{MORE THAN HOMESCHOOL // THERE'S ALWAYS "MORE TO THE STORY" & VISITING #COLONIALWILLIAMSBURG...}
“the secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
i often feel failed by the education i received as a child. failed when I consider all the emphasis that was put on standards & testing instead of being poured into understanding the purpose & power of education in its purest form. failed when i realize that the wisdom to know what to do with the information that surrounded me was non-existent.
today, my days are filled with attention and consideration for building something new. opening our eyes to understanding and focusing our hearts on compassion shapes how we homeschool and the way we see the world. our lives have become so much more than homeschool. everyday exploring what it truly means to live and learn.
“it doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. if you don’t use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem. ”
in april, we spent a few days in williamsburg, virginia. growing up between richmond, virginia and the tidewater region, colonial williamsburg wasn’t new to me and yet it’s been exciting to consider it as new. history is subject matter that requires thoughtful consideration. it requires the care and passion/compassion of those who are gifted in sharing its stories.
the reenactments, the costumes, the insightful commentary is so necessary for transporting our thoughts and emotions back to times that have passed and colonialwilliamsburg.org really provided so many wonderful tools to help me share the beauty and importance of history in our lives today.
we spent the day walking the grounds of colonial williamsburg with no pressure, just the simple invitation to observe.
i’ve been trying to lean on resources that are readily available and focus in on one thing at a time in order to see where that leads us so a map at the welcome center was all that we needed.
following their website we found so much information leading us from one question to another while giving them the space they need to process, think and get thier minds ready to explore more.
there are virtual tours, and town hall style virtual discussions that i found to be incredibly thought provoking and chopped full of insight and information. later, we were able to match the photos and videos that we took while exploring with the corresponding content that we found.
the most magical moment during our visit was meeting him…
he was a wealth of information. i could have listened to him speak all day long. he gave us the foundation that we needed to walk through the town center with a fresh perspective. i try and set the example that i want them to follow. giving his words my full attention. recording his word with my camera and observing the little things, the details that tell parts of the story that people miss.
from colonialwilliamsburg.org…
“The Declaration of Independence asserts that ‘all men are created equal’ and are endowed with certain unalienable rights - ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. When those words were written, over 52 percent of Williamsburg’s population was enslaved. This is a special release of “Created Equal,” a museum theatre exploration of African American perspectives on the Declaration, the revolutions it inspired, and the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom in America. It first premiered live on stage at Colonial Williamsburg on July 4th, 2019.’”
^^ this is the kind of stuff that they offer and is available for us to explore if we will only chose to explore more^^
this lifestyle that we are pursuing is about so much more than homeschool. and, its a story that we have inclined our hearts, our minds and or gifts to share.
follow our day in colonial williamsburg // I tried my hand at learning more about my new camera and gathering footage throughout the day for our films @thefallcocreative.
with all the love,
syreena