The Joy of homeschooling

As Joy Davidson approaches her ninth year of homeschooling in the Matanuska Valley, she outlines some contrasts between traditional schooling methods and their impact on students. Self-employed with a violin studio, the mother of seven sees advantages to fitting the family’s work to the natural discoveries around hearth and home. “There is joy in doing the dishes together, preparing meals, caring for younger siblings.”

A longtime student of philosophy and herself an ambitious learner, Joy recalls her first image of homeschooling coming through a teenage peer with similar aptitudes. As they discussed future vocations, the friend presented a track previously unthinkable to Davidson, who figured she’d study medicine or something with a long career arc and big impact in the world. “I thought that’s what smart girls did, that’s a reasonable answer.” She was surprised when her friend dismissed Davidson’s plan and offered her own longing: to be a homeschooling wife and mother with a large family. It planted a seed that would be fostered throughout Joy’s college years and study abroad, considering where her talents would be truly maximized. “A mother whose impact is felt by her family, that’s how we change the world,” she says now. Along with her husband Joel, who works in media, the Davidsons strive to let their seven children learn at an unhurried paced, focused on classical virtues and exploration of the natural world. They know their neighbors and make time to visit the homebound, allowing for intergenerational wisdom to be fostered.

Formally enrolled at Mat-Su Central School, which serves families across the Valley and is the largest school in Alaska, the children study at home as well as participate in clubs at the Wasilla campus. Chess Club and Science Bowl are among the highlights for the oldest kids. Cooperation with this hybrid method of education means nurturing each child’s potential, customizing a plan for their education, according to Joy. She cites the monetary allotment provided through Mat-Su Central as a key for helping parents who choose home-based education. Lessons and materials can be secured through local vendors with the costs augmented, which Joy says is a big help for the family’s budget. “That’s a wonderful support and a way of covering the extra expenses.”

Davidson is reflective about the human temperament and the effect of rote memorization, affirming their insistence on cultivating wonder. “I saw little value beyond earning the ‘A’, in my own youth. Our method is more question-based, allowing the child to see themselves in a great story, as a child of God.” Heavy on literature, science, history and the arts, the Davidson curricula looks to the work of Charlotte Mason, a popular 19th century British author and school foundress whose impact continues to stretch across the Atlantic and the ages.

Twelve-year-old Noelle says her favorite thing about homeschooling is the freedom. “Not sitting around all day, being able to take the dog for a walk. Instead of playing on a playground, you get to play the woods.” The growing family’s rambling Palmer home is filled with books and music, as well as the chores of daily life. Davidson looks forward to the upcoming academic year while noting lessons already learned this summer: her gang has covered ground from Fairbanks’ annual Suzuki Institute to the wilds of Seldovia, as well as constructed an epic homemade raft with their grandfather Harry.

Joy returns to the kitchen with a lighthearted mea culpa. “I definitely envisioned storytelling and long hikes with my children, when I pictured life as a homeschooling mom. My vision had no cleanup, no laundry —- it was missing a few things!” The idyllic notion has been peppered with logistical challenges, which Davidson takes in stride. As the peak of activity gives way to lesson plans, Joy describes traditions which she hopes will kick off a new season of questions for her five school-aged children. Field trips are among their priorities, with treks to the Alaska Zoo, observation of salmon spawning and harvest projects, paced for all to enjoy.