This week I’m working with my Tarot of the Animal Lords. This deck features anthropomorphic characters with human bodies (for the most part!) and animal heads.The Queen of Pentacles in this deck is represented by an antelope, and when I look at her, I think “grounded”. She looks very grounded to me, literally (physically), emotionally, mentally and spiritually. She’s got it together.
She’s got the warmth and softness of her fur, indicating her nurturing side, lover of family, animals and nature. Her sharp horns provide protection for herself and her loved ones, if push comes to shove.
Today we went to a little family owned store and I was going to buy my children a toy. When we got to the counter, the woman asked me with scorn, “Isn’t there school today?” I ignored her negative demeanor and happily told her that we homeschool. She looked at my oldest and said to him, “You should go to school. It’s fun.” Then she looked at me like I was the devil. She said to me with contempt, “They should be in school.” I walked away from the counter, and guided my children out of the store, refusing to give this woman my business.
I didn’t engage in a debating match with this woman, because her mind was clearly closed to anyone else’s views on life. It would be a waste of time, and it would result in my getting extremely frustrated and angry. And I refuse to make room for such negativity in my life right now.
When I pulled this card this morning, I didn’t know what it meant for me today. I put off writing my thoughts until later, when maybe its meaning would make itself more clear. I now see that I remained calm, cool and collected in a situation where I could have otherwise chosen to make myself very upset. I could have chosen to use my horns in a debating match to protect my values, but instead I backed off, not finding it necessary. I feel that I did justice to this antelope queen sitting calmly with peace of mind.
The Queen of Pentacles also indicates to me being wise with your finances, and leaving that store without making my intended purchase was a decision I made not to give my business to someone who purposely offended and disrespected me.
Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords
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8 comments:
I don't think we've ever had that happen to us (yet). People are almost always positive about homeschooling, or at least they don't say anything outwardly negative.
It's funny that the woman said that your son "should go to school" because "it's fun." Should he be persuaded by her not-fun demeanor? It amuses me when people try to interest kids in something by insisting that "it's fun," with a forced smile (or not). As if the only reason that a child might see value in doing something is if it's fun. And as if something is fun simply because an adult says it should be so.
Congratulations on not using those horns!
Well done. If one is dedicated and focussed I say home school your children. It's when you see the children getting home schooled and not getting the education level they should that's when it is ugly. Most home schooled children have higher levels of education.
It take a lot of energy and drive to do homeschooling and I am applauding your self control in this situation.
Some people are asses... another cloven/hoofed creature.
mosaica... The majority of people I have come across, mostly when I lived in other states, have reacted positively when I say we home school. Being in FL has not been a very pleasant experience for me. I have found a lot of people we meet here to be extremely judgmental and disrespectful, unfortunately.
Yeah, this woman was definitely not the poster child for "fun". LOL!!
zanthera... Ah, well then you might not approve of the way we homeschool! We are actually unschoolers. I believe in child-led learning. Unschooled kids learn as they live every day life, following their passions.
My first two children were reading at 4 years old, but only because they had an interest in it. If they didn't want to learn to read until they were 12, that would be up to them. When my son was 5, he was reading at high school level.
Children are naturally curious, and have a natural love of learning. It's only when "learning" becomes forced, and treated as a separate entity from "living" that kids lose their passion for learning.
We don't follow an educational curriculum. When left to choose their own pace and interests, they will experience life as something to be continually explored. They absorb everything because it interests them. They don't memorize facts just to pass a test, then forget the facts the next day, the way I did when I was in school!
My children's spirits would be completely crushed in the structure of a school. Not to mention they'd be completely and horrifically bored. They are so much more educated on so many facets of life than the teachers have the resources to teach in school, that it would be so stifling for them there.
I mean no disrespect for parents with children in school...I don't want to be misunderstood. This is the path that's right for our family, just as I know that traditional schooling is the right choice for many others.
Oh, I could go on and on forever, as this is one of my greatest loves in life. I wish I had been given the freedom of growing up this way. But this isn't an unschooling blog, so I'll spare you the pages and pages I could write on the merits of unschooling. LOL!
Amen on the merits of unschooling! I'm always amazed by unschoolers with children who read so early. In my family, we have two "late" readers. In fact, reading was the issue that finally gave me the courage to homeschool when my daughter ended first grade. I had wanted to homeschool since she was a baby, but didn't know anyone else who did it (and the Internet wasn't quite what it is today), so when it came time for her to go to school, it was easier to do what everyone else was doing, and I put her in school. By first grade, she was being labeled as "ADD" and "falling behind" in reading, and we were all miserable. What a blessing for us because we are so happy now as homeschoolers!
When I made the decision to take her out of school, one of the alternatives that I looked into was a free school, and I fell in love with the idea of unschooling and decided that we could do it at home instead. It hasn't always been easy for me to let go. In the beginning, I figured it might take my daughter about two years to learn at her own pace to enjoy reading -- because we always read to her, and she loved stories (and I was afraid she was going to lose that in school). This is our fifth year, and she's just getting into reading now at age 11! And it has been a joy to watch my 8yo daughter learn to read with little instruction at all, and no pressure. I love to watch all the things that they learn to do from the shear joy of it. It's like watching them learn to ride a bike over and over again. At some point, it all clicks -- because they want it and are ready for it -- and they take off.
But I do approve. You show an interest and are exposing them to new things. It's those who want nothing to do with education because they hated it as a kid and are ignoring the minds of their kids.
I meant level as in not being behind in everything. I would have loved to have been home schooled and learn at my level. I was so bored in school waiting for other people to "get it."
It's the socializing part I want to give that I can't do myself. My kid s such a social one and I have no knowledge on how to handle that since I am not a social kind of gal.
mosaica...It's so great to hear that you have allowed your daughters the freedom to learn to read at their own pace. People get so freaked out when a child isn't doing x,y,&z in a given amount of time. I think people take life way too seriously. Who's to say what things "should" be learned at a certain age? That is just so absolutely ridiculous to me! There's plenty of time in life to learn everything you want to learn, and if there are things you have no interest in learning, there's no reason to learn them.
I remember having to learn such useless things in high school that I can't remember for the life of me now, and that had absolutely no meaning in my life. Unschooling allows each child to live the life they love...a life that is meaningful to them, and not a life someone else wants them to live, with useless facts someone else wants them to know.
It's so great to see each of my kids spending their day according to their own interests, and not following someone else's game plan or schedule.
My son, the avid reader, has no interest in math. My daughter, however loves math. I know that my son will learn whatever math he needs to learn in his life when the time comes for it to apply to him personally. For example, if he ever decides he wants to build something, or cook something, he'll need to learn measurements, etc. He has learned how to count money due to his interest in buying stuff. LOL!
...I just wrote a kazillion more paragraphs and deleted them, because once I get on a roll, it's really hard for me to stop talking about unschooling! :D
zanthera...I was totally bored in school too. It was so frustrating for me to have to wait for ALL the other kids to "get it", so we could finally move on, just like you said. So I would use the spare, wasted time writing notes to my friends, and I would get in trouble for passing notes or talking. I shudder when I think of kids getting in trouble for doing something like TALKING to each other. God forbid!!!
The socializing thing is really important too. I think that's the most common argument posed to home schoolers. However, the type of socializing received in school is not the most natural or healthy in my opinion. Kids are stuck in a class with people of their exact age all day. In the real world, children get to socialize with the 70 year old librarian, and the toddler at the park. Also, there are no cliques, no exclusions. They are exposed to all different ages and types of people, so I think the socialization they receive is much more natural and well rounded than in a school setting. They are as comfortable talking with adults as they are with other children, and so they don't feel inferior (or superior) to anyone.
Like you, I am NOT a social butterfly. It amazes me at how social my kids are. I don't know how that happened! LOL!! When we're out and about, I'm the quiet one while my kids are the ones talking up a storm to everyone they meet. :D
Again, these are just my feelings and opinions on why I do what I do with my family. I always get nervous when talking about unschooling with parents who have their children in school, because I don't want to come off as seeming that I think my way is superior. I'm just so passionate about it, and love talking about it because it's something that brings me so much joy! :)
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