Your Homeschooling Space

The kitchen table is our hub, and the kids have other favorite spots here and there. The way we conceive of and share space in our house can be viewed through a UU lens, and can help us practice the values of fairness, compassion, respect, stewardship, and environmental awareness.

 We know that learning happens everywhere--on the subway, on the swings, in the library, at the seashore, and cuddled up at home. But we also know ourselves, as parents, that when we go to set up our own workspaces--whatever our work may be--we build in certain features that keep our needed resources handy, help us focus, minimize distractions, and otherwise allow for that magical-seeming "flow" state in which some of our best learning happens.

 That looks different for everyone! Pinterest has lots of images that are fun to look at, and that can offer ideas on how to set up spaces. But on a day-to-day basis, the reality is that most of us settle into a configuration (calling it an aesthetic or a design might be stretching it!) that allows our kids to get down to business and allows other people's activities to happen, too. That, to me, can call on some interesting spiritual navigation.

 I didn't expect this, but sharing space has become an opportunity to exercise our UU values, fairness and compassion chief among them. We don't necessarily make this explicit, or really even notice it on a daily basis, but when squabbles over space and scheduling come up, we handle it with the same values that we practice mindfully as a matter of faith. We try to recognize each other's individual needs, even if those needs are different from our own. We try to reach a consensus, but if that can't be met, we try others means of making decisions such as rotating or voting on alternatives that offer something to everyone (if not everything to anyone). We care well for shared resources, another (churchy) name for which is stewardship. I consider the needs and preferences of the kids when I contemplate making a change to our space. I also make our spaces as environmentally sustainable as I can, and enlist the kids' help with that goal. We live in a smaller house--five people in 1,000 square feet--but I'm guessing these opportunities to consider one another and to make choices while holding our values in mind can be applied to sharing big and small houses, RV's or house boats, or co-housing arrangements with extended family or housemates not related to you. (If you're curious about that last option, check out the Lucy Stone Coop and the UU Community Cooperatives.)

 Leave a note in the comments if their are unique applications of UUism to your particular housing situation.

 UU's do pluralism pretty well. We believe different things, We have varied needs. We claim different identities. We know that diversity makes the world a better place, and that making room for each other's diversity makes a more nurturing community for all. And this is lived out in a real sense in the physical space that is the home, where a good amount of homeschooling happens.

 For inspiration and further resources, take a look at the Tapestry of Faith Curriculum by Jessica York and Christy Olson titled "Creating Home." Here's part of the description:

 "In these sessions, children explore the deep sense of sacredness, the beauty of hospitality, and the gift of loving relationships that a home can represent." The stories and exploration of different kinds of homes are particularly rich.

 Be well, friends!

 -- T.H.Y.






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