Random: Thoughts on homeschooling
So, we are in the process of reading lots of books, searching out the online, visiting homeschooling groups, talking to other parents, and generally gathering information with the goal of making a decision about the kind of education we want our kids to have. When I say we, I mean the whole gang. Nan, Lee, Russ, and I. I was hesitant to bring it up with Russ to begin with but we talked about it and I was surprised that everyone, including husbands, inlaws and such have been very supportive of the idea. Because homeschooling is still sort of one of those, "Are you crazy!?!" concepts and not really mainstream, I thought I would meet with more resistance but it seems like sort of a natural progression for our family and I'm ecstatic that everyone is being so supportive of the idea. Of course, we haven't made a decision and there is so much to consider but I just wanted to get my thoughts down on paper, er, screen.
Initially, I got it in my head that I wanted to learn more about it because our parenting style sort of lends itself to being with Jacey, interacting with him constantly. We have created a very strong bond with him and there is a natural progression toward continuing to use our understanding of his needs and interests in his growth and learning. I know, sounds sort of cheesy but I don't know how else to explain it. I know him. I know what he likes and doesn't like. I know what his abilities are and I pay very close attention to who he really is and have become pretty decent at "feeding" him knowledge as he masters one skill and moves on to the next. I've thought a lot about his education in this preschool age. I started reading up on how to teach him to read because he knows the alphabet and we've started working on some phonics. I started down this path in an effort to find out exactly what is the best way to teach a toddler language and I found out that this is just the beginning of the home learning journey.
Here are some of the top reasons I think homeschooling makes sense for us:
—Jacey is learning more every day. At the rate he is going, he will be able to read by the time he starts kindergarten. He will most likely be able to count to 100, probably in multiples of 2 and 3 and such. I'm not saying he's the smartest kid on the block, I'm just saying that he has a need to learn and if I just follow his cues, his natural progression to learning, he's going to be doing these things before school starts. If I enroll him in public school where most of the kids that start kindergarten (I've done the research on the statistics) don't know any of these things and the teacher is just beginning to teach them, where does that leave him? Will he be bored and start having behavior problems? Will he lose interest in learning and withdraw? In a class of 20-30 kids to one teacher, the teacher can't possibly teach to each child's capability. The advanced ones have to slow down, the slow ones fall through the cracks and you're left with the teacher teaching to the middle. All well and good if your kid is in that middle ground but not so good if he isn't.
—I've seen it time and time again. High school kids graduating without the basic understanding of writing. Not long ago, I reviewed some projects for a friend's high school student. He graduated recently and I was appalled at his writing skills. He wrote like he speaks, and that's not saying much. Is it his fault that he's entering college with such poor language skills, not to mention writing skills that will, no doubt, color his success in college and the work force? Who was responsible for making sure this child got the education he'll need to succeed? Should his parents have been more involved? Did the Texas school system let him down by sending him through? How does he rank among his peers? If a good number of high school graduates are like him, what will that mean for America's future work force? In addition to this, take a look at my oldest nephew. He moved here in 3rd grade and every day, the teacher bragged about how he finished his work early and just sat and read. The boy was devouring books daily. He was reading high school level material in 3rd grade. Should a parent be proud of that? Well, sure. But, what does that say that a child at 9 years old is so bored and unchallenged at school that he retreats into a book. This kid is now a 6th grader that has lost his interest in learning. When his desire was peeked, no one taught him. He's a smart kid that slipped through the crack of our education system. My other nephew is a 2nd grader that can't read. These are just a few of the realities that have me searching for answers.
—What if I could teach Jacey on his level, going as fast or as slow as he needed? What if I could teach him the things that interest him, and still get all the basics taken care of? What if, while he is learning to read, we focus on books and concepts that spark his interest instead of "See spot run?" We could go set our feet down on a civil war battleground, see a reenactment, look at John Hancocks signature in person instead of in a book. If we were studying biology, we could meet a real biologist and see a real lab. I could even tell him the stories of greek mythology at a young age so that when he encounters them again in high school and college, he will already know the story and can focus on the details. We could wear costumes and create armor and pretend to be greek gods while we learn. We could study the religions of the world and go to temples and celebrations of other religions to really understand the other cultures that surround us. We could create a rich learning experience, not just a lecture and a paper mache globe. We could learn together, following our instincts. We could go to Great Britain and India and Pennsylvania. We can see where it all started. The world can be our classroom.
—Socialization is always one of the things that people bring up and honestly, this is a big concern for me. The dictionary defines it as "a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position." This is a big responsibility. Who best to teach my child the norms, values, behavior and social skills appropriate for him? Do I want a bunch of 6 year olds and a stranger teaching my child values and behaviors? Or, would it be better for him to learn these things from his mom, dad, grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends of my choosing under my watchful eye? I agree that he will need to be able to interact well with his peers but I believe that he will learn to interact with everyone if he is exposed to a larger variety of people, adults and kids alike. Public school is socialization in a vacuum. When again in his life will he be surrounded by a group of people all the same age as him living in the same general location as him and doing the same day to day things as him? I like the idea of Jacey having the opportunity to benefit from an experience more varied. Yes, this one I will definitely have to focus on. I want him to see different people, different cultures, different ways of life and ways of communicating. I want him to see what is out there and choose for himself who he will become.
These are just a few of my thoughts. It feels good to put them into writing and really think them through. I love being a stay at home mom. I love teaching Jacey and learning with him. I really like who he is as a person and who he is becoming every day. That's not to say that there aren't moments when I want to pull my hair out and run screaming but when I come to this place, I have a supportive husband, an amazing sister who really gets me, a mom that picks up the slack and pitches in, in laws that are willing to do whatever whenever it is needed, not to mention all the other people that make my journey bearable at times, but more often than not, the best experience of my life. Knowing that we are all in this together, each with something good to offer our kids in their learning, makes the daunting task of home education more exciting, definitely more appealing than sending my kid off to have someone else see his beautiful smile all day, every day.
Initially, I got it in my head that I wanted to learn more about it because our parenting style sort of lends itself to being with Jacey, interacting with him constantly. We have created a very strong bond with him and there is a natural progression toward continuing to use our understanding of his needs and interests in his growth and learning. I know, sounds sort of cheesy but I don't know how else to explain it. I know him. I know what he likes and doesn't like. I know what his abilities are and I pay very close attention to who he really is and have become pretty decent at "feeding" him knowledge as he masters one skill and moves on to the next. I've thought a lot about his education in this preschool age. I started reading up on how to teach him to read because he knows the alphabet and we've started working on some phonics. I started down this path in an effort to find out exactly what is the best way to teach a toddler language and I found out that this is just the beginning of the home learning journey.
Here are some of the top reasons I think homeschooling makes sense for us:
—Jacey is learning more every day. At the rate he is going, he will be able to read by the time he starts kindergarten. He will most likely be able to count to 100, probably in multiples of 2 and 3 and such. I'm not saying he's the smartest kid on the block, I'm just saying that he has a need to learn and if I just follow his cues, his natural progression to learning, he's going to be doing these things before school starts. If I enroll him in public school where most of the kids that start kindergarten (I've done the research on the statistics) don't know any of these things and the teacher is just beginning to teach them, where does that leave him? Will he be bored and start having behavior problems? Will he lose interest in learning and withdraw? In a class of 20-30 kids to one teacher, the teacher can't possibly teach to each child's capability. The advanced ones have to slow down, the slow ones fall through the cracks and you're left with the teacher teaching to the middle. All well and good if your kid is in that middle ground but not so good if he isn't.
—I've seen it time and time again. High school kids graduating without the basic understanding of writing. Not long ago, I reviewed some projects for a friend's high school student. He graduated recently and I was appalled at his writing skills. He wrote like he speaks, and that's not saying much. Is it his fault that he's entering college with such poor language skills, not to mention writing skills that will, no doubt, color his success in college and the work force? Who was responsible for making sure this child got the education he'll need to succeed? Should his parents have been more involved? Did the Texas school system let him down by sending him through? How does he rank among his peers? If a good number of high school graduates are like him, what will that mean for America's future work force? In addition to this, take a look at my oldest nephew. He moved here in 3rd grade and every day, the teacher bragged about how he finished his work early and just sat and read. The boy was devouring books daily. He was reading high school level material in 3rd grade. Should a parent be proud of that? Well, sure. But, what does that say that a child at 9 years old is so bored and unchallenged at school that he retreats into a book. This kid is now a 6th grader that has lost his interest in learning. When his desire was peeked, no one taught him. He's a smart kid that slipped through the crack of our education system. My other nephew is a 2nd grader that can't read. These are just a few of the realities that have me searching for answers.
—What if I could teach Jacey on his level, going as fast or as slow as he needed? What if I could teach him the things that interest him, and still get all the basics taken care of? What if, while he is learning to read, we focus on books and concepts that spark his interest instead of "See spot run?" We could go set our feet down on a civil war battleground, see a reenactment, look at John Hancocks signature in person instead of in a book. If we were studying biology, we could meet a real biologist and see a real lab. I could even tell him the stories of greek mythology at a young age so that when he encounters them again in high school and college, he will already know the story and can focus on the details. We could wear costumes and create armor and pretend to be greek gods while we learn. We could study the religions of the world and go to temples and celebrations of other religions to really understand the other cultures that surround us. We could create a rich learning experience, not just a lecture and a paper mache globe. We could learn together, following our instincts. We could go to Great Britain and India and Pennsylvania. We can see where it all started. The world can be our classroom.
—Socialization is always one of the things that people bring up and honestly, this is a big concern for me. The dictionary defines it as "a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position." This is a big responsibility. Who best to teach my child the norms, values, behavior and social skills appropriate for him? Do I want a bunch of 6 year olds and a stranger teaching my child values and behaviors? Or, would it be better for him to learn these things from his mom, dad, grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends of my choosing under my watchful eye? I agree that he will need to be able to interact well with his peers but I believe that he will learn to interact with everyone if he is exposed to a larger variety of people, adults and kids alike. Public school is socialization in a vacuum. When again in his life will he be surrounded by a group of people all the same age as him living in the same general location as him and doing the same day to day things as him? I like the idea of Jacey having the opportunity to benefit from an experience more varied. Yes, this one I will definitely have to focus on. I want him to see different people, different cultures, different ways of life and ways of communicating. I want him to see what is out there and choose for himself who he will become.
These are just a few of my thoughts. It feels good to put them into writing and really think them through. I love being a stay at home mom. I love teaching Jacey and learning with him. I really like who he is as a person and who he is becoming every day. That's not to say that there aren't moments when I want to pull my hair out and run screaming but when I come to this place, I have a supportive husband, an amazing sister who really gets me, a mom that picks up the slack and pitches in, in laws that are willing to do whatever whenever it is needed, not to mention all the other people that make my journey bearable at times, but more often than not, the best experience of my life. Knowing that we are all in this together, each with something good to offer our kids in their learning, makes the daunting task of home education more exciting, definitely more appealing than sending my kid off to have someone else see his beautiful smile all day, every day.
posted by Cook Clan News at 8:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home