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Making the most of your school day

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Making the most of your school day

by Lauren Winslow

During my parent/teacher conference, we decided it was needed to take a little time away from the traditional classroom; thankfully the principal agreed. You see, our living room table was getting a bit tiresome so we took off for a fieldtrip to Colonial Williamsburg as a family. As homeschoolers our school schedule can correlate with our work schedule. Thus, on a
moment’s notice we prepare ourselves to actually live history, instead of just discussing history. As our American past came alive for us in Williamsburg, I was struck with how each person in this community had
their own talents – they worked together to make life happen. I cannot help but think about our little Georgetown, SC and how similar to colonial Williamsburg it is. It was a busy seaport by 1729, and official in 1732.
Georgetown saw the effects of the American Revolution just like Williamsburg. It saw British troops in its streets and slavery and plantations. Georgetown had to be self-sufficient much like colonial Williamsburg- by working together to create a successful community.

Life in colonial Williamsburg (the 1770’s) was very different than modern society today. There was a milliner who made the women’s and children’s dresses and hats, the wheelwright who made and repaired the wheels for the horse drawn wagons, the tin smith and the black smith, the carpenter, the shoemaker and the weaver among other trades. If there wasn’t one of these trades represented in this community, there would be a great void of a necessary need. For instance, the joinery was needed to make brick molds out of wood for the brick yard. The foundry was needed to make musket balls for the muskets that the armory would hold. The work was endless but necessary. The work was also a privilege and a blessing. Working hard makes us feel good- there is pride in the fruits of our labors. With our work, we can provide for our families. I don’t mean just monetarily; I mean with serving too. Work bonds families and friends, along with whoever we are working for – it builds character. It means we have the physical and mental ability. It provides a good example for our children. It also means we get to give and tithe.
In this homeschool world, we have a lot of similarities with Williamsburg. Homeschoolers have co-op’s that homeschool families attend to get the “socialization” that so many are worried about. That is right. Even during the time of Covid, homeschoolers were meeting and socializing while everyone else was locked indoors and learning through computer screens. On top of that, these co-op’s offer moms and dads who have special talents and trades that volunteer both the education and experience teaching students in subject’s other schools simply cannot. There are a variety of specialties that are available to students to learn from beyond simply learning the basics.

The homeschooling world, is much like the colonial world of Williamsburg, VA. A good homeschool family works hard to use the skills they have, but they come together as a community to benefit from the resources around them. This allows for a more robust opportunity for success for their children and their families as a whole.

About the Author: Raised in Irmo, SC, Lauren Winslow met her husband, Tom Winslow in high school in 1994.  They moved to Georgetown, SC and married and had 1 child before moving to Murrells Inlet where their second child was born.  Lauren homeschools their 4th and 1st grader while helping with bookkeeping at Tom’s law office, Winslow Law.  Lauren loves to read, travel and aspires to grow anything in her garden that produces hardly anything.