Plato's quote has me reeling. I was leaning more and more towards scrapping most notions of Montessori/freedom in our homeschooling this coming year and it's like he reached out from almost 2500 years ago to set me straight. lol.
I do think it's too late to be allowing a lot of freedom for the 13yo. I am convinced that at this stage and with everything going on in him and his life, he's a kid who would just play, play, play and hide from life. He'd end up being 18 and only reading at a gr. 2 level. Not because he doesn't want to learn to read, but because he's too afraid to try and has a lack of understanding of how learning occurs. He and his sister seem to have this notion that all learning/remembering is supposed to be effortless. Some, maybe a lot of, learning is effortless; but everybody has stuff they find challenging and need to put more effort into.
But for my kids, it's still in their best interests for me to learn to become a good guide and allow them their freedom. And I think that one word is key: guide. Yes, I may put some requirements on them, but they are minimal. And, like Plato said, there's a lot that can be done through games. :) I'm sure there are ways for me to be more creative and ensure that learning is fun.
So, thank you, Plato, for setting me straight. I will strive this summer to do the inner preparation I need and to practise being a good guide for my children!
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