, or societal expectations. And they often limit our potential for growth and prevent us from fully enjoying and embracing our homeschooling experience.

What stories have you been telling yourself?

Is the narrative empowering or limiting?

It’s time to examine your homeschool story with empathy, warmth, and hope.

Because after all, we want homeschooling to be a path of growth, connection, and joy.

So often though, we get caught up in what homeschooling “should be” according to external standards. We compare ourselves to others, which leads to us doubting our abilities and feeling overwhelmed.

It’s really important to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to homeschooling. What matters most is what we want our homeschooling experience to be and how it aligns with our values, our children’s unique needs, and our family’s dynamics.

Take a moment to visualize the homeschooling journey you truly desire. Picture a homeschool where your children are thriving, where learning is joyful and engaging, where lessons are hands-on and enlivened by the arts and nature, where connections are deep and meaningful.

Hold onto that vision, because it’s within your reach.

Limiting Beliefs

Now look at the narratives that have held you back.

Are there any beliefs that no longer serve you?

Are there stories about your abilities as an educator or your children’s potential that need to be rewritten?

It’s time to challenge those limiting narratives and replace them with more empowering ones.

As you uncover these narratives, remind yourself of your personal agency and the power you hold to shape your homeschooling story. You are not a passive observer but an active participant in your children’s education.

I hope you can embrace your role as a guide, a facilitator, and a lifelong learner right alongside your children.

Rewriting Stories That Don’t Serve Us

Sometimes, we don’t even realize that the stories we tell ourselves are affecting us the way they are.

Here’s a simple exercise you can try yourself. It’s called My Homeschool Story, Told Two Ways.

Meditate on or record in writing the story you are telling yourself about one aspect of your homeschooling. Then rewrite the narrative from the opposite perspective, focusing more on what you DID accomplish and the positive outcomes.

Here’s an example~

STORY ONE: We’re about to finish up our 2^nd year of homeschooling and it feels like we’re always behind. I never finish everything I had planned from at the beginning of the year. I’d planned this great block on local geography and we only did half the field trips. Am I ever going to feel settled and on top of this homeschooling life?

STORY TWO: We’re about to finish up our 2^nd year of homeschooling and wow, did we do some amazing things this year! We did a block on local geography and got to go on three incredible field trips. One was a visit to the Maritime Museum on Lake Erie where we learned all about shipwrecks aboard a barge! The kids were so excited to see the captain in his uniform and hear stories of life on the Great Lakes. It’s amazing how much we learned from one visit to this museum.

Can you see how by simply choosing a different lens to look at your story through can dramatically shift the story?

Remember, you have the power to redefine your homeschooling story. You CAN create an educational experience that aligns with your values, nurtures your children’s growth, and brings joy to your family.

Themes and Growth Woven through Our Stories

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, had a fascinating idea that we each are on a path of self-development. And that this development happens in seven year cycles throughout our lives ~ cycles or stages that each bring their own themes and growth.

Steiner described ten 7-year cycles of human life, each stage of life having their own unique challenges and rewards. These create the patterns we weave throughout our lives and how we grow not just in childhood but also as adults.

You might already be familiar with the 7-year cycles of childhood. We often talk about how children learn at ages 0-7, 7-14, and 14-21. If you want to hear more, check out Episode #126: Thinking Feeling & Willing ~ 3 Ways Children Learn.

But did you know that these 7-year cycles continue throughout our whole lives?

Here’s a wonderful description of this idea from Betty Staley’s book, Tapestries.

“An image of the complexity of human life is that of tapestry weaving. In each of our lives the warp is formed of those strands which are given: what we bring with us and what we are born into. As we examine the warp, we can see that some threads are tight, others are loose; some are smooth, others may be rough. The warp bears the imprint of the one who threaded it on the loom. This underlying foundation is the basis upon which we can build an imagination of what our weaving will be like. Then we take the shuttle in our hands – each to weave the tapestry of our lives. How we fashion it depends on how we respond to and interact with what we experience and encounter, how we shape it through our free will. Each of our lives is different; no two tapestries is the same.”
~Prologue from Tapestries: weaving Life’s Journeys by betty staley

Just as I find Steiner’s suggestions for working with children from the early years through their teens to be spot on, I also find it wonderful to read about our journeys beyond adolescence.

Steiner’s 7-Year Cycles

Here are just a few interesting highlights from this journey of growth and development, according to Steiner’s idea:

Ages 21 to 28: We live through impulses rather than thinking. We explore our individuality and build up experiences to meet the world with enthusiasm.
Ages 28 to 35: We’re more sensitive of ourselves as we become more inward and more thoughtful. It’s a time in our lives to be more realistic and practical.
Ages 35 to 42: We’re plumbing the depths of our souls. A kind of midnight of the soul.
Ages 42 TO 49: We do a lot of soul searching and sense big changes ahead as we approach our 50s.
AGES 49 TO 56: We experience an ever-growing vision and understanding of life.
AGES 56-63: We often take a good hard look at our lives and have a spiritual reckoning of sorts.
AGES 63-70: This is a time of harvesting and spreading the wealth.
And Ages 70 and beyond is a time for reflecting on all of our blessings.

Wow, do you find that as accurate a description of the stages of life as I do?

Lots to contemplate here about the human journey and telling our stories.

Dive Deeper & Explore More!

Here are two resources and an invitation if you want to explore these ideas further.

Join me and my team for the 2023 Taproot Teacher Training for Waldorf-Inspired Homeschoolers. This live, four-day event is an immersive opportunity for you to delve deeper into the power of narratives in homeschooling.

Taproot is a place where you can connect with like-minded parents, learn from experienced Waldorf homeschoolers, and gain the tools to craft your own empowering homeschooling story.

You’ll be surrounded by a community of support, encouragement, and inspiration. You’ll find guidance in rewriting your narratives, embracing your strengths, and unlocking the true potential of your homeschooling journey. All while having fun singing, learning, and laughing with others on this path.

Reserve your place at Taproot today!

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