Matters of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of True Happiness

Oct. 5, 2007 - Our Style of Homeschooling--An Evolution (still in progress)

When first became interested in homeschooling I went to the library and checked out a stack of books on the subject. I read an assortment of books, including favorites such as The Unschooling Handbook. I was inspired. The concept of wholly child-led learning sounded liberating. I remember sitting in my public school classrooms, bored and frustrated that I couldn't pursue a subject that actually interested me. The next pivotal book I read was A Thomas Jefferson Education by Dr. Oliver DeMille of George Wythe College (see my links). Wow! What an eye opener! It took the same concept that I liked from The Unschooling Handbook of child-led learning, but combined with a Hebrew-style classical education. The goal is to produce people who are capable of being leaders. Within this philosophy of education, students are encouraged to discover their life's mission and to use their education as a means of preparing them to fulfill that mission. I highly recommend the many articles and recordings by Dr. DeMille. They are quite inspiring. Two speeches that have recently had an enormous impact on me are: “Depth Phase: The Master Key to Thomas Jefferson Education” (Keynote address at the 2006 Thomas Jefferson Education Forum, scroll down for purchase here.) and "Lessons from Four Types of Leadership Education" (Classroom presentation at the 2006 Thomas Jefferson Education Forum, scroll down for purchase here.) I'm blessed to have many real-life associations with other Thomas Jefferson Education families and have learned much from them. About a month ago I read another pivotal book. I became aware of this book shortly after I started researching home schooling. This book is The Well-Trained Mind. From descriptions I'd read and heard, I was prepared for a very regimented, un-fun, school-at-home type of program. I was surprised when I opened the pages and received what I really feel to be an answer to prayer. Those come in unusual ways, don't they?  For me, The Well-Trained Mind held the logistical key of HOW to home school my children in a way that was effective for me and them both. I love the concept of cycling through history chronologically. This week we started with the Ancients. Next fall we'll move on to the Middle Ages. I'll post another entry about how our wonderful week has unfolded. I know that I could apply the WTM in a very strict, hate-of-learning way, but instead I have interpreted in a child-led way that has been very enjoyable for me and my children both. We had a lesson at church a few months ago about reading the Bible cover-to-cover. I've read the Old Testament. I've read the New Testament, but as I sat there I realized that I've never read the whole thing start to finish. I set a goal this week to focus on that this year. I'm in Genesis right now and am amazed at some of the insight I've gained. One of the definitions of a classic work is that you gain new knowledge, understanding, and meaning each time you read it. Scriptures are wonderful that way. So where does that leave me with my style? I guess I'm an eclectic, classical-minded home schooler. I believe in child-led interests but have asked my children to choose within a certain scope and they are thriving because of it. I have a logistical plan for how to mentor my children through their early learning experiences to when they delve into more in depth studies. For the first time in the two years that we have "officially" home schooled I feel like I'm doing it "right" for us. Yippee! "Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." ~ General John Stark

Post A Comment! :: Send to a Friend!