Mission Accomplished

On Monday, Emma started reading all about Helen Keller. She had read the page about Helen in Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls and then I pulled out the Helen Keller book that I used to use in my teaching days. Next thing I knew she came to me and said she wanted to do a project on Helen Keller.  Not wanting to derail this fabulous idea I put a pause on the main lesson block that we going to start this week (the much loved medieval block that I did with Grace last year) so that she could get lost in all things Helen. 

And as she learned more and more about this extraordinary woman, 

 and excitedly shared all that she was learning with each of us, 

 and as I watched this project move from idea, to graphic organizer to rough draft to final draft (today), 

 I realized that the goal that David and I had all those years ago when we began homeschooling had in fact become a reality. We had created two life long learners. Two girls who loved learning so much that they didn't see a division between lesson time and non-lesson time. Two girls who saw only learning as a part of life. Who love getting lost in whatever their passion is/was or wherever their curiosity took them that hour, that day, that week, that month or that year. 

If I had "assigned" her this project I doubt she would have gotten as much out of it as she did. Watching this project take shape over the course of this week and seeing her confidence not only as a learner, but also as a researcher and a writer, increase exponentially was a true joy! I couldn't help but think: mission accomplished! Our plan worked! We laid a solid foundation, but these girls of ours have built an amazing structure upon it. And that, dear friends, makes it all worth it! xo