The "S" Word

I have GOT to stop using the "s" word - it's time to clean up my language. Whenever I say it, the kids groan. I realize my mistake too late; the mood has soured just that quickly. No, not THAT "s" word - I mean "school"! We are educating our children at home, we are teaching them at home, but I don't want to school them at home. I don't want to kill their joy of learning and discovery, but I have succeeded in doing that. It has been a struggle to balance rigor and thoroughness with their interests and the "teachable moment." Many times I have succumbed to the fear and purchased "school" curricula, only to end up disappointed in the results. Ninety percent of their true learning has come from their self-directed pursuits. Why is that so scary?
I do not want to recreate what the government schools do. That system was designed, with multiple subjects divided by bells, to create an efficient factory worker, not a skilled craftsman capable of seeing a product from start to finish. Is it any wonder we all have attention deficits? We are programmed to focus for a brief time and move on. I know where I don't want to go, but where I do want to go is largely uncharted. There are families that have made it - my sister and her husband have made it there. I thank them for their courage and encouragement. Here's a link to sound advice from my brother-in -law:
http://thebrownbull.blogspot.com/2008/03/curriculum-selection.html

I had lunch with a wonderful lady the other day, so supportive of the role of mothers. She has 8 children, the youngest is 17. She described her children as" home-taught." I wondered at the time why she didn't say" home-schooled." Later it hit me like a ton of bricks. There really is a difference. She meant precisely what she had said. She didn't use the "s" word anymore! And I'm not going to either!