Homeschooling?
HOW?
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” ~ Albert Einstein
So many people are opting out of traditional public schooling and into homeschooling. There are various reasons for this shift in education and they all do not revolve around Religious or anti-government sentiments. Although those are valid reasons for some, the vast majority of people who have committed to educating their children at home are doing so because they strongly feel that the current state of our educational system is not only failing their children it is hindering their ability to learn HOW TO THINK! With the advent of Outcome-Based Education that was conceived in the late ’80s, then moving to the birth of No Child Left Behind to the spawning of Common Core, the “system” has been progressively and aggressively teaching our children what to think while ignoring the natural ability to learn how to think. We are seeing school children running through the system like dogs in puppy mills. We are seeing and hearing news reporters tell us that our children are not ours to teach; “We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we’ve always had kind of a private notion of children. Your kid is yours and totally your responsibility.
We haven’t had a very collective notion of these are our children,” she says in a spot for the network’s “Lean Forward” campaign. So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.” MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry
Now I am all for community involvement! I am old school…I remember the days when everyone in the community was watching you and holding you accountable. I grew up in a small town and when the phone rang and I heard my mother repeat these words, “She did what? With who?…” I knew I was in trouble. But I don’t think that this is what Ms. Perry is referring to by her statement. But I also grew up in a time when it was perfectly acceptable to spank your children in public…actually, it was encouraged!
So What is Homeschooling?
It is exactly what the name implies; schooling at home. Sounds simple right? Well, it is and it isn’t. The simplicity of it is all determined upon who you are; what your personality is like. Are you the classic type A or B? Are you considered slightly neurotic or laid back? Schedules…do you NEED one or can you fly by the seat of your pants? These and many other factors determine how simple or complicated your homeschool venture will be.
All of these personality types can be very successful homeschool teachers, you just need to know who you are and never compare yourself to another homeschool teacher. Take me for instance, I am about as laid back as it gets. I HATE, and I mean abhor schedules! Now I do have things that must be done, like dentist appointments and…Ummm, well I am sure there are other things I keep in my calendar, I just can’t remember them at the moment…But sometimes a little beep comes from my phone and then I will remember. Ok, where was I, oh yes, personality types! Even if you are neurotic or laid back, you will find a groove that fits your needle. It may take some time to figure out your homeschool personality and over time, and with experience you may even change your homeschool approach. I know many people start out all gung ho, with tons of curriculum, spending hundreds of dollars only to realize after a year or so that these things were really unnecessary. There are those who NEED to have a structured curriculum while others find everything they need online for free. I fall into the latter segment of homeschool moms.
So don’t judge yourself or compare to what others are doing…if it works for you AND your children that is all that matters! And most importantly, do NOT constantly second guess where your child is compared to the public school children…trust me, if they appear to be behind in a subject, in time they will catch up and in most cases surpass their public schooled peers, and most of the time homeschooled children are well beyond their public schooled counterparts in real-world knowledge and situations.
Unschooling Vs Traditional Homeschooling
When I tell people that I UNSCHOOL and explain what it is, I generally get the look like, um, so your kids are going to flip burgers for a career. This is mostly because they just don’t get it and these types of people stopped learning the moment they left school. To be the parent of an unschooler you MUST have a very strong desire to continue to learn yourself. This is crucial! You also must be willing to spend a lot of time with your kids, doing stuff and making all the stuff you do into a learning adventure. Dinner time for us is sitting around our big screen tv with our kids and watching a really cool documentary. We hit the pause button a lot and discuss…and those discussions bring us to many rabbit trails. THIS is the best and the way our kids learn, so much.
I am the mother of 8; As of 2019, they are as such: A 35 yr. old–working on Masters degree in Psychology and who scored in the top 10% in the LSATs for entrance to Law school. A 32 yr. old–Phlebotomist, a 29 yr. old Developmental Therapist, a 27 yr. old–Bank Manager/Auditor, 25 yr old–owner of very successful Promotional Sales Company, 20-year-old twins–one owns a computer company, a clothing company and is the market Media Specialist for a large company, the other twin is enrolled in an Aerospace Engineering program. And finally, a 15 yr old who drives me crazy, hates to read, buys and sells online, owns a web-based business and is my most brilliant child 🙂
Unschooling is a VERY DIFFERENT approach to teaching…It is NOT so much that it is “unstructured”, as it is recognizing your child’s’ propensity and going with that. It is actually more difficult than traditional Homeschooling simply because there are NO rules! You must be acutely aware of your child’s desires and aptitudes and not influenced by mainstream education. Traditional Homeschooling is basically doing what is done in a classroom setting but at home. Most homeschoolers have a set curriculum that is pre-packaged and some can be tailored to a specific child’s needs. There are many wonderful homeschool curriculums out there.
Most of my kids did not learn to read until they were about 9 because our studies have shown that people who are forced to use the LOST SKILL of remembering and memorizing data and information, develop somewhat of a photographic memory because they MUST remember—they can NOT read! This is an ancient technique and for our children it has worked well in their favor, however, when our children were young and could not read, we heard a LOT of criticism…but when we taught them to read, they not only caught up to their peers but surpassed them in comprehension–and that, in the educational sense is the entire point of learning to read!
This is just how we do it and it works for us…but with unschooling every child is different. We did have 2 children that WANTED to read early and there was no stopping them 🙂 All of my children have or will begin college at 16. I am, for the most part, done homeschooling at that age. None of my older children have taken an SAT or ACT, they take a college entrance exam for placement. I live in a state where I can write their diplomas and the colleges can NOT discriminate against them for entrance nor for FAFSA grants. Despite common misconceptions, in almost all states a homeschool student DOES NOT HAVE TO OBTAIN A GED TO GAIN ENTRANCE TO COLLEGE!
What about early Learning?
“How will they learn their colors and shapes and ABC’s if unschooling is so unstructured? Won’t they be so behind their peers?”
I have been asked how we “unschooled” our very little ones–3-5 yrs old. Well, when our children were this young we actually took a very different approach than unschooling. We filled their heads FULL with information that is well beyond their knowledge and comprehension but NOT beyond their ability to remember. For instance by the time my children are 5 they know what DNA stands for, they know how many chromosomes a human cell contains, at least 3 famous painters, 2 famous writers, various mathematical terms, but not the equations…we just fill them full with information that one may think is useless to know at that age, but being the little sponges that they are, this information is stored in their brains and when the time comes, viola, it is there at their fingertips. Unlike the general public, colors and ABC’s are not our focus–those come in time, we focus on complex ideas and information. You would be absolutely amazed what the little mind of a 5-year-old can not only adsorb but also retain!
The ancient Greeks taught their children in this manner and it truly is amazing…you just need to know that, in time your efforts will be rewarded. Remember, a 5 yr. old would LOVE to dissect a frog or a pig and learn all the biological functions and internal organs. Why would you wait for High school biology to let them learn this? Learn they will, with enthusiasm! In our family, focusing on colors, shapes, and simple illustrated books are highly over-rated.
Feed them information at a young age and they will be able to regurgitate all they have learned when they are full enough.
GED VS Diploma
“Doesn’t my homeschool graduate NEED a GED to get into college?”
Despite all the evidence that shows homeschoolers score well above their public schooled counterparts, there are still some colleges that continue to discriminate against the homeschool community and require these bright and extremely capable students to obtain a GED before they will grant them entrance to their college. I have a HUGE problem with this and so did the homeschoolers in my state of Idaho! We actually passed a law making this practice illegal (see here).
Whether one wants to admit it or not, taking the GED has several stigma’s attached to it and unfortunately, they will attach to your child! However, year after year I see parents crumble and force their children to take this test to PROVE to a college that their child has a “good enough diploma” to enter their institute of higher education!
Even in my state, there are still parents who do NOT know our law and still believe that their children MUST take the GED to enter college. Below is a fantastic article regarding this subject. Read it here!
Is it a religIous thing?
“Contrary to popular belief, both the secular and Faith-based ideologies are opting to homeschool their children.”
You will hear time and time again that only “religious Zealots” homeschool their children! This progressive myth couldn’t be farther from the truth. People from all walks of life, from all religious backgrounds and from varying political and social ideologies homeschool their children.
HERE is a great article of one such secular couple in the Tech industry who decided to homeschool their children and why. And on the flip side HERE is a commentary from a Christian Family as to their choice for homeschooling.
What are homeschool parents saying?
Jack C.
Salt Lake City, UT
“I am blessed to be able to work from home. Our daughter is only 5 but we felt homeschooling was the best option for her education.”
Karan R.
KC, Mo
“We have 4 children, 9,7,6,4 and my oldest son is on the Spectrum. We simply got tired of all the school politics, the bullying, and his frustration. We have homeschooled for 2 years now and we LOVE IT!”
The Stevens Family
Miami, Fl.
“My husband and I have tag-teamed homeschooling our 3 girls for the last 19 years. We feel strongly that homeschooling them was the best education they could have had. 2 are currently enrolled in Ivy League Colleges. ”
Stella & Jim P.
Austin, Tx
“We unschool all 7 of our children and have loved every minute of it! We currently have several at the University of Texas. Unschooling is not for everyone, but it sure works well for our family.”