Why We are Still Homeschooling

I can't wait to write a "planning for next school year" post (my favorite kind). And I would also like to write an update on how the summer reading challenge is panning out. But first I need to write a "why" post for this year. I missed last year...I was sort of floundering in changes back then. Thankfully things are much more stable this year.

Next school year (2014-15) I will have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old, and my reasons for homeschooling have only multiplied over the last three years. My fears from the early days of deciding to homeschool have proven unwarranted. We have been unbelievably and providentially blessed in this endeavor. I am moved to tears when I think of the answers and opportunities God has presented at just the right times over the last three years.

Of course, the old reasons still apply. We like the freedom, flexibility, and ability to experience life outside a campus. We love the uncommon, individualized, customized academics. And most importantly, we appreciate the opportunity to concentrate on the ever important, perpetual character training. Those reasons are basic, and this year my reasons build on that foundation, but they are harder to verbalize.

This year was hard. Not hard in a hopeless way, but hard in a refining-through-the-fire way. My kids and I worked through some issues, and we are far from finished. (Caveat: Not finished. That phrase reminds me of our decision to keep Thing1 home from kindergarten. I kept him home mainly because I was not finished with him. I am still not finished. I fear I will never feel like I am finished until he becomes an adult, at which time I must be finished whether I feel like it or not.) I made some big investments this year, and I have seen some small joyful returns. Take our leap into Classical Conversations, for example. I don't care to remember how often I sounded like a drill sergeant for the first half of the year. Sergeant Carter would seem sweet. Yet, at the end of the year, Thing1 pushed himself to Memory Master. He took 8-year-old responsibility, worked hard, and earned the reward. That was a a very, very joyful return. To choose to do something that is hard and then follow through is a big deal, no matter your age. Now take Thing2's kindergarten accomplishments. He is not reading Ralph S. Mouse like Thing1 was at the end of kindergarten, but he is reading very well, and he has listened to (and can practically recite) more audio books than Thing1 ever thought about at his age. He also has a wonderful understanding of basic mathematics and memorized a large chunk of our CC material. I pray I do not recite these accomplishments in a prideful spirit but in a humble, grateful, "thus far the Lord has led me on" spirit. I want to dwell on the goodness of the year more than the hardness of it.

I feel more confident than ever that homeschooling is the way for us in 2014-15. Classical Conversations was a success, and I can't wait to do it again. Our new house with nine acres is perfect for a homeschool family. We are attached to several people in our support group here. We have found a pretty good balance between home-based and extracurricular activities (it's still hard to keep the extracurricular light enough for my taste, though). For what it's worth, our first standardized test affirmed our efforts and showed room for improvement. I trust I am learning more about how to keep calm and keep expectations realistic (my thorn). I trust the boys are learning more about diligence, respectfulness, and positive attitudes. But most of all, I want to keep investing.

Susan Wise Bauer on Drastic Changes

Go to Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the (Whole) World blog and watch this video.

Favorite quote from the video:
"You can’t get so ideologically wedded to the project of home education that you forget that you are dealing with a person."  -SWB

I like the quote for what it says, but I really like it for who said it.  Granted, Susan Wise Bauer saying that it is okay to make drastic changes in an education plan does not make it so.  However, hearing it said by someone who has so much invested in "home education" affirms my decision.

I will not make a thirteen-year-per-child commitment to home education.  I will make a thirteen-year-per-child commitment to being responsible for his education, which means I will evaluate and make the most appropriate decision each year.

Side discussion: Hopefully after thirteen years he will be equipped to be responsible for his own education.

Don't Forget Why.

When The Husband and I decided to homeschool Thing1 in kindergarten, we determined to make a year-by-year decision instead of committing to 13 years of homeschool when he was five years old. At the same time, I decided to put my reasons into writing each year. When my thoughts are recorded in black and white, I can see the foolishness and the wisdom more clearly. I also hope that writing out why I am homeschooling each year will make me accountable to reality. If the day ever comes when it is not working any more, being committed to giving reasons each year should help me to realize that.

Our decision for first grade in 2012-13 is (obviously) to homeschool. Our favorite reasons are character training, tailored academics, effective use of time, and selfishness on my part. Before kindergarten, we perceived the lack of social interaction with his age group and teachers who are not related to him as a drawback (mainly due to his extreme shyness) and an advantage (due to parental control over social experiences). Looking back over the year, the advantages have outweighed the drawbacks. His participation in swim lessons, t-ball, and co-op classes have shown us that Thing1 has made great strides in overcoming his shyness and fear of people despite (or maybe because of) homeschooling in kindergarten.

First, homeschooling fits The Husband’s and my purpose for our family. We feel that the most important training is character training. If we do not impart good moral and ethical values to our children, the most advanced academic plan will be meaningless. I know it is possible to “train up a child” who is schooled traditionally, and I have great respect for the parents who accomplish it. However, when I look at the vast amount of time and attention that we spend on this task in the early years, I know it would be difficult – maybe impossible – for me. Even though I do not expect to see perfection in humans, I pray that our intense concentration this year on eliminating whining and the recognition of privileges in relation to responsibilities, to name two, has planted some seeds for these boys’ futures.

During these first years, we want to focus on the joy of learning rather than the fear of not measuring up on benchmark exams. If the kids enjoy learning, I believe they will do well later on when the tests really matter. I am excited about choosing our curriculum this year with Thing1 in mind. He is a reader. He advanced from Henryand Mudge to Ralph S. Mouse during his kindergarten year, and he reads fiction and non-fiction with equal enjoyment. Therefore, we are going with a literature-intense curriculum. I even bought Life of Fred for math since it is story-based and applies the math to real life (albeit a tad far-fetched) situations. He struggled with the monotony of Math-U-See practice sheets, but we are still going to do those as a supplement to Life of Fred. I know he will enjoy Story of the World for History because it requires lots of reading. Another concentration is preparation for writing. The end goal in educating our children is that they are able to think and communicate their thoughts effectively. Thing1 might get that in a school setting, but the one-on-one training in our homeschool definitely will not hurt.

Our third reason for homeschooling this year is that homeschooling affords us the opportunity to use our time effectively. I say opportunity because whether or not we actually use the time wisely varies from day to day, but the opportunity is still there. Yes, the boys have large chunks of time to play, which is very important for kids. But as they get older, another important aspect is that they also have large chunks of time to work. They (and their daddy) would miss the time they get to work on projects other than school and homework in the classroom school scenario. When their dad is home, they are by his side working on whatever project he is working on and thereby learning how to work. They do not work with Dad instead of doing schoolwork. They are able to work because their schoolwork is concentrated to a shorter amount of time, which leaves more time afterwards for work…and play.

Finally, we are homeschooling this year because I like it. I like the fact that I am forced to work on my own character while I am helping them with theirs because teaching without example is worthless. I like the fact that I am building on what I learned and learning what I did not learn while I was school-aged. Researching in the name of homeschooling helps me develop an understanding of the way we learn, which helps me deal with myself and even others outside my family. I love that I get to see the kids’ daily progress and get to witness their light bulb moments. I love that I can spend so much time with my boys during the short, short time that they are with me.

This year we will continue at home while we work on character training, work on a literature-based, classically modeled curriculum, and hopefully spend our time effectively. Next year we will decide if it is still working because we know that circumstances and needs change from year to year.



 

Camp School

We have taken advantage of our homeschool status this week.