Posted in Homeschooling--the Best Choice We Ever Made
Hi everyone, This article is one I ran across when my son and I were cleaning and sorting computer files after my computer contracted a virus and had to be completely redone. It's amazing the things I found in there that I had long forgotten about or given up on as being lost. I was so happy to find this article that I wrote 8 years ago when BJ was 10. It was originally published in several local homeschool support group newsletters, and I feel it is as true today as it was then. I hope that my readers will find it helpful in their own homeschool journey.Blessings,
Kathy
I don't know about the rest of you, but our family's method of homeschooling has evolved through the years. The American Heritage Dictionary defines evolution as "a gradual process in which something changes into a significantly different form." Our process of homeschooling most definitely has evolved!
Darwin and his fans would be proud of me. I know in exactly what form our schooling first began; I know what it is like now; and I have, after some reflection and looking back over previous years portfolios, found several "missing links" which connect the "then" with the "now." I certainly dont believe in the Darwinian brand of evolution, but I do believe in the evolution of homeschoolers.
Back in the beginning, eight years ago now, when we began to teach our children at home, we more or less brought the public school home. We had little school desks for the boys to sit in all day, a chalkboard, and wall charts---all the trimmings. We even bought an official school pencil sharpener! What classroom could be complete without one?
Besides the "atmosphere," we also provided all the proper learning tools. A textbook (and accompanying workbooks, quiz books, test books, etc.) for everything, and for everything a textbook (and accompanying workbooks, quiz books, test books, etc.) We had a schedule that we strictly adhered to, with a specific time and time limit for each subject. And of course, everything was graded---with my perfectly proper teacher's red grading pen.
Compare this to today. My ten-year-old woke up, did his chores, cleaned himself up, and ate. On the drive to band (YEAH! We really are finally allowed to be in band.) we reviewed Latin vocabulary and pronunciation. I quizzed him on English derivatives, and had him conjugate his verbs. These "grades" were registered in the back of my mind for future reference.
After an hour of band camp, we drove to Findlay. While on our way, we had quite a discussion about the ancient Jewish Feasts and how they were the best example of parents educating their own children in Biblical days. This in turn led to a discussion of how changing the actual dates of our own country's holidays has made them lose their significance for educational purposes. This dialogue was our history and Bible lesson for the day. We also learned a lot of critical thinking, inference, and deductive reasoning skills.
Next was a trip to the pet store. Our dog has skin allergies, and needed a special medicated shampoo. While there, we looked at the reptiles and amphibians. My son is very interested in them; I am not. I now know how he feels waiting for me to finish "window shopping" in a women's clothing store. Just how long does it really take to see all there is to see of a ball python, anyway?
n Findlay, we signed up for the summer reading program at the library. Stacks of "literature" and "science" for the next couple of weeks made their way out to our car, including 12 books on various lizards, reptiles, snakes, etc. Across the street is one of our favorite places to go, a used and rare bookstore called Books On Main. We were able to purchase half of the American Girl series at $1 per book, and also a book on maps as they relate to where various rocks, minerals, and gems are located around the world. This will help with a Cub Scout badge on geology. And some original Hentys! History waiting to be read. Back in the car we calculated how much money we saved on the American Girl books, a great multiple part math story problem.
Next stop, the Instrument Care Center where we learned how escaping air causes very nasty sounds in saxophones, and were shown exactly how it would be fixed. We also got drum sticks and a drum practice pad, to learn about sound and vibration, and also more about music. A saxophone care kit will teach responsibility in caring for one's belongings.
At Groman's, we purchased lesson books for my music students. Another math lesson---we figured out what my 10% teacher discount was. He also learned from the original owner of the store, now well into his 80's, about how organs work, and since he was so careful and polite (a very common trait amongst homeschooled kids), he was given permission by Mr. Groman himself to play any instrument any time he comes into the store. He even showed him the shelf where he could get private earphones to plug in to everything. B.J. thought this was great!
At Burger King, we perused our sales slip and determined that we had made a terrific deal by purchasing the Whopper special, and King-sizing it. We saved over $3.00!
Last stop---Jeffries Antique Mall. What a history lesson. We looked at gadgets that I had used as a child (in an antique store? How dare they...). I explained how these more modern antiques worked and their purposes, and then we looked at some REAL antiques from my parents' and grandparents' days. It was very educational.
Eight year ago I would have absolutely freaked out on a day like today. My nice little schedule and lesson plans were down the drain, and how would we ever make up the lost time? Today I ask myself, what lost time? Everything we did all day was a learning experience. Remember that homeschooling is a lifestyle, not an educational option. What we experienced today was truly a lifestyle of learning.
So how did my ideas of how to homeschool evolve from "then" to "now?" It was a gradual process. I saw that textbooks weren't always the best way of teaching some subjects. I soon found out that real books teach a child to read much better than readers, after the initial phonics readers are mastered. Real books are great for history, too. Narration and discussion enlighten me as to what knowledge my child has retained far more than quizzes and tests, although we have not abandoned them completely. Many unit studies draw all the subjects together so wonderfully around a topic my child is extremely interested in. This ends any problems we might have with motivation.
The scientists are right. Evolution is a long, slow process. I have seen most homeschoolers I know go through this same process as I have; therefore my particular brand of evolution has been repeated and observed, unlike Darwin's. I think that in the beginning stages, most of us need the security of the known. Making our home a mini-public-school keeps us in known territory. After all, that's where we all grew up, and the methods of teaching are the ones we are familiar with. At first, most homeschoolers are afraid to move out into what for them is uncharted territory.
But as the years pass, we see how each of our children learn, and their varying styles of learning. We find they learn despite the changes in schedule, despite using a kitchen table rather than a school desk, and despite writing on a note pad between mother and child rather than using a large blackboard. They even learn if (gasp) we teach things in a different order than they do in public school, or (double gasp) even if we ditch all or some of the traditional textbooks.
For those who are brave enough to try it, I challenge you to try to evolve at least one stage this year as you make your curriculum choices and plan your year. Maybe you can make a leap from being a "fish" to "developing legs and breathing air" so you can become a "land animal." You, too, may begin to believe in evolution as a positive factor in the schooling of your child.
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