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Just Breathing Isn’t Living

January 25, 2012 by Ami 8 Comments

Just Breathing Isn't Living: A Simple Delight Directed Learning Lesson from Pollyanna

We're currently reading Pollyanna, and Pollyanna's response to her new music lesson-reading lesson-cooking lesson-sewing lesson schedule got me thinking.  

     "Oh, but Aunt Polly, Aunt Polly, you haven't left me any time at all just to–to live."

     "To live, child! What do you mean? As if you weren't living all the time!" 

     "Oh, of course I'd be BREATHING all the time I was doing those things, Aunt Polly, but I wouldn't be living. You breathe all the time you're asleep, but you aren't living. I mean living–doing things you want to do: playing outdoors, reading (to myself, of course), climbing hills, talking to Mr. Tom in the garden, and finding out all about the houses and the people and everything everywhere . . . That's what I call living, Aunt Polly. Just breathing isn't living."  

Pollyanna is right.

And I have to ask myself:

In the middle of the
                                plans
                                        lessons
                                                    agendas
                                                                  programs
                                                                                 schedules

Do they have time to live?

I have found that in transitioning to a delight-directed style of learning my children are finding more and more time to

  • be curious
     
  • ask questions
     
  • find answers
     
  • study what they want to study

They are really living.

And I love it.

Filed Under: read alouds, thinking out loud Tagged With: delight directed, plans

Comments

  1. Jocelyne says

    January 28, 2012 at 11:34 pm

    Love this quote. So very true. And another book I forgot about and need to remember.

  2. aly in va says

    February 9, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Thank you so much. I have been so stressed lately about making sur emy girls are getting “enough” of everything a and it’s been making me physically and mentallly exhauster. I really needed to read this post reminding me it’s equally important be active in your life in ohter ways too.

  3. Tasha says

    May 21, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    Tweeted, shared, and pinned! Love this!

    (PS-I also just stumbled upon your blog today. Had no idea you were behind HSS! I’ve been using that site for YEARS and love it. Thank you for putting it together and doing all the hard work, to make homeschooling a little bit easier for the rest of us. ♥)

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Meet Ami

Welcome! I’m a big believer in inspiring kids, cultivating curiosity, delight directed learning, living books, field trip adventures, and keeping your sanity while homeschooling. I hope you find something encouraging here today! You can learn a bit more about me here.

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