June 2020
Dear friends,
 
What a surreal world we live in. In the 1960s, Guy Debord, a French quasi-Marxist, described the absurdity of ‘the Spectacle’, the gross situation where what is real is confused with what is engineered, faked, taken advantage of or otherwise obscured. Further, the anger and protest of those who are excluded from society is repackaged, sanitized and sold back to ‘the Masses’—witness Che Guevera as now merely a face on a poster selling ‘revolution’. As we watch US cities burn, as we witness the anger of people tired of police brutality, scared by the loss of jobs and the double-standards of lockdown, and as we see the gross hypocrisy of the media and the self-elected self-righteous, we can reflect on the Spectacle.

Here, Hans Christian Anderson tells a story which is another picture of the absurdity of those in power who try to fool us with illusion.

Wanting to ‘do school’ during the summer? Ah-ah-ah…not so fast! Have a read of this first to consider before carrying on…and while I do realize because this year has been somewhat weird and different, one might think schooling is the best thing…which for some and in some circumstances it might be…but really, with all the isolation and fear, what I see children needing is more play, more time with other people in healthy social (as opposed to unhealthy asocial) ways…time in nature….and time just enjoying being in their family and being a child. It is, as always, the homeschooling parents’ call, but…. have a read !
As with last month’s newsletter, I’d like to include the precious words of two Christopherus homeschoolers. I had written last month about how so often folks who consult with me or otherwise express their gratitude toward Christopherus speak about feeling validated. Here is Emily from Ithica NY:

Yes, exactly, the validation! I also felt that way after your April newsletter on screens—we hadn’t been doing much on screens anyway, but your newsletter came just in time to keep me from signing up the kids for an online dance class (eye roll at myself: what was I thinking?!). Thank you for being a strong voice in the midst of everyone throwing up their hands and “compromising.”
 
The first time I felt validated by you was this summer when the immunization thing happened, and I started looking online for homeschool curricula. After surfing around 5 different Waldorf-ish websites, I found yours, which said prominently on the homepage “Welcome new families who can no longer attend their Waldorf schools because of loss of religious exemption.” I felt so known and heard! I appreciate so much the risks you take to stick to your principles out loud and in public!
 
And here is Nicole, also from NY but this time Rochester:
 
Thank you Donna for this newsletter and the last one!

I kept thinking about your last newsletter, so indeed it affected me deeply. Thank you so much for having the courage to share your perceptions and beliefs with your world. 

I share the similar ideas and find it an almost hostile environment to share my concerns currently.

I feel wonderfully connected when people in my world are bearers of truth, beauty and goodness.

Thank you for being you and sharing yourself with us!

After a gap of some years, I am once again offering my consulting service . There are a number of options available, ranging from one-off calls to year-long family service to a year-long homeschool ‘coaching’ service. This latter starts in August and ends the following 1 June. And I will only be taking a few folks for that as it will be quite intensive. So if you are interested, do get in touch as soon as possible. Other forms of consulting can take place at any time.
Consulting is quite expensive—I know full well that there are those who would like to consult with me but who cannot. Please, if you are financially comfortable, do consider making a donation to help your fellow homeschoolers who need consulting help from me. All money donated will be put in a ‘pot’ and dished out to those who contact me for financial assistance.
Last, but not least, Amy has created her latest planner! Here’s Amy:

Bring gentle rhythm to your homeschool days with the Daily Rhythms Home school Planner , created for the Christopherus curriculum. This beautiful planner will give you the framework you need to build a rhythm that works for your unique family. It contains original artwork and planning pages, as well as an open-ended format that gives structure, while still encouraging your creativity. Inside, you will find pages that help you plan the big picture of your homeschool year (e.g. blocks, festivals, holidays), as well as pages for planning the details of your months, weeks and days. Pop over to the Magic Hollow Etsy shop to see numerous sample pages, find out even more information and to purchase the planner. 


Blessings on your homeschool journey,
til July,
Donna