Thinking outside the Box

Think Different; Homeschool

By Linda Dobson

The news of Steve Jobs’ passing traveled faster than a speeding kilobyte last night. We can all thank the man who encouraged us to “think different” for his contribution to making that rapid transmission possible.

Homeschooling Mom Discovers the Mac

Once upon a time I was a homeschoolingmom with one of those state-of-the-art educational tools, a Commodore 64 computer that the kids loved. Then one day, making one of my many visits to the teachers resource center, the secretary was creating a newsletter on their new computer. I quietly observed over her shoulder. It took approximately 120 seconds for me to determine I wanted one. No, that’s not quite correct. I determined my family needed one. (With a well-rooted aversion to the cultural habit of running out to obtain the latest and greatest, such a strong, visceral reaction was quite unusual.)

I saved and saved and saved until at last I had the slightly over $2000 required; we needed the expensive laser printer, too. While my initial gut reaction saw the educational possibilities, the realization that this purchase would also allow me to do some work at home while homeschooling only trailed by a few moments. That this purchase would let us dial-up the Internet and connect us to homeschooling families across the country – and around the world – was icing on the cake.

Some years later, Dad’s birthday was coming up. He didn’t have a computer, but I knew he’d love one if he did – if it was an easy-to-use Mac and not a PC. The kids and I chipped in to buy for him a used Mac and printer on eBay. He used it for sometime until he became computer savvy enough to realize he needed a better one. [g]

See also “Creating Your Own Education Reform“

Jobs An Unofficial Member Embraced by the Homeschooling Community

Most folks know Steve Jobs was a college drop-out and marvel at his success. The homeschooling community, though, knows that life experience is our greatest “teacher” and not everyone belongs in college. We often proudly point to Steve Jobs as a stunninglysuccessful example of our own “think different” opinions. Indeed, some of Jobs’ most often-quoted comments could be homeschooling anthems:

But four decades ago, you might have been hard-pressed to spot clues to Jobs’ future success.

He dropped out of Oregon’s Reed College after one semester, although he returned to audit a class in calligraphy. He quit one of his first jobs, designing video games for Atari, to backpack around India and take psychedelic drugs.

But those early experiences, Jobs would say later, shaped his creative vision. The graceful brush strokes of the calligraphy class influenced his elegant Apple aesthetic. His LSD trips as a young man expanded his mind and helped breed Apple’s counterculture, “think different” spirit.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” he told Stanford University graduates during a commencement speech in 2005. “You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Many homeschooling families are those in this world who think and believe much as Steve Jobs.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

This homeschooling mom says thank you, Steve Jobs. You had their attention, and I thank you for shining as a beacon of what is possible when we follow our hearts, giving leadership and courage to others to do the same. Thank you telling people it is good and right and healthy to follow your instincts and your heart. Thank you for repeating the truth that we can love what we do for work, refusing to settle for less. Thank you for recognizing the value of round pegs in the square holes and those who see differently.

Thank you for honoring the homeschooling spirit.

Thank you for stirring our courage to think different.