After people ask me the "WHY" question, they next wonder "HOW". Many feel uncomfortable and incapable about the "HOW". HOW do you know WHAT to teach? HOW do you know WHEN to teach it? Can I find something to tell me HOW? These questions inhibit many from taking the "LEAP" to educating their own children.
Children though develop and grasp concepts at different paces. The public school system attempts to create equality by helping all children to learn concepts at the same time. What about the child who need extra help on multiplication but excels at grammar years beyond grade level? Or what about the child who needs to physically move while learning? A parent knows their child far better than a teacher with a classroom of forty pupils and struggles ensure that no one gets "left behind". But, you still flounder amongst the vast sea of information and desire direction. Thankfully, many have already taken this "LEAP" and new homeschooling families can benefit from their experiences and previous research. Resources abound exist to help with the "HOW". First step? In the homeschooling "lingo" it is called "deschooling". During this time, you may (more lingo) "unschool". It is time to start thinking out of the four walls which ensnare the public school system. Take a specified time, designated by you, to explore learning without worksheets and busy work. For example, plant a garden, learn about the chemistry of the soil, dissect plants, practice math while cooking recipes, discover medicinal or practical uses of different parts of the plant, and institute a healthy ecosystem for garden inhabitants. This may not interest you and your family. Just take this time and rediscover the passion for learning. You may want try something else. As the educator, rekindle that excitement for discovery that fizzled or stoke the fire that still exists. This passion will contagiously instill the same passion into your child. This may seem awkward if you are moving into the homeschooling world from the public school system. THIS PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL! It may take a week, it may take a month, it may take longer. As a parent, you can make that decision. Also, this gives the educator time to begin planning the "HOW". Second step? During the "deschooling" time, create an environment for learning and beginning planning the "HOW" to begin the journey. In creating a learning environment, surround the child in learning opportunities. THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FINANCIALLY EXPENSIVE! Designate a small section of the home, a bookshelf or a room, for school. Make library trips, create a home library, gather craft supplies from garage sales or thrift stores, or start buying curriculum. During this "unschooling" and planning period, take out noneducational television programming, video or computer games, and encourage creativity. Although the child may go through withdrawal, this is necessary to foster an environment conducive for immersing the family into discovery. Every family has their "way" of helping tailor education to their child. For my family, we school all year. During our school year, we are structured and "go by the planner" for three months. Then, we take two weeks to a month for "unschooling". At first, the children go through withdrawal and flounder in this unstructured period. But then, a transformation begins. Then, on their own accord, they begin to pen books, create art, learn a new hobby, research animals, and perform science experiments. They have grown to love this period. They can experience it due to a LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. During this time, the educator has time to develop a beginning "HOW" and can now take the "LEAP". At this point, you state, "I need to have someone tell me HOW and I still don't know HOW!!!". Charlotte Mason, a British educator who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, believed that education consists of an Atmosphere, a Discipline, and a Life. Guided by that philosophy, a child WILL learn. Whether they have learning difficulties or not, they WILL reach their full potential. So, just relax and enjoy your family. That being said, many people want direction in "HOW". Many options exist. Create your own curriculum, pick and choose from resources, buy boxed curriculum, use the internet for curriculum, and choose. Now, this path is NOT set in stone. You may decide that what you chose is not the right fit, that is OKAY. Don't be afraid to change and use something else. To know WHAT to teach and WHEN, use may guidelines. Use such guidelines for sequences and topics, but use these only as a guide to gain confidence and chart a journey. Read Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series online for FREE at Ambleside Onlinehttp://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html Read The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. You can check it out at your local library or buy it online. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/ Use FREE online Sequences: FREE Core Knowledge Sequences: http://books.coreknowledge.org/home.php?cat=314 You can also get the "What your _____th Grader Need to Know." FREE Charlotte Mason Guide http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/ FREE ABEKA Sequences http://www.abeka.com/resources/pdfs/scopeandsequence.pdf FREE Rod and Staff Sequences http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/1-19118/ What about public school standards? "That is great, but I want to know how they compare to their counterparts in public school".These standards for South Carolina follow the Core Curriculum for the most part. These are the 2006 standards for K-12 before they lowered the standards in 2009.Standards http://www.eoc.sc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/35855B27-77B8-4A64-843A-77B23E8879F7/0/0607ParentStandards.pdfNews http://beauforttribune.com/archives/17963 Many states also offer their practice tests online for their previous standardized tests. For example, here are ones for Texas. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3839&menu_id=793 Also, sites offer FREE Curriculum FREE Curriculum http://www.amblesideonline.org/Look at their brochure for a synopsis http://www.amblesideonline.org/files/Ambleside%20Online%20brochure%202008%20double-sided%20tri-fold.pdf FREE List of World History through Literature...did you know that this is how the colleges instruct? http://www.welltrainedmind.com/the-great-books-history-as-literature/ There are many more resources listed on my resources page. Use books picked up at garage sales, thrift stores, or your local library. Or, buy paid boxed curriculum for many courses or pick and choose from paid curriculum providers for each course. Use these as your family has allowable finances, but do NOT feel that homeschooling has to be expensive. Abeka http://www.abekaacademy.org/ Alpha Omega http://www.aop.com/ Apologia http://www.apologia.com/ Bob Jones http://www.bjupress.com/page/Home Calvert http://www.calvertschool.org/ EPS http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/ Easy Grammar http://www.easygrammar.com/ Five in a Row http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html Geography Matters http://www.geomatters.com/ Green Leaf Press http://www.greenleafpress.com/ Homeschool Journey http://www.homeschooljourney.com/ Living Books http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/ There are other options such as accredited distance learning private schools or public schools. For example, Texas has Connections Academy http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx and TXVA http://www.k12.com/txva/ Do understand that these schools are still PUBLIC SCHOOLS! These means standardized testing, no choice in curriculum and loss of certain freedoms. I will approach this topic another time. I hope this post helps to put minds at ease about the big "HOW" question. To supplement my first blog post, I thought I would post this article from CNN.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/04/22/mf.home.schooled/index.html This list is not to compare our children's abilities. Rather, it is to reinforce to others the success of a homeschool education. Not all children will attain such notability, yet success not determined by such. Another quote by Einstein, a homeschooler points out, "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?" Many people, after hearing that I homeschool, ask....WHY? This is soon followed by...HOW? The best place to start is the beginning. We did not intend this path initially.
We began as many families do, by enrolling our child into a brick and mortar public school in Kindergarten. There, he worked as the teacher's aid since he could already read proficiently and had proven himself far ahead in math. How had he attained such knowledge? Our firm belief that it was our responsibility as parents to train him continually "along the roadway". His boredom caused the teacher to struggle to provide differentiated instruction instead of just MORE work. At the beginning of first grade, he qualified for a public gifted academy. He qualified because his reading level tested as a fifth grade student in the third month of school. At the end of the school year, after final testing, his reading level had decreased. This experience, along with many others, led us to the decision to educate our child at home. Yet, I lost sleep over many questions lingering... "Could I provide the same or superior education?" "We are not college educated parents. Are we qualified?" "Am I ready to leap into the unknown with the fear that I may fail my adult child?" Many fears raced through our minds as we leaped into the unknown with only the determination that our bright child would NOT lose his desire for learning through the "system." Through the years we have had many more children. How do we feel about homeschooling now? It is said that Einstein stated, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." As parents, we hold the grand gift to provide EDUCATION. This, in it's very essence, is very different than learning how to pass a test. For example, as adults, they need to understand the complexities of world events with previous deep knowledge of countries' belief, economic, ethnic, and governmental systems. Along with contemplating current events, they will have the ability to perceive the complexities of the situations. Do you have that type of education now as an adult? Even if you lack that knowledge, you can educate yourself while you educate your children. Another quote I appreciate? "Genius is childhood recaptured." Or, as in the words of Einstein, "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." Over the course of my public schooling, the desire to learn disappeared. The passion to wonder how the world works fleeted. Einstein never lost that passion and wonder. He was not born a genius. He stoked the fire of that passion and increased his knowledge of the world around him. The list of acclaimed homeschoolers who have received "success", through homeschooling, is long. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelle Kwan, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Robert Frost, Mozart, John Philip Sousa, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Einstein, and many others grace this list. Yet, as a parent, I do not measure "success" by standards others hold. I am determined to do my best to raise well socialized, well educated, and confident individuals who contribute positively to society. If I attain that goal, I will feel that I have succeeded despite the fears that plagued me upon the embarking on this journey that began many years ago. Therefore, the reason WHY we home educate our children has remained the same, for them to gain an education and to witness the wonders of childhood all over again. I conclude with a quote by Mark Twain, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." |