- What
Is Homeschooling And How Do I know If It's Right For My Family?
- by Anita York
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Do you know what these famous
people have in common?
* Alexander Graham Bell
* George Patton
* Albert Einstein
* Benjamin Franklin
* Winston Churchill
* Agatha Christie
* George Bernard Shaw
* Will Rogers
If you guessed that they were
all homeschoolers, you'd be correct. This is a very short list
of famous and successful people who were educated at home. If
you would like to expand this list, do a search on the Internet
for "famous homeschoolers." There are many websites
that list these people and some provide detailed biographies.
There is even a book called, aptly, "Famous Homeschoolers,"
by Nancy and Malcolm Plant.
The point here is to get into
the mindset that people can be educated and become successful
adults without attending public school. And because I can almost
hear what you are thinking, no, it is not necessary to have a
high school diploma to go to college.
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So what is homeschooling? In
the broadest sense, homeschooling is educating your children
at home. You, as parent, become teacher. Parents homeschool for
more reasons than you can imagine. Some want to avoid having
their children exposed to violence and peer pressure. Some homeschool
so that they can make sure their children's education adheres
to their religious beliefs. Some live a different lifestyle,
perhaps they travel a lot and want their children's schooling
to be flexible enough to fit around that life style. And some,
like me, simply enjoy being with their children.
They don't want the public school
to interrupt and weaken the parent/child bond that they have
been working hard to create for the first five years of their
child's life.
Just as there are many reasons
to homeschool, there are many methods of homeschooling. All the
way from un-schooling (learning by doing, learning from life,
not using textbook type materials) to school at home (using textbooks
at desks set up in a schoolroom at home) and everything in between.
It's very easy to find hundreds of homeschool Websites by using
a search engine, but just to get you started, try:
Jon's Homeschool Resource Page
http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/
When I decided to write this
article, I thought hard about what I could offer that wasn't
being displayed on thousands of Websites on the Internet. I realized
that the only thing I have to offer anyone interested in homeschooling
is my experience. So everything in the article below comes from
my fifteen years of experience homeschooling my four youngest
children. I hope it is of some use to you.
Deciding to homeschool your
child may be one of the most important decisions you ever make
as a parent, and it will take a lot of thought and soul searching.
To the newcomer, it may seem impossible, overwhelming and very,
very lonely. But like most huge obstacles, once it's broken down
into smaller pieces, it becomes manageable. We'll take it one
step at a time, in small enough chunks to get a hold of. So,
if you're game, roll up your sleeves and let's get to work figuring
out if homeschooling is for you and your child.
First things first. Organization
is the key. Get a three-ring binder (homeschooling parent's LOVE
three-ring binders) and put a label on the front. (If you've
made the transition to digital record keeping, you can just start
a folder on the computer. But it's not as much fun.) Label it
something serious, like My Homeschooling Plans or Homeschooling
Thoughts. Put some paper in the binder, find a really comfortable
ink pen, and sit down somewhere quiet.
Ready? Good. Now, let's get
started.
What are your reasons for considering
homeschooling? Even if you haven't actually made the decision
to homeschool, the fact that you are here reading this article
says you are curious. Perhaps you honestly don't know the answer
yet and that's ok. The remainder of this article is going to
try to help you start to find those answers.
Homeschooling is legal in all
50 states, but each state has it's own set of laws that must
be followed. Compulsory (how I hate that word) education here
in Washington State starts at the age of 8. Even though I had
been homeschooling him from birth, to stay legal once my son
reached 8-years old, I was required to become "certified."
That meant I either had to have two years of college education,
or take a "certification class." I met this requirement
by taking an independent correspondence class, during which I
was asked to put on paper my goals, philosophies and reasons
for wanting to homeschool. I'd like to help you do the same right
now.
Start a page--either the tree
kind or a file on the computer and title it "My Educational
Beliefs." List what personal beliefs you have about education
especially the education of your own children. Get as detailed
as you can here--the value is in the thinking process behind
the list. Take your time, I'm in no hurry.
As an example to get you started,
I'm going to share with you what I wrote on my list nine years
ago.
My Educational Beliefs
1. I believe my child's attitude about learning
should be:
One of continual curiosity and
seeking of knowledge.
2. I believe my child's learning should lead towards
a lifestyle that is:
Rural, physically active, creative.
3. I believe these basic values should be part
of my child's learning:
* Respect for others
* Loyalty to family and friends
* Honesty
* Generosity
4. I believe children learn best:
Through hands-on learning experience,
reading, workbooks.
5. I believe a teacher should:
* Provide side-by-side assistance
and direction.
* Interact with the child.
* Provide the structure within which the child may explore, experiment,
study and achieve.
* Provide a good example of excitement in learning.
6. Other beliefs:
I believe my child should grow
up to be self-reliant and occupationally secure in a field of
high interest to them.
Now, that wasn't too bad, was
it? Don't give up on this until you have at least something written
down, but don't agonize over it either. You can come back to
it later if need be. Next, start a paper or file titled "Life
Goals For My Child."
I want you to write down what
kind of person you envision your child being as an adult. What
are your hopes and dreams for him/her. What educational gifts
do you hope to be able to help them find that will serve them
their entire lives.
I'll share mine from 9 years
ago, just to get you started.
Life Goals for My Child
7. Be literate.
8. Be self-reliant.
9. Compete well in their chosen field of occupation.
10. Appreciate art, music, and literature.
11. Be creative.
12. Be inventive and resourceful.
13. Be healthy, mentally and physically.
14. Co-operate with others.
15. Maintain a strong sense of self-worth.
16. Maintain a life-long curiosity, seeking knowledge
as a way of life.
17. Look to the future with a sense of excitement
and adventure.
For the last exercise, start
a third paper titled: Why We (I) Am Going To Homeschool Our (My)
Child? (Yes, single parents can successfully homeschool their
children.) You may not have all the answers for this one yet
either, but just get something down. All of these ideas and beliefs
can start getting mixed in with other people's opinions once
we start educating ourselves in depth about homeschooling, and
you'll be glad you have these lists tucked away.
Okay, here's my old list:
Why We Are Going To Homeschool
Our Children
Our family consists of myself,
my husband, a 21-year-old daughter, a 19-year-old daughter, an
8-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, a 4-½ year old
daughter, and an unborn son due in 6 months. My two oldest daughters
(from my first marriage) were in the public school system for
the whole of their educational years. It is largely a dissatisfaction
with the public schools and all it's attendant problems (academic,
social, and moral) that has caused us to make the decision to
homeschool our youngest children. We decided, even before our
8-year-old son (the oldest of the younger set) was born, that
somehow we would find an alternative to the public schools.
We want to homeschool for some
additional reasons. We want added closeness with our children.
We want more independence, greater control over our family's
moral and philosophical values, and better awareness of our children's
interests.
We dislike the thought of any
government agency--no matter how well meaning--directing the
raising of our children.
We intend to homeschool because
we do not want our children's academic, social, and moral education
taken out of our hands.
We believe these areas of a
child's education are a parent's responsibility, right, and pleasure.
I'd like you to spend some time
going over these lists until you feel they accurately reflect
your feelings about homeschooling your children. When I did these
exercises, I had only a vague idea about why I wanted to homeschool
and what kind of education I wanted to help my children acquire.
These simple exercises helped me to solidify my ideas and provided
the basis for our future homeschooling methods. I hope they help
you to do the same. Keep these lists in a safe place and add
to them as you explore the possibility of homeschooling your
child. |
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