An Open Letter to our local Homeschool Group

"Education and knowledge by themselves do not bring inner peace to individuals, families or the society in which they live. But education combined with warmheartedness, a sense of concern for the well-being of others, has much more positive results. If you have a great deal of knowledge, but you're governed by negative emotions, then you tend to use your knowledge in negative ways. Therefore, while you are learning, don't forget the importance of warmheartedness."
~The Dalai Lama

The D.L. get's it right, (of course) doesn't he? I think warmheartedness is exactly the quality that gives homeschoolers that sane suchness which can seem at once elusive and yet obvious in these kids we are raising. I believe warmheartedness is what sets them apart from many of their schooled peers. We spent five hours in the park yesterday. I can't think when I've had a nicer time. The day almost glittered with the common mundane and typical companionship and dearness I've come to associate with our group. It helped that the weather was perfect. And we can't control that. But I paused several times to notice what was happening at the park in an overall way--rather than just focusing on myself and my children, as I usually do. I saw warmheartedness.

I saw a core group of mothers sitting together. One cool thing about the Mother Camp that tends to happen at thea is that Mothers are easy to find in our varying parks, for anyone new to that park, for folks new to our group, and for wayward children. Its also just freaking BEAUTIFUL to see so many children nursed, held, and loved in one concentrated spot. Not to mention, I relish time with the Mothers. Its such a nice break in the week from our busy more isolated life. I love how unique, independent, smart, and cool thea moms tend to be. I feel lucky to sit with you all on occasion.

Four teens were first to the park yesterday. (I know because two of them were mine.) The first thing they did was go scour the tennis court fences for a discarded ball. They found one and that ball was in play, off and on, for the next five hours. They began with a game of Four Square which evolved as more kids showed up, into something creative looking I'll call "More Square." I don't know the rules of this game they invented. But judging from the smiles on their faces and the way bigger kids and littler kids integrated into and out of the game as it continued, I'm thinking it was a good game.

I saw groups of kids wandering all through the park yesterday. Some far into the woods, some quite close. I thought how wonderful it is that the kids get a safe opportunity to practice being big, being farther from the Mother Circle, and staking out a moment of independence in a safe place. Mostly the groups were fluid and shifting and tended to be vaguely age clumped. My kids look forward to these moments with their peer groups. But I saw older kids and younger kids interacting a lot. Age blending is one of the sane things about homeschool that teaches warmheartedness. I think kids need time with their core buddies and time milling around bigger groups.

An especially yummy moment was when one of the W. boys picked up a guitar and began to play and then, as a circle of calm wide eyed children gathered around him, to sing some of the songs he's written. WOW! That was beautiful on several different levels at once.

I saw wandering children. I saw nearly every child alone at moments and in differing groups in other moments. I saw all the normal things one expects to see on a playground. Except fighting. I saw no fighting and no evidence of discord. Which is unusual in such a big group. Surely someone made a mistake or tested a boundary or hurt someone else's feelings. (Perhaps it was unknowingly ME.) We expect people to be human and to make mistakes (and to learn from them.) But I never saw anyone look unhappy yesterday. Except for one toddler who cried. She'd been there a couple of hours. I'm guessing she was getting tired. I know I was getting tired.

I'm rambling on too long. But yesterday was just so fine and lovely I had to pause to let you all know I'm very grateful for this community of folks who manage to hang together, even through multiple generations (waving at you, A. H.), through growing pains, and through all our differences, to make such a totally awesome beautiful and excellent group. My life and our homeschool are way richer for knowing you all. I think our group helps foster a sense of warmheartedness as well as offering a place to practice it.