It's September, and even though our kidlets are homeschooled year round I still think of September as back to school season (maybe it's all the commercials). So, in celebration of homeschooling during the school-iest time of the year, here are some quotes from famous people you may not have known were educated (in whole or part) outside of the system....
"There are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something."-Thomas Edison [Homeschool graduate]
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education." - Mark Twain [Self-educated after age 11]
"Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort." - Jane Austen [Homeschooled by her father and brothers]
"I don't like obvious things." - Reid Barton [Homeschooled since 3rd grade; four time gold medal winner at the International Mathematical Olympiad, winner of the Morgan Prize]
"The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." - Leonardo da Vinci [Self-educated]
"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." - Ben Franklin [Only had 2 years of formal schooling]
"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality." - Beatrix Potter [Educated by her governess]
"I could trust a fact and always cross-question an assertion." - Michael Faraday [Electrochemist, primarily self taught]
"One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood." - Agatha Christie [Homeschooled by her mother]
"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." - Ansel Adams [Homeschooled after age 12]
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homeschooling. Show all posts
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
YOU Can Homeschool
When I tell people that we homeschool one of the most common responses I hear is "I'd love to home school, but I can't because ___________". I understand the hesitancy, but let me assure you, if you want to homeschool it can be done! One of the most wonderful things about homeschool is that it is flexible enough to meet the specific needs of your family, no matter what your situation. You are in complete control and you can design it exactly the way it needs to be for your family.
Here are the situations I hear the most, and some possible solutions to them. Hopefully, some of you who are interested in home schooling can begin to see how it might work for your family on a practical level.
I would love to homeschool, but I can't because.....
...both my husband and I work/I am a single parent.
Great news-unlike public school, homeschool does not have to take place at any specific time or place. You can homeschool at night, on weekends, or at a fluctuating time of the day if you work a flex schedule. You can homeschool in your home, you can give your children work to complete at grandma/the baby sitter's house, you can even take your kids with you to work (if that's an option) and work with them there. The schedule and place is entirely up to you!
Of course , with two working parents or a single parent, child care may be an issue. If your kids aren't in school and they are too young to stay home alone, you are going to have to find a way to have your children supervised while you are at work. If you're married, an excellent solution is to see if you and your spouse can work opposite schedules. Hubby and I do this because we have no willing friends/family. This summer I am going to school during the day and he is working graveyards-and our kids are still homeschooling!
Another great option, if it's available to you, is friends and family. If you know someone who is retired or who stays home with their children, they are great people to ask, but other friends or family might help as well.
If you're not married and/or your relatives and friends are of no help, see if you can find a homeschooling group in your community-there has been more than one in every place I've ever lived, including my current town which only has a population of around 5,000 people in town. Homeschoolers are very supportive of each other and if you become involved in the group not only could you find someone who is willing to have your child(ren) at home with them during the day in a homeschooling environment, but you will have an excellent resource for play/project groups!
If you can't find any friends, family, or other homeschoolers, I highly recommend looking around at churches. Many of them have child care co-ops, which means you will have to volunteer a certain number of times based on your availability, but your children will be watched for free. Even if they do not have a co-op I have never known a church to charge too much for child care.
...I have a special needs child.
Homeschooling is great for special needs children. As of 1999 there were almost 70,000 special needs children who were being home schooled-and there is a reason-at home you can spend focused, individualized time with curriculum you determine is exactly perfect for your child's specific needs. Special needs children often blossom at home under the loving, specialized care of their parents.
The challenge of homeschooling special needs children will come in the form of finding specialized care if it is necessary (speech or physical therapists, for example). You can always hire a private care provider who-depending on the need-may be covered by insurance. Alternately, if your child needs a specific type of therapist that is provided by the school district, just go ahead and talk to them. They are required by law to provide every special needs child in their school district with care and therapists at your request if there is a medical need-and that includes homeschoolers! Many (but not all) districts will even send speech/physical/occupational therapists to your home!
...I am not religious.
When people think of homeschooling in America, they often associate it with religious preferences (usually conservative Christians)-but there are homeschoolers of every kind! As homeschool becomes more and more popular, more and more people do it including people of all faiths, and those of no particular faith (atheists/agnostics).
There are as many ways and reasons to homeschool as there are homeschooling families. For example, while my husband and I are Christian, we homeschool primarily for political reasons-and because of those political philosophies we unschool and do not follow any curriculum-Christian or otherwise. Unschooling works with all value/belief systems, as your child is exposed to what occurs in your everyday life-if faith/religion is in your household it will happen in your child's learning...if not, then your children will not receive religious instruction.
If you want to use curriculum, but don't want to have faith based instruction, you can check out Calvert Homeschool-who I have heard has challenging work for kids and is very easy for parents to use. There are also agnostic parents who use the Sonlight Curriculum because they find the literature-rich curriculum easy to adapt to their personal views. Secular homeschoolers exist-and you could be one of them.
...I don't have enough education.
This is probably the most common thing that I hear. People tend to believe (based on what they see in public schools) that in order to teach children you need a degree of some kind but that is absolutely false. All you need is a passion for learning and love for your kids.
So what do you do when you're homeschooling and you run into something that you don't know? Learn right along with your kids! There is no greater lesson than to teach your children how to learn and to have a life long love of learning-and when children watch their parents learn, they become even more motivated to grow. If you feel like a subject is entirely above your head and you need help too, there are plenty of resources available. You can trade information with other homeschooling parents (I'll teach you and your child to sew if you teach my child and I about chemistry), you can hire a tutor, or (if your child is over 12 for non-credit courses and 16 for credit courses) you can enroll both you and them in a community college class.
A homeschooling parent is not expected to know everything any more than any other adult is-we all have subjects that are not our best-but if you are motivated and willing to learn you CAN homeschool your children without a college degree.
...I'm not patient enough.
Easily my second most heard "I wish I could but...", patience is one of those things that people think they either have or they don't-but that couldn't be farther from the truth. While some people are more naturally patient than others, anyone who has ever had a toddler can tell you that supreme patience is not something that it born into you, but rather learned over the years. My steps for putting enough patience in your life to homeschool is really only two steps:
Step one: Find out what you are most impatient with, and find a learning style/curriculum that minimizes that aspect of homeschooling. Most impatient with having to answer a zillion questions? Unschooling would only aggravate you, but online and/or distance learning (which is taught by instructors over the internet) might be right up your alley! Don't have enough patience to sit inside all day? A text-book approach to learning might make you batty, but a project/theme based curriculum would give you the opportunity to get out in the world and do things (parks, museums, nature walks, field trips) related to your subject. Study different homeschooling methods until you find one (or a combination of several!) that works to your strengths.
Step two: Work on your patience level. It's not an overnight thing-acquiring patience requires patience-but if you put your mind to it you can do it. My favorite patience practices are counting to ten and Mommy Time Outs. When the kids are really pushing my buttons, I will take a deep breath, count to ten, and blow it out slowly. This gives me an extra moment to think before I say something I don't mean to the kidlets. If they are REALLY REALLY pushing it, I put myself in Mommy Time Out. I put the little ones in their chairs and I tell the oldest that I am in Mommy Time Out. Then I give myself anywhere between five and 10 minutes to lie quietly, check my email, read an article-whatever. I don't talk to the kids, and if they talk to me I just tell them that I am in time out and I can't talk until I'm done. When I am cooled off, everything returns to normal-I'm not mad anymore, I didn't freak out on the kids, and we're able to just move on.
Just like most good things in life, homeschooling isn't always easy (marriage and child birth come to mind). Some days the kids act like hooligans and you run out of time before any real schooling gets done. Some times you will run into subjects you don't know anything about (like learning Mandarin!). Occasionally it will prove a very inconvenient life style. In the end though, the benefits vastly outweigh the work involved so if you want to homeschool I say GO FOR IT! Don't let circumstances stop you! And if you need any help finding resources-for babysitting, curriculum, homeschool laws in your state, whatever-leave a comment or drop me an email at contact.mrsm@gmail.com and I would love to help you out!
Happy homeschooling!
Here are the situations I hear the most, and some possible solutions to them. Hopefully, some of you who are interested in home schooling can begin to see how it might work for your family on a practical level.
I would love to homeschool, but I can't because.....
...both my husband and I work/I am a single parent.
Great news-unlike public school, homeschool does not have to take place at any specific time or place. You can homeschool at night, on weekends, or at a fluctuating time of the day if you work a flex schedule. You can homeschool in your home, you can give your children work to complete at grandma/the baby sitter's house, you can even take your kids with you to work (if that's an option) and work with them there. The schedule and place is entirely up to you!
Of course , with two working parents or a single parent, child care may be an issue. If your kids aren't in school and they are too young to stay home alone, you are going to have to find a way to have your children supervised while you are at work. If you're married, an excellent solution is to see if you and your spouse can work opposite schedules. Hubby and I do this because we have no willing friends/family. This summer I am going to school during the day and he is working graveyards-and our kids are still homeschooling!
Another great option, if it's available to you, is friends and family. If you know someone who is retired or who stays home with their children, they are great people to ask, but other friends or family might help as well.
If you're not married and/or your relatives and friends are of no help, see if you can find a homeschooling group in your community-there has been more than one in every place I've ever lived, including my current town which only has a population of around 5,000 people in town. Homeschoolers are very supportive of each other and if you become involved in the group not only could you find someone who is willing to have your child(ren) at home with them during the day in a homeschooling environment, but you will have an excellent resource for play/project groups!
If you can't find any friends, family, or other homeschoolers, I highly recommend looking around at churches. Many of them have child care co-ops, which means you will have to volunteer a certain number of times based on your availability, but your children will be watched for free. Even if they do not have a co-op I have never known a church to charge too much for child care.
...I have a special needs child.
Homeschooling is great for special needs children. As of 1999 there were almost 70,000 special needs children who were being home schooled-and there is a reason-at home you can spend focused, individualized time with curriculum you determine is exactly perfect for your child's specific needs. Special needs children often blossom at home under the loving, specialized care of their parents.
The challenge of homeschooling special needs children will come in the form of finding specialized care if it is necessary (speech or physical therapists, for example). You can always hire a private care provider who-depending on the need-may be covered by insurance. Alternately, if your child needs a specific type of therapist that is provided by the school district, just go ahead and talk to them. They are required by law to provide every special needs child in their school district with care and therapists at your request if there is a medical need-and that includes homeschoolers! Many (but not all) districts will even send speech/physical/occupational therapists to your home!
...I am not religious.
When people think of homeschooling in America, they often associate it with religious preferences (usually conservative Christians)-but there are homeschoolers of every kind! As homeschool becomes more and more popular, more and more people do it including people of all faiths, and those of no particular faith (atheists/agnostics).
There are as many ways and reasons to homeschool as there are homeschooling families. For example, while my husband and I are Christian, we homeschool primarily for political reasons-and because of those political philosophies we unschool and do not follow any curriculum-Christian or otherwise. Unschooling works with all value/belief systems, as your child is exposed to what occurs in your everyday life-if faith/religion is in your household it will happen in your child's learning...if not, then your children will not receive religious instruction.
If you want to use curriculum, but don't want to have faith based instruction, you can check out Calvert Homeschool-who I have heard has challenging work for kids and is very easy for parents to use. There are also agnostic parents who use the Sonlight Curriculum because they find the literature-rich curriculum easy to adapt to their personal views. Secular homeschoolers exist-and you could be one of them.
...I don't have enough education.
This is probably the most common thing that I hear. People tend to believe (based on what they see in public schools) that in order to teach children you need a degree of some kind but that is absolutely false. All you need is a passion for learning and love for your kids.
So what do you do when you're homeschooling and you run into something that you don't know? Learn right along with your kids! There is no greater lesson than to teach your children how to learn and to have a life long love of learning-and when children watch their parents learn, they become even more motivated to grow. If you feel like a subject is entirely above your head and you need help too, there are plenty of resources available. You can trade information with other homeschooling parents (I'll teach you and your child to sew if you teach my child and I about chemistry), you can hire a tutor, or (if your child is over 12 for non-credit courses and 16 for credit courses) you can enroll both you and them in a community college class.
A homeschooling parent is not expected to know everything any more than any other adult is-we all have subjects that are not our best-but if you are motivated and willing to learn you CAN homeschool your children without a college degree.
...I'm not patient enough.
Easily my second most heard "I wish I could but...", patience is one of those things that people think they either have or they don't-but that couldn't be farther from the truth. While some people are more naturally patient than others, anyone who has ever had a toddler can tell you that supreme patience is not something that it born into you, but rather learned over the years. My steps for putting enough patience in your life to homeschool is really only two steps:
Step one: Find out what you are most impatient with, and find a learning style/curriculum that minimizes that aspect of homeschooling. Most impatient with having to answer a zillion questions? Unschooling would only aggravate you, but online and/or distance learning (which is taught by instructors over the internet) might be right up your alley! Don't have enough patience to sit inside all day? A text-book approach to learning might make you batty, but a project/theme based curriculum would give you the opportunity to get out in the world and do things (parks, museums, nature walks, field trips) related to your subject. Study different homeschooling methods until you find one (or a combination of several!) that works to your strengths.
Step two: Work on your patience level. It's not an overnight thing-acquiring patience requires patience-but if you put your mind to it you can do it. My favorite patience practices are counting to ten and Mommy Time Outs. When the kids are really pushing my buttons, I will take a deep breath, count to ten, and blow it out slowly. This gives me an extra moment to think before I say something I don't mean to the kidlets. If they are REALLY REALLY pushing it, I put myself in Mommy Time Out. I put the little ones in their chairs and I tell the oldest that I am in Mommy Time Out. Then I give myself anywhere between five and 10 minutes to lie quietly, check my email, read an article-whatever. I don't talk to the kids, and if they talk to me I just tell them that I am in time out and I can't talk until I'm done. When I am cooled off, everything returns to normal-I'm not mad anymore, I didn't freak out on the kids, and we're able to just move on.
Just like most good things in life, homeschooling isn't always easy (marriage and child birth come to mind). Some days the kids act like hooligans and you run out of time before any real schooling gets done. Some times you will run into subjects you don't know anything about (like learning Mandarin!). Occasionally it will prove a very inconvenient life style. In the end though, the benefits vastly outweigh the work involved so if you want to homeschool I say GO FOR IT! Don't let circumstances stop you! And if you need any help finding resources-for babysitting, curriculum, homeschool laws in your state, whatever-leave a comment or drop me an email at contact.mrsm@gmail.com and I would love to help you out!
Happy homeschooling!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tell All Tuesday:Homeschooling Works!
We've talked before about how to deal with homeschool critics, and it's still a very important topic because come on-no one homeschools unopposed. There's always the Buttinski that makes it their personal mission to deter, undermine, or attempt to entirely prevent you from homeschooling....such is life. Still no matter how much you want to go all Maury-Povich-DNA-Test-Baby-Mama on them, it's important to come up with a calm, intelligent response when dealing with a Mr/Ms Know-It-All. It helps if you have research studies to back yourself up with.
Too bad the last homeschooling research study was done more than ten years ago. Even though it was an excellent study, people tend to look at old information as if it were no information at all. Good thing the HSLDA (that's the Homeschooling Legal Defense Association) commissioned another research study! The study included 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests—California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007–08 academic year. If you're anything like me, you're going to want to email these results to your personal Buttinski right away!
According to the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics homeschooled children tested far above their publicly schooled peers on achievement tests:
What's more, factors that usually "make or break" students in the public school arena showed little influence over homeschooled kids core scores-
So basically-no matter how much or how little a homeschooling parent spends, no matter what the parent's income or education level, homeschooled kids will rock the socks off you.
Academically speaking, of course.
I certainly think that's worth telling all and telling everybody about!
A big thank you to Jenny for bringing this study to my attention!
Too bad the last homeschooling research study was done more than ten years ago. Even though it was an excellent study, people tend to look at old information as if it were no information at all. Good thing the HSLDA (that's the Homeschooling Legal Defense Association) commissioned another research study! The study included 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests—California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007–08 academic year. If you're anything like me, you're going to want to email these results to your personal Buttinski right away!
According to the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics homeschooled children tested far above their publicly schooled peers on achievement tests:
| National Average Percentile Scores | ||
| Subtest | Homeschool | Public School |
| Reading | 89 | 50 |
| Language | 84 | 50 |
| Math | 84 | 50 |
| Science | 86 | 50 |
| Social Studies | 84 | 50 |
| Corea | 88 | 50 |
| Compositeb | 86 | 50 |
| a. Core is a combination of Reading, Language, and Math. b. Composite is a combination of all subtests that the student took on the test. | ||
What's more, factors that usually "make or break" students in the public school arena showed little influence over homeschooled kids core scores-
Income
$34,999 or less—85th percentile
$35,000–$49,999—86th percentile
$50,000–$69,999—86th percentile
$70,000 or more—89th percentile
Parental Spending
Spent $600 or more on the student—89th percentile
Spent under $600 on the student—86th percentile
Even the education level of the childrens' parents, while more noticeable, still did not produce the huge gaps seen in publicly schooled children
Neither parent has a college degree—83rd percentile
One parent has a college degree—86th percentile
Both parents have a college degree—90th percentile
$34,999 or less—85th percentile
$35,000–$49,999—86th percentile
$50,000–$69,999—86th percentile
$70,000 or more—89th percentile
Parental Spending
Spent $600 or more on the student—89th percentile
Spent under $600 on the student—86th percentile
Even the education level of the childrens' parents, while more noticeable, still did not produce the huge gaps seen in publicly schooled children
Neither parent has a college degree—83rd percentile
One parent has a college degree—86th percentile
Both parents have a college degree—90th percentile
So basically-no matter how much or how little a homeschooling parent spends, no matter what the parent's income or education level, homeschooled kids will rock the socks off you.
Academically speaking, of course.
I certainly think that's worth telling all and telling everybody about!
A big thank you to Jenny for bringing this study to my attention!
Mondays Our Way:I Heart Blocks!! (Review and Giveaway)
As I have mentioned during a previous Mondays Our Way, blocks are a great way for kids to develop their mathematical thinking. Not to mention they're fantastically fun. What kid (or Daddy) doesn't like to build their own city and then smash it down Godzilla-style? That's fun for the whole family.
And we all know how much I love things that are both fun and educational.
Unfortunately, as I also mentioned in that post, blocks can be incredibly difficult to find. I have no idea why-who can't remember using and loving blocks during their childhood?-but they seem to have gone the way of the Pog. After searching every Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer (that's Kroger for my east coast friends), and toy store I could find in my local area I ended up with a choice between Lincoln Logs and Legos. Not exactly what I was looking for. Then I found All Children's Furniture.com. I am in love with this website and I can tell you right now the majority of our kid's presents are coming directly from the site this year. Besides having great kid's furniture (we've definitely got our eyes on the gorgeous cherry toy box for Christmas) they also have an entire section dedicated to blocks of all kinds!
So imagine my excitement when I was able to iron out a giveaway with them! I am so excited to be giving one lucky reader a Wonderworld 50 Piece Block Set,
courtesy of our friends at All Children's Furniture. These blocks are perfect for table top town construction (and demolition).
The shapes available in this set also happen to lend nicely to exploring putting together and deconstructing larger shapes (discovering, for instance, that two triangles make a square).
These blocks are perfect for kids two and up to use their imagination and learn a little bit about math processes along the way. As an added and very important bonus, these blocks are made out of environmentally friendly rubberwood and painted with non toxic paint-so if your little builder is still approaching things mouth first (ala Baby Bug) you don't have to worry!
As always, all you have to do to get an entry is leave a comment. Voila! Entered to win awesome stuff. If you want to increase your odds though, we have optional entries for that too......
And we all know how much I love things that are both fun and educational.
Unfortunately, as I also mentioned in that post, blocks can be incredibly difficult to find. I have no idea why-who can't remember using and loving blocks during their childhood?-but they seem to have gone the way of the Pog. After searching every Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer (that's Kroger for my east coast friends), and toy store I could find in my local area I ended up with a choice between Lincoln Logs and Legos. Not exactly what I was looking for. Then I found All Children's Furniture.com. I am in love with this website and I can tell you right now the majority of our kid's presents are coming directly from the site this year. Besides having great kid's furniture (we've definitely got our eyes on the gorgeous cherry toy box for Christmas) they also have an entire section dedicated to blocks of all kinds!
So imagine my excitement when I was able to iron out a giveaway with them! I am so excited to be giving one lucky reader a Wonderworld 50 Piece Block Set,
courtesy of our friends at All Children's Furniture. These blocks are perfect for table top town construction (and demolition).The shapes available in this set also happen to lend nicely to exploring putting together and deconstructing larger shapes (discovering, for instance, that two triangles make a square).
These blocks are perfect for kids two and up to use their imagination and learn a little bit about math processes along the way. As an added and very important bonus, these blocks are made out of environmentally friendly rubberwood and painted with non toxic paint-so if your little builder is still approaching things mouth first (ala Baby Bug) you don't have to worry!
As always, all you have to do to get an entry is leave a comment. Voila! Entered to win awesome stuff. If you want to increase your odds though, we have optional entries for that too......
1. Follow me on Blogger! (or, in a separate comment from your entry comment, let me know that you already do!)
2. Follow me on Twitter!
3. Tweet about this contest, and link to your tweet here (one Tweet entry per day)
4. Join my BlogFrog Community
5. Become a fan on my Facebook page
6. Blog about this giveaway using the blurb (with links):
2. Follow me on Twitter!
3. Tweet about this contest, and link to your tweet here (one Tweet entry per day)
4. Join my BlogFrog Community
5. Become a fan on my Facebook page
6. Blog about this giveaway using the blurb (with links):
The contest does-end on 9/15 that is. So get your entries in. Good luck everyone!"MrsM is giving away a fantastic set of blocks from All Children’s Furniture who carries everything from kid's furniture to toys. Contest ends 9/15!"
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Mondays Our Way:Test Anxiety
Testing.There, I said it.
Unschooling brings along a lot of questions about testing. From the public school side, people tend to be skeptical, wanting kids to be tested to "prove that they are really being educated". From the unschooling side (which tends to differ from traditional homeschooling on the subject of test administration) the thought of the government handing our children a standardized test leaves a foul taste in our mouths.
The good news is that less than 50% of states require standardized testing for homeschooled students. The bad news is that most people cannot afford to move just to avoid standardized tests if their state requires them. The worst news is that in many states with standardized testing laws there are provisions which would legally force you to send your child to public school should they not meet testing requirements. I could go on for hours-nay, DAYS-about what a flagrant violation of personal liberty that is, but I'll limit it to just the one extra large bolded comment.
Continuing on....
So what do you do if you're looking down the line to forced standardized testing with potentially infuriating consequences? If your kids have yet to enter the public school system you can always remember to forget to register them with the school district-but if your children were already in the system, or your state has criminal penalties for such action, that's probably not a good idea. My recommendation?
Obey your state's homeschooling laws. TO. THE. LETTER. in the letter, and not in the spirit. (Find your states exact law, and a legal interpretation of it, courtesy of HSLDA)
The laws regarding schooling are often not what you would expect. For instance, did you know that the legal age of compulsory education is usually NOT five? In fact, only 11 states require that 5 year olds be in school, and 2 of those 11 allow exceptions. Within the US, compulsory schooling is required, on average, beginning at age 7. (Check HERE to see your state's compulsory schooling age.)
Also, did you know that nearly half of the states that require testing require it at certain grade levels as opposed to yearly or at certain times (find an overview of testing requirements by state HERE)? And who decides what "grade" your homeschooled child is in?
That's right, you do.
Another thing to look into-while many school districts "require" you to turn in your child's standardized test scores, the law often only requires that you keep records available upon written request.
Let me be sure to clarify-I'm not suggesting that you do anything illegal, and I'm not suggesting that you don't educate your child. I do suggest, however, that parents opposed to standardized testing who live in mandatory testing states arm themselves with very specific legal knowledge regarding state requirements and then work within those requirements in a way that best suits their family.
After all, personalized education in the best interest of your child is what homeschooling is all about.
Friday, February 1, 2008
School Vs Unschool
Let's start off with a disclaimer: We're not those crazy homeschooling parents (who are out there, we've seen them) that think that homeschooling is something that "all good parents do" or that people who homeschool are the only ones who really love their children. No--we completely respect everyone's right to determine what is best for themselves, their children, and their families. We wouldn't want anyone to berate us for not sending our kids to government school, or force us to send our children there against our wishes, so we certainly don't go around criticising or pushing our "agenda" on other people. We also (for the record) aren't keeping our children home to isolate our children from the world, from society, from people who are different than us, or from their peers. We actually are very dedicated to making sure that our children interact with the community, both older people and younger people, people that are "similar" to us and those who are not.
We are however extremely critical of the government school system. We say a lot of bad things about them, we say them all the time, we say them in front of whomever happens to be standing there, and we aren't sorry for it....so whenever I say something about the government school system try to remember-it's not about you directly. Or your children. I'm sure you're all very nice people and great parents.
There are a lot of reasons why our children will not be going through the government school system, however; and a lot of reasons why our children will not only be homeschooled, but will be unschooled.
Unschooling has as many different meanings as it does families that participate in it. To us, the quote from Anne Sullivan is something that speaks directly to the reasons we unschool. We believe that children should learn from the world around them, in a natural community environment, and in a way that is largely self-motivated. We believe that the most important thing to teach our children is a love of learning, and that "education" is not the way to do that.
To "educate" implies (to us) that children need to be sat down and forced to study what someone superior to them has decided they need to know. First of all, we don't like the idea of teaching our children that anyone is superior to them, with the notable exception of God. Older, sure. Wiser, sure. Some people are. But we don't want our children believing that just being older, or wiser, or more "educated" makes that person superior to them. After all, everyone-from the newborn baby to the oldest person on the planet-has the same value in the eyes of God and we are ALL learners and teachers. (I don't know about you, but I learn from my son almost every day.)
We want our children to place value on learning. Getting more information, arming themselves with knowledge as it is practical to them in their everday lives, and utilizing their knowledge to better themselves not only intellectually but emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even financially and vocationally as well. Placing the value on learning not only helps them realize that it is enjoyable to learn new things, but that it is a life long process that is never truely completed. You can complete your education, you cannot "complete" learning. Unless of course you die.
Of course, unschooling is pretty much the antithesis of government schooling. If you'd like to know about the reasons that we unschool, and why we think the government schools (ALL government schools) are so bad, I suggest reading Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. He describes perfectly the reasons that government schooling stunts children's ability to learn and is, in fact, harmful to them. And he should know-he taught as a government school teacher for 30 years...even winning acclaim from them being awarded both New York City and New York State Teacher of the Year Awards. Mr. Gatto has been in the institution, and apart of the institution, and he can tell you for certain why it's all wrong for kids.
In the book he talks about the hidden cirriculum of complusary schooling (perhaps that's why that's the subtitle of the book), and in the beginning of the book he exposes the 7 Lessons that all "educators"-in fact the whole system itself-really teach the children in the system. {I am putting the lessons here, followed by my own description. Please PLEASE read the book to get Mr.Gatto's much more complete and eloquent descriptions.}
Lesson One: Confusion
Everything is taught out of order and out of context. The studying of the solar system one hour followed by the studying of European history...the focus on worksheets and memorization...it violates children's sense of natural order and sequence.
Lesson Two: Class Position
Teaching children to submit to the numbers given to them-their grade number, their class ranking, their classroom number, their seat number...by this children are taught that they are no more important than a random number superimposed on them someone "more qualified". It teaches them to submit to authorities without questioning their credentials or reasoning. It also teaches them to accept their ranking, and that their "place" is predetermined and inescapable.
Lesson Three: Indifference
In government schools children's learning is dictated by the bell. They are expected to care passionately about every subject...for exactly 47 minutes. Then the bell rings, and they must immediately stop caring about that subject and start being fiercely passionate about the next subject of their teacher's choosing. This teaches children that one project is not important enough to complete...so why bother caring about anything in particular?
Lesson Four: Emotional Dependancy
Teaching children to trade in their free will to the appropriate authorities and follow the chain of command. In government school, educators teach children that their rights are granted to them by a higher authority, and that their rights-even Constitutional rights such as to free speech or personal rights such as the ability to pee whenever you have to-can be granted or denied to them by people above them in "the chain of command".
Lesson Five: Intellectual Dependancy
Teaching children that good children wait for a teacher to give instructions--teaching them the overall lesson that they should wait for someone "more qualified" to give them meaning in their lives and to tell them what to do. Goodness knows what we would do if we didn't have "experts" to decide everything for us!
Lesson Six: Provisional Self Esteem
Government schooling teaches children to place their emotions in the hands of an educator with a big red marker or a smiley face sticker. When an educator gives a child a check mark they expect that child to have a negative emotional reaction-not only within themselves, but even from their own parents. When they give a child the proverbial "gold star" they do it to boost their self esteem...teaching them that their emotions and self esteem should be intertwined, if not entirely dependant on, this "more qualified" person who will tell them exactly how good or bad they should feel about themselves. That the educator, as the authority, will tell them exactly how much they are worth.
Lesson Seven: One Can't Hide
Government schooling allows children no personal time or space-having them constantly survielled by "the authorities". They are even punished for fraternizing without permission (passing notes or talking too much in class). This teaches children that no one can be trusted and that privacy is not legitamate.
Those are the lessons that government school teaches children...the lessons that I can't stand the thought of my children being subjected to-not to mention I find that most schools have genuinely subpar curriculum-made for only the completely average cookie cutter child, attempting to pawn off the children who need help and completely ignoring the gifted ones-and that many teachers are indifferent at best to the genuine needs of children.
No, I'll keep my children at home. They'll learn math and nutrition at the grocery store, science when we visit the lake, history from stories that family members tell, art in the park, government from visits to town hall, sportsmanship from participating in community activities...and I'll know that my children will have a genuine love of learning, the belief in themselves that they can come to know anything they want to because they are capable, and a sense of self esteem and value that does not come from some omni-present external authority.
My children will grow up as children.
We are however extremely critical of the government school system. We say a lot of bad things about them, we say them all the time, we say them in front of whomever happens to be standing there, and we aren't sorry for it....so whenever I say something about the government school system try to remember-it's not about you directly. Or your children. I'm sure you're all very nice people and great parents.
There are a lot of reasons why our children will not be going through the government school system, however; and a lot of reasons why our children will not only be homeschooled, but will be unschooled.
"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They
seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot
who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will
think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him
touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting
indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he
build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of
coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills
the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child
can develop independent ideas out of actual experience." -- Anne Sullivan
Unschooling has as many different meanings as it does families that participate in it. To us, the quote from Anne Sullivan is something that speaks directly to the reasons we unschool. We believe that children should learn from the world around them, in a natural community environment, and in a way that is largely self-motivated. We believe that the most important thing to teach our children is a love of learning, and that "education" is not the way to do that.
To "educate" implies (to us) that children need to be sat down and forced to study what someone superior to them has decided they need to know. First of all, we don't like the idea of teaching our children that anyone is superior to them, with the notable exception of God. Older, sure. Wiser, sure. Some people are. But we don't want our children believing that just being older, or wiser, or more "educated" makes that person superior to them. After all, everyone-from the newborn baby to the oldest person on the planet-has the same value in the eyes of God and we are ALL learners and teachers. (I don't know about you, but I learn from my son almost every day.)
We want our children to place value on learning. Getting more information, arming themselves with knowledge as it is practical to them in their everday lives, and utilizing their knowledge to better themselves not only intellectually but emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even financially and vocationally as well. Placing the value on learning not only helps them realize that it is enjoyable to learn new things, but that it is a life long process that is never truely completed. You can complete your education, you cannot "complete" learning. Unless of course you die.
Of course, unschooling is pretty much the antithesis of government schooling. If you'd like to know about the reasons that we unschool, and why we think the government schools (ALL government schools) are so bad, I suggest reading Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. He describes perfectly the reasons that government schooling stunts children's ability to learn and is, in fact, harmful to them. And he should know-he taught as a government school teacher for 30 years...even winning acclaim from them being awarded both New York City and New York State Teacher of the Year Awards. Mr. Gatto has been in the institution, and apart of the institution, and he can tell you for certain why it's all wrong for kids.
In the book he talks about the hidden cirriculum of complusary schooling (perhaps that's why that's the subtitle of the book), and in the beginning of the book he exposes the 7 Lessons that all "educators"-in fact the whole system itself-really teach the children in the system. {I am putting the lessons here, followed by my own description. Please PLEASE read the book to get Mr.Gatto's much more complete and eloquent descriptions.}
Lesson One: Confusion
Everything is taught out of order and out of context. The studying of the solar system one hour followed by the studying of European history...the focus on worksheets and memorization...it violates children's sense of natural order and sequence.
Lesson Two: Class Position
Teaching children to submit to the numbers given to them-their grade number, their class ranking, their classroom number, their seat number...by this children are taught that they are no more important than a random number superimposed on them someone "more qualified". It teaches them to submit to authorities without questioning their credentials or reasoning. It also teaches them to accept their ranking, and that their "place" is predetermined and inescapable.
Lesson Three: Indifference
In government schools children's learning is dictated by the bell. They are expected to care passionately about every subject...for exactly 47 minutes. Then the bell rings, and they must immediately stop caring about that subject and start being fiercely passionate about the next subject of their teacher's choosing. This teaches children that one project is not important enough to complete...so why bother caring about anything in particular?
Lesson Four: Emotional Dependancy
Teaching children to trade in their free will to the appropriate authorities and follow the chain of command. In government school, educators teach children that their rights are granted to them by a higher authority, and that their rights-even Constitutional rights such as to free speech or personal rights such as the ability to pee whenever you have to-can be granted or denied to them by people above them in "the chain of command".
Lesson Five: Intellectual Dependancy
Teaching children that good children wait for a teacher to give instructions--teaching them the overall lesson that they should wait for someone "more qualified" to give them meaning in their lives and to tell them what to do. Goodness knows what we would do if we didn't have "experts" to decide everything for us!
Lesson Six: Provisional Self Esteem
Government schooling teaches children to place their emotions in the hands of an educator with a big red marker or a smiley face sticker. When an educator gives a child a check mark they expect that child to have a negative emotional reaction-not only within themselves, but even from their own parents. When they give a child the proverbial "gold star" they do it to boost their self esteem...teaching them that their emotions and self esteem should be intertwined, if not entirely dependant on, this "more qualified" person who will tell them exactly how good or bad they should feel about themselves. That the educator, as the authority, will tell them exactly how much they are worth.
Lesson Seven: One Can't Hide
Government schooling allows children no personal time or space-having them constantly survielled by "the authorities". They are even punished for fraternizing without permission (passing notes or talking too much in class). This teaches children that no one can be trusted and that privacy is not legitamate.
Those are the lessons that government school teaches children...the lessons that I can't stand the thought of my children being subjected to-not to mention I find that most schools have genuinely subpar curriculum-made for only the completely average cookie cutter child, attempting to pawn off the children who need help and completely ignoring the gifted ones-and that many teachers are indifferent at best to the genuine needs of children.
No, I'll keep my children at home. They'll learn math and nutrition at the grocery store, science when we visit the lake, history from stories that family members tell, art in the park, government from visits to town hall, sportsmanship from participating in community activities...and I'll know that my children will have a genuine love of learning, the belief in themselves that they can come to know anything they want to because they are capable, and a sense of self esteem and value that does not come from some omni-present external authority.
My children will grow up as children.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)