Why homeschool?

To be honest, I've gotten little to no negative comments about homeschooling. It's probably because on the surface at least I seem qualified to teach. I have a M.Ed. and am a certified teacher. It certainly makes it easier for people to feel comfortable with the idea.

The truth, however, is that I am qualified simply because I am a parent! Nothing I learned in graduate school or in the classroom helps me. In fact, I have to unlearn quite a bit to be successful with C. at home.

After 4 months of our official "homeschooling" year, this is what I have discovered:

1. C. doesn't need a lot of directed learning. With a bit of guidance and a small amount of "sit down" work, she learns quite a bit on her own. It is better that I have an overall idea of what I want her know (for example, I want her to know the sounds of all the letters and how to put those sounds together) than to have it in my head that we have to get to page 36 in a workbook by such and such a date. This is why it is so important to be aware of the progression of a child's thinking, not the bits and pieces of facts which might be exhibited on a spelling test, for example.

2. I have to be more organized. Once C. and G. start "pretend" playing in the morning, it's all over! It is very hard to coax them into activities with me and frustration ensues. Part of it is because I'm not entirely convinced that their pretend play isn't more valuable than anything I have planned. Creative play is, in my most humble opinion, the single most important activity of childhood. So my goal is to get them in the morning and after lunch allow them to do their own thing as much as possible. Of course, on the days G. has preschool this is my one-on-one time with C. so it isn't an issue.

3. The biggest reason I homeschool C. is not because I think the public schools are an abysmal failure, but because it is the best scenario for C., and it is also the best way to live out our values. I don't see C. succeeding in public schools, at least not now. (And don't get me started on MCAS!!!!!) The emphasis on tests and scores, and your worth being judged by being constantly compared to your peers is not what I want for her. Grades, report cards - blech.

Those are my ramblings for this morning. Have a great day!

What's this all about anyway?

Why homeschool?

In a word, freedom! Freedom from and freedom for! Freedom from arbitrarily imposed standards, freedom from a life based on comparisons to other children and the pressure to conform intellectually, physically, and spirituality. No thanks! I envision my children living a life free from such constraints. Homeschool is the gift of freedom - freedom to have a life where knowledge is truly experienced as individuals without timetables or restrictions.

Homeschooling for us is not an activity that takes place from 8:30 until 3:00 in the afternoon. It is all day, every day, every season. Learning is not something to be found in a workbook, but something to live and breathe. This is only our first official year of homeschooling, because 6 is the age of mandated reporting in Massachusetts, but really we've been at this for 6 years already. Let the rest of our journey begin!