I am willing to waste my time.

Is it a waste of time to teach something that the child won't use in the future? What if it were a special needs child, would it be a waste of time to teach something that the child will not use in the future?

I recently heard someone say, "I don't want to waste my time teaching something that they won't use in the future." I have pondered that at times as I consider what to teach Miss K. Should I merely teach her survival skills? Which leads to the question of what are survival skills?

Here are some of my thoughts as I pondered this question.

Some things that might be thought of as a waste of time are foundational for other future learning that might not be a waste of time. Colouring is not a survival skill yet it is the beginning of teaching penmanship.

I don't want to limit my children by not teaching them something. I am not sure what Miss K will be able to do in life but I don't want to put that limit on her. I want to expose her and teach her all I can so that she will have the best education that she can achieve.

Teaching her things that might be thought of as a waste of time can be engaging and building her brain. Is it a waste of time if it is engaging and building her brain? Specifically in regards to Down Syndrome there is an increase of early onset Alzheimer's among those with Down Syndrome. So by engaging and building her brain am I helping to prevent Alzheimer's? (Sounds like another topic to research.) Even without research I feel that it is good to build her brain.

Things that might be considered a waste of time might be teaching other skills. Miss K is learning to play the piano. She is training her ear to listen, learning to move her fingers independently, and she is practicing to get it perfect. All of those are skills for later in life.

I have decided that I am willing to waste my time and teach things that I don't know if she will use.

We teach her a foreign language. Teaching a foreign language enriches the brain. Miss K is exposed to Chinese and will watch Chinese DVD's. That is a language that she might use. She wanted to be like her brother and learn Latin so I bought Song School Latin for her. In some ways Latin is just stretch your mind, exercise your brain.

History, Science, geography in some cases that might not be survival skills but again we are stretching her brain. We are learning about the world and the people around us. We are learning about our bodies, nature, historical events, animals, and other things.

One of the reasons that I chose to homeschool my daughter is to give her more than survival skills, to help her reach her potential, and to be all that God has created her to be.

I am willing to waste my time because it is not a waste of time.

Are you willing to waste your time?

Beth