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Cay Gibson
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Erin shared this link with us and also that Bindi Sue, the daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, was homeschooled.
My family watched (via TV) Bindi speak at the memorial. She does have an incredible amount of self-confidence and one can tell she's very bright.
It got me thinking really, really hard, how that's the life we'd long to give our children...all the multiple-faceted exposure to different experiences...but can't. This child is a world traveler and is exposed to all sorts of new projects and new adventures. She was born into it.
This is clearly a case of mastery over exposure. And it humbles me. I've always been a huge proponent of exposure because I knew that was the best I could offer my children. As far as mastery, I figured they'd have to figure out what they're good at and master in it themselves.
But this little girl has clearly been engulfed in a lifestyle we can only dream about. Still, the media attention, the non-stop travel, etc...I doubt I would want that lifestyle. But, back to exposure vs. mastery...
What happens if your children aren't exposed to travel and a whole zoo of wildlife with the world as your backyard? We can hold this little girl up as a role model for hsers but, truth is, so few of us can offer the exposure and mastery to our children that this little girl has been given.
Can you tell I feel my hs is a little lacking at the moment? 
How do we even come close to exposing our children to all this within the confines of our home? And, even more so, how do we conform this desire with our desire to slow down?
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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lapazfarm
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Oh, Cay, I know exactly what you mean!
When I was helping ds plan his "Around the World" notebook unit I was silently thinking "What good is all this if we never get to actually go to any of these places? Wouldn't it be so much better if we could actually travel the world and experience this rather than just read about it in a book? What's the point?"
I still don't have an answer, except to say we do what we CAN do. We struggle, we make do, and we do our best to expose our children to what we can.
Immersion is possible for all of us. We just have certain things we can immerse ourselves in and not others. I would dearly love to let my son Immerse himself in sailing and the ocean right now, but I can't. It is just too impossibly far away. The best I can do there is exposure.
I CAN, however, immerse him in these mountains until he is so steeped in it that he knows the woods literally like the back of his hands. At least he will know ONE thing in depth and hopefully that immersion experience will teach him what it is like to really know something well, and broadly and deeply in all it's subtleties, beauties, and failings.
And I hope it will serve him well some day whatever (and wherever) his future holds.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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ladybugs
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I struggle with this, too - especially because of our budget...
But let me share a story.
We have some family members who are world travelers but they are the most narrow-minded, self-righteous, mean people you could meet.
We've taken our kids camping, So CA, and to Oregon. How I long to do more with them.
If you can give your children the richness of your experiences, the gift of your time and the respect of other cultures - despite your inability to travel...they'll be more broad-minded than you can know. (I mean to imply the best kind of broad-minded).
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Maria P
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Marybeth
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My parents could not afford to give us huge travel advenutes when we were all young. We did have some great vacations which revolved around staying with relatives and such. They gave us a love of travel and adventure through books and many great dinner discussions. All five of us kids have been to Europe. Two of my brothers have lived there for many years at certain times in their lives. They are planning a journey together to South Africa for the next World Cup! My sister has been to Turkey and various countries with her dh. This Thanksgiving they are taking their 4 children to Italy. They have saved and saved to have this first international adventure with their children.
I get down b/c my ds can't even remember his first two vacations (to young), and we can't afford to take any for awhile.
Your children have their lives to travel and like me and my siblings were ever they venture to they will carry their parents with them in their hearts. 
If I can't give my ds Europe yet, I know I am giving him the desrie to see God's world and someday it will happen for him!!
God bless,
Marybeth
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Donna Marie
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I know that God knows what He is doing. He gives us these wonderful children and chose us as their parents from all His wonderful choices because He knew we would aid their souls with the graces He sends us for their growth into adulthood. He plunked them down into our hearts and knew ahead of time whatever our circumstances were or would be, so I stopped worrying.
I wish that I could afford the best in music lessons for my children and give them every opportunity that interests them, but we are limited financially. God knows these things and sometimes He opens avenues for our learning and exploration of the world in ways that we would never expect.
I think our job includes being very open to His Will and working hard to do the best we can...then HE makes up the difference. It is often in the simplest things that my children make connections. Sometimes they learn far more in those simple moments than they would have if I made the ultimate prepared environment. I just offer the richness of my heart to them, listen to them , and make eye contact with them, pray with them, and pray that whatever I teach them or expose them to has meaning and purpose, but the focus has to always be God centered...so that their hearts will be the best fertile field for Him to sow.
God Love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 7dc
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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Martha
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see now it all depends on perspective....
She has been completely emersed in her parents lifestyle, which certainly isn't a bad thing.
She is abviously a very smart cookie with a good heart.
She is a great example of hs-ing. For all of us.
Her parents used the resources they had to educate her well. I'm sure she's missed many things because of all her travels and exposure too. There's pros/cons to everything.
What makes her a great example isn't their traveling or cultural experiences. It's the way they used what they have given their circumstances to educate her and pass on their values. Somehow, I think the Erwins would have adapted to do this regardless of the circumstances. They have always struck me as passionate about following what they believe to be true. If life hadn't led them to such an exposed and traveling lifestyle, I think that passion and belief system would still have prevailed in how they educate their children.
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Willa
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When I was in high school my dad got a temporary position as an attache with the World Health Organization. This meant we moved to Geneva Switzerland for 3 years and that was where I graduated from high school.
I did get to see lots of Europe since we travelled at almost every vacation. In my high school I mingled with people from all over the world.
HOWEVER -- I hated the school and was miserable. Ungrateful me! I did enjoy the travelling we got to do and if I had been homeschooled I probably would have LOVED the experience.
My point is that travelling is fine, I'm sure, but the context of a loving home and secure environment is the foundation. I had a loving home but not a secure environment in school.
From what I understand, Steve Irwin was a man with a lot of spirit and adventure and kindness, and the kind of qualities that made him able to forge out a unique niche for himself. I imagine that's partly or even mostly why his daughter is so confident. A kid dragged all over the world by jetsetter, selfish parents who were following dollar signs or status symbols would be a whole different kind of person -- with a superficial polish perhaps, but desperate and jaded. I saw a LOT of those types of kids at my European high school -- not a pretty sight.
This doesn't really help answer your question, I guess. I'm thinking about the Colfax kids in Homeschooling for Excellence who spent their childhood in a little town in No California without even electricity, barely scraping by. They grew into very confident, "masterful" people who went on to Harvard and medical school, etc., because they were involved in a close, family situation where their work and input was important and valued to their family.
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Willa
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TracyQ
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Martha wrote:
| What makes her a great example isn't their traveling or cultural experiences. It's the way they used what they have given their circumstances to educate her and pass on their values. Somehow, I think the Erwins would have adapted to do this regardless of the circumstances. They have always struck me as passionate about following what they believe to be true. If life hadn't led them to such an exposed and traveling lifestyle, I think that passion and belief system would still have prevailed in how they educate their children. |
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Excellent point! I love the way you used this, Martha! 
Cay, you HAVE taken your children places, to many wonderful places to meet many wonderful people, to help form their values, morals, ideals, and to impact them in ways you can't even imagine! You've done it every time you opened a book!
Bindi is a wonderful girl, with a wonderful family, and incredible opportunities! She was hiking with her mom and brother in Tasmania when her dad was killed. I'm sure it's amazing to be her!
But she doesn't have the opportunities or parents that your children have either, and that's for whatever reason God knows that we don't. He's preparing her for a very different life than He is for each of your children (and mine as well).
My mom's brother, my uncle was a professor at Syracuse University (in Syracuse, NY). He and my Aunt Marty had four boys (and my cousin died of cancer at age 8). My aunt and uncle, and their family have traveled all over the world their entire life, coming home to Syracuse for his teaching, and when they had to school.
They have traveled so much, and love it. It's the life they lead. He's taught in many countries, and is a brilliant man. But he has three children all over the country, two who are married, one who is 45ish and will be married next year, and all who have NO CHILDREN (by choice). Family was not priority to them. That was their choice....travel and other cultures, and teaching abroad, etc. was their lifestyle. And children for their boys is not a priority. Now they live a life that is a bit lonely, wishing they had children. My uncle tells my mom how blessed she is all the time that she has 20 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, and how they wish they had grandchildren.
My mom was a single mom after being abandoned with 6 young children from 2-10 years old, and brought us up in the very same house our entire life (and moved from there only two years after her youngest two were married). I not only lived in the same city until I was 24 years old, I lived in the same HOUSE until then! And I feel VERY grounded, and am so thankful that despite the abandonment we all endured, the LORD allowed us, through my mom's love, and ability to give us our HOME, that we were able to feel stable, and very loved as a family. That is a precious gift.
God knows what we need. He knows what His plan is for us, and it's not for everyone to travel all over the world in order to gain the necessary knowledge to answer whatever His call is for us. For some, it's necessary (for the Irwins for example). But for many others, it's not.
Knowledge does not only come from hands on experience. It comes in SO MANY ways! It comes from reading, and immersing ourselves in cultures, and places, and reading about people in those places. It comes from meeting others from other lands when that possibility happens. It comes from correspondance with those who are in other places. It comes from seeing movies, and television, and shows that teach us about wonderful places, animals, people, cultures, and every possible thing we can learn about those places.
VERY few people have the means or resources needed to have a life like the Irwins do. So we are definitely limited by our finances, time, and responsibilities. But we're never limited by our imaginations, and our ability to open a book, watch a neat movie or show that teaches us, or to speak to someone to learn more about a country they may come from.
Sarah and I are traveling a LOT this year....back in time to a place the Irwins can't go to......the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We're learning about life at a time that is teaching us SO much, and teaching us to appreciate how far the world has come, yet to be so thankful for the people that have traveled before us.
Zach and I are traveling a LOT this year! We've traveled all the way back to the Old Testament, to Creation, and to the time of Noah, and now we've traveled to the Civilization of Sumeria! What neat places to travel! We're learning SO MUCH this year! In fact, Zach was SO EXCITED when his new Brian Jacques books arrived. He said, *Mom! This takes place in the SAME PLACE we're studying about in school, but in a different time!* An AHA moment, where he understood "WHERE" he was while reading the book he so loves reading! 
Jake and I are traveling back to the times of the Vikings and soon to the explorers, on through today by the end of the year. What a whirlwind trip this will be!!! 
Read what I've quoted by Martha again, Cay. YOU do this every day, with all of the resources and circumstances that God has given to you! You're traveling so many places, but mostly, though your journey may not take you places physically, the journey you're traveling with them will be every bit as wonderful and important, and valuable as the Irwins has been for them.
May you be blessed by the Lord in wonderful ways today!
Love,
Tracy
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Mary G
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Yep, Cay, gotta go with what the others have indicated; as long as we're doing the BEST we can with what God has given us (the ability to travel, live on a sail boat or an awesome library system) than we're doing exactly the best for our children....
My dh and I have really debated all our moves (we've moved 5 times and only been married 8 years ) and whether we were doing the right thing for our kids -- where is the stability, the connection to community, etc. But each time we felt "called" to what we were doing and God provided for us -- I'm just hoping and praying that our latest move is it!
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Sharie
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I have to agree with the others who have posted that it was the enthusiasm and passion of her father and mother that she displays, along with her own temperament and intelligence, not necessarily the fact that they traveled and had an incredibly adventurous lifestyle.
I think it is good to expose our kids to lots of ideas and possibilities because you never know when you will stumble upon what might become a passion...and that brings mastery as it is being referred to here, imho. Mastery of multiplication facts is another topic entirely. 
All of our children, just as Bindi was in her parents life/business, are engulfed in our ranching lifestyle. They start driving on the ranch by the time they are 7 (under supervision of course) to help feed cattle. They all ride their own horses by the age of 4 or 5...and help trail the herd when we move them. The teens can all rope and doctor cattle, fix machinery and put up the alfalfa. They are a rather quiet, reserved bunch so I bet they would run from cameras and speeches, but that isn't who we are. Even the youngest could make a "city-slicker" feel like he was all thumbs.
Your children will acheive mastery in what is important to you and your dh. It may not be as exotic as a wildlife zoo, but it will be who and what they were meant to be in God's plan. I always remind myself that the Lord was a carpenter and carpenters need lots of different tools. A hammer gets used a lot more than an Allen wrench, but boy, when you need an Allen wrench, a hammer just won't do! He needs a Steve Irwin and a Bindi, just as much as he needs Cay and her dc. Trust that you are giving them exactly what they need.
Blessings
Sharie
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JennyMaine
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Cay:
I haven't read the other responses, just wanted to share my initial reaction to your post.
Because of my unique position as a single parent, I sometimes feel my children are being short-changed in one area or another. There simply isn't enough time, money, or transportation for the children to be exposed to all the things I'd like in terms of sports, the arts, etc. Yet, I don't lose sleep over it, because that is not my primary parenting goal. Yes, they've been to wonderful art museums, great concerts, and an occasional vacation that gives them a glimpse on the rest of the world. More important, in my opinion, is that they can appreciate these opportunities when they do come and not take them for granted, and that they can enjoy travel and cultures without having a snobby attitude (like some relatives I have!) As for not being able to be directly exposed to these things. . .isn't that why people write books and why we bother to read? No one person can experience everything life has to offer. We experience much indirectly, through the other people that God brings into our lives. For instance, I'd like to experience sitting at the table and having coffee with the Lord. But I'll never have that. I can only learn from Scripture and Tradition, and imagine what it must have been like to go fishing with God!
I can't help but say:
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"--Mark 8:36
"For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?"--Luke 9:25
And don't you think this dear girl would trade it all. .. every experience she's had, every exciting moment. . .just to have her father back for one day? Doesn't part of her wish he'd been an average Joe who worked at a grocery store, so that he could still be with her? Having lost my father, I can confidently say that I would.
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--JennyMaine, Mom to Catherine (17) and Sam (15) "The countenance is a reflection of the soul. You should always have a calm and serene countenance." -- Therese of Lisieux
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SeaStar
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I feel this way- I'm probably not going to get over to Tasmania for hiking with the kids this year. But as they grow and learn, I can make the most of what I have locally- which is so much, and I tend just to take it for granted. Exploring what's around- seeing it through a child's eyes- that is a start. For homeschoolers, it seems to me the kids experience a whole lot more of life than kids who are sitting in the same seat in the same room day after day after day. And, as with everything, having the parents so actively involved in their whole lives is priceless.
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denise3578
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Aren't we all trying to- in our own unique ways - have our children become "masters" of our Catholic faith? It seems that is really the only thing worth mastering, as everything else passes away. I think all the different experiences a person has should be a means to that end. And God can use whatever experiences happen to come your way to achieve that goal.
I hope the Irwins spent as much time grounding their children in their Faith, as that is really all that can get you through a tragedy like the one they are experiencing.
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dizzylaurel
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Some great points in all of these posts...my own two cents: most of us will never travel or be able to give our children the "first hand" experiences that the wealthy can give their kids. However, just as God has given us all gifts to educate our children, He's given others gifts in how to bring the world to us...whether it be through wonderful travel/info videos, books that bring history and geography alive, or websites and blogs of people who become "real" to us and share firsthand through their eyes the wonders of the world.
I grew up in Concord, MA...a town steeped in history and culture in literature. Growing up I can't say I really appreciated any of it. Now when I go back to visit my mom I LOVE the idea that the Old North Bridge was only a mile from home, or that I can take my girls through the house of Louisa May Alcott. Going back has made alive the ideas of John Holt that "without interest there can be no learning". On the other side of that, if there IS interest, then learning can take place with whatever tools are in front of us.
My daughter happens to love the Gettysburg video series, and in particular took a liking to Joshua Chamberlin and Little Round Top...a few years back we got to visit his home in Maine and his final resting place...next year we hope to visit Gettysburg and re-walk his bayonet charge down the slope of Little Round Top. Most of her "learning" has taken place via video or books....the "hands on" is just icing on the cake!
Hugs,
Laurel in PA
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Willa
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Chesterton said being born is like travelling -- you land in an alien planet full of strange beings and he also said several times in different contexts that the biggest part of travelling is coming home again. It sounds a bit silly but as a person who moved yearly and saw a lot of the world when I was growing up, I think it's quite profound too
I know you are talking about education in general and not just travelling and neat adventures, Cay.... and I feel the way you do, sometimes. We live in a little corner of CA and there isn't much of ANYTHING like culture or neat educational opportunities. We do have lots of books... and computers.... if I look at it one way, it's a bit barren; another way and it's riches. But it's home, and I think Chesterton is right that home is the unexplored territory and also the thing we all come from and back to -- or ought to be.
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Willa
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ladybugs
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Willa,
This makes so much sense to me...
When you consider that when you come "home" you take all the lessons you learned "traveling" and wrap them up in practical application....
Thanks for sharing that!
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Love and God Bless,
Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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chicken lady
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I really have enjoyed al these posts, one thought I will throw out....I have a dear HS friend who's children are grown, and all of them have gone on to get their PhD's in various subjects. Knowing this family well, knowing that they were homeless for 4 yrs. knowing that they had finanancial hardships their entire lifes, I was and continue to be profoundly impressed. More important then their initials to me is that they are all faithful, and one has recently been ordained into the priesthood. So I asked her, how did you do that, obviously being homeless they didi not have computers, music lessons, expensive curriculm, let alone travel. (BTW 3 of the children studied at Oxford) They all have spent years abroad working or studying. Mt dear friend gave me the best possible advice, she said they filled their lives with interesting people, not run of the mill Joe from modern culture, and they filled their homes with books. No TV, and no modern luxuries taught and exposed these children to all teh possibilities this world has to offer.
I have taken this advice to heart and we constantly have friends from different parts of the world,(being near a University helps this ALOT) and we read constantly. We also study forgein languages, and have maintained friendships with friends that have returned to their various countries.
I know this may not hit your point Cay, I just thought I would throw in someones else's point and how she took your type of concerns and turned them into riches. ANd as a last note, from what I "see" your dc are exposed to so much culture and interesting people I am often envious
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Exposure vs. Mastery
