Typically a word associated with reading Sonlight books, "engrossed" is also my favorite state to be in while editing. And I got to that point for a few minutes today while working on my top-secret-and-totally-awesome project.
Engrossed: captive; giving or marked by complete attention to
The sonic isolation provided by my headphones and the required focus on how a cut makes me feel definitely help keep me glued to my computer as I try to make the video come together. But it's more than that. I'm crafting a story. I'm making a bunch of disjointed pieces come together. I'm building a reality from the bits of media I've gathered.
This kind of engrossing creativity is another reason to homeschool.
Sure, we talk about the great educational opportunities we have because of homeschooling, but the homeschooling lifestyle offers us much, much more. In addition to learning together, we have time to pursue passions and interests. We can use our extra energy to learn new skills and practice old ones. We can invent, produce, create.
Homeschooling gives us more than academics. We are free to become engrossed in another form of education: Practice in creative expression.
Granted, Sonlight didn't guide me in my creativity as I grew up. I learned most of it on my own. But homeschooling with Sonlight not only inspired me with the books we read, but it also gave me the time I needed to pursue my interests outside of the world of formal education.
What kinds of things do you find your children (and even yourself) engrossed in?
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Expectant Father
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