Heaven not Harvard

     As always, thoughts of school have been running through my head.  I think I've grown used to being questioned.  Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living" No one could question me more then I question myself.  No one could doubt me more then I doubt myself. No one could worry about the future of my children more then I worry about it. But I have learned the art of introspection.  I have learned to look inside myself and tell the difference between anxiety and a prompting, I have learned to find peace.  And sometimes the Lord sends a message so clear it rings in my mind ever after, it rings with truth. You see, he knows me, he knows my family and he knows what we need.  
     All I needed was a little affirmation that natural learning is good for us.  More then anything, natural learning scares me.  I've been taught my whole life that learning takes place sitting at a desk, listening to a teacher.  We learn because we are told what and how to learn.  When I had kids I saw them learning naturally.  They wanted to learn, they hungered for knowledge.  From unending questions to experiencing life, they WANTED to learn.  When I think about my own years in school I realize I remember very little of what I learned from my textbooks or teachers.  What I really remember are the things I learned on my own.  When I decided to use my free period to learn about Greek Mythology.  Books I read about the Holocaust.  The school lessons that really stick out are the ones that were activities that connected me to the lesson, like the time the teacher announced that tomorrow we would be leaving our homes to board trains headed to concentration camps and we had to go home and pack only what we could carry in a small bag to take with us.  I remember so clearly thinking about what I should take.  What was most important to me as a Jew being driven from my home.  What would happen when I got there?  I remember taking a  Star of David to represent my faith, a set of scriptures, a little food and water, a change of clothes.  I remember grabbing some of my prized possessions (though I have forgotten what they are) and deciding to leave them behind. I figured they would be taken from me anyway and I hoped to return.  You see, I got so into it.  I don't think I will ever forget that lesson.
     Now I see the same with my kids.  Glen read a book about Greek Mythology and got so interested he spent weeks researching Hercules, the different gods and stories, and reading everything he could get his hands on or watching videos.  That lead him to learn about how Greek mythology changed with the Romans, which lead to learning about Rome and Roman soldiers.  Those are lessons he will remember because they were born out of passion.  Learning come if we let it so I've stopped focusing so much on academics.  I'm preparing my kids for Heaven not Harvard.  Right now they need to learn the skills that will help them be a successful person. How to be kind, solve problems, work hard, help others, introspection, observance, communication, teamwork.  Everything else will come in time as they are interested or find the need.  My job right now is to prepare them to meet those challenges on their own.