Time for Reflexion

On June 30, 2008, Brandon Barker was killed in a car crash in Pomona Park, Florida. He was born 31 May 1985 and graduated from our school on 28 April 2004. He was a memorable young man, and this is a great loss.

When I visited with his family yesterday, they said a few things that surprised me. They said they talked about me alot regarding how persistent I was in encouraging Brandon to get his high school diploma. He tried to quit more than once, but I would not let him give up. They said he called me "a hard ass", but he was glad I was.

I had never thought of myself that way. As they were telling me, I found myself saying, "Well, fat lot of good that high school diploma is doing him now. I should have just let him go have a good time." I guess I was thinking that if I knew he would die so young, I would let him "enjoy" what time he had left.

This morning as I worked in the garden, I was thinking about this again (the HA thing really haunts me), and I remembered that now that he has left this earth, his knowledge and intelligence is all he takes with him. Maybe he really is grateful I kept after him, more now than ever.

How important is a high school diploma? Certainly the piece of paper is worthless, especially in light of a shortened life. I believe there are several aspects of its attainment that are valuable:

1. Goal setting. If one sets a goal to obtain a high school diploma and enacts the plan to do so, one has learned a valuable skill that will help him / her throughout their lives. In a homeschool setting, this is even more true as there is not the support to help the student to do this. In the government schools, the students are pushed through. Graduating is simply a case of sticking around long enough, showing up most days, and completing endless assignments. This is not to say this is not an accomplishment, but I think that homeschooled students have an extra dimension on this as they must actually figure out how to budget their time in order to do attain their goal.

2. Time management. When a homeschooled student receives a high school diploma, one has to hope they have learned to budget their time. I find that most students who drop out do so because they cannot accomplish this. Their parents find it too much of a hassle to keep pushing them.

3. Self motivation. The successful homeschool graduate has learned how to motivate him or herself. They will not succeed without this important asset.

I met with a graduate yesterday who has been accepted to FloArts and received a Presidential scholarship. She showed me the portfolio she had used for admission. (To be accepted into FloArts, you must audition or have a portfolio. Your admission is based on whether the college finds your work promising.) One of the things we discussed was how motivated she was regarding her passion, and how hard it was for her to be motivated when she was not interested in something. This is true for education as it is sometimes hard for students to be passionate about the 3 R's. Until it applies to some kind of life work, there is no passion.

4. Vision. This is where having a vision of where education can take you comes in. Without a vision, nothing makes sense and all seems worthless. As one reads literature, sees the mathematical qualities of the universe, understands historical events, and sees how great minds have created masterpieces, one cannot help but know that we are only a very small part of something bigger than ourselves.

5. Thinking. I would like to think that developing thought processes is the most important aspect of education. Certainly all students do not do this, but for one to consider their education to be a success, this should be an integral component.

6. Communication. A well-educated person should be able to communicate effectively and intelligently with others especially regarding those topics of personal interest and importance. While a high school diploma does not guarantee this (obviously), if a student takes their language arts classes with the understanding that it will help them communicate better, they will be better able to share their thoughts and opinions more effectively with others.

Once I asked a missionary who was serving in Orlando how the work there compared to the work here in Putnam County where I live. He answered that it went much better in Orlando as there was a better educated population there. I have always remembered that as it helped me realize that without an education, people's thought processes are not always rational. Ignorance is very confining. One is restricted to what is going on in their own mind instead of being able to comprehend things going on around them. I have been very aware lately of how much the universe really does have to offer, and as I am more open to it, more is being made available to me. Without the ability to logic and reason, much of it would be lost to my mind.

Which brings me back to the raw diet. It really was a personal triumph when I posted recently about Darius' sacrifice not being in vain. I have moved ahead tremendously since that time. Passions have returned that I thought were lost forever. I will try to blog more as these things are happening, but honestly, there is so much, I can't keep up with it all.

I have made great progress in the 12 steps. When I did this the first time many years ago, I did so very compulsively. This time, it is more implemented and integrated into my daily life and prayers. I am also trying to do some actualizing that is helping me a lot. I have been working in the garden every day even if for a short time, and I think this helps me get more sunshine which I believe is important.

I really cannot say how important personal revelation is in my life. I haven't had tons of great moments, but I have many, many small moments. The few great moments have truly changed my life, and sometimes, they have even helped others. Right now, I am so grateful to be alive and able to progress in this way.