Homeschooling Comes of Age
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the modern home education movement was in its infancy. At that time, most Americans viewed home-styled education as a quaint tourist attraction or the lifestyle choice of those willing to endure more hardship than necessary.
What a difference a few decades makes.
Homeschooling has undergone an extreme makeover. From maverick to mainstream, the movement has acquired a glamorous, populist sheen. FULL ARTICLE
Comments (31)
I'm happy to hear that homeschooling is gaining in popularity. Public schools and even some private schools can be terrible places, especially for those children who are deemed different in some way.
A common critique leveled against homeschooling is that it deprives children of socialization. Well, let me tell you, I could have very much done without the "socialization" I endured during my high school years. It consisted of nothing more than severe emotional and mental abuse. I'm doing quite well at the moment, but I often wonder to what heights I could have soared if I was able to focus my entire attention on learning rather than just trying to survive another day of boredom and misery.
Work on developing empathy within your children and teach them the negative Golden Rule (Do not do unto others...). That's all you need to get along with others.
Published: September 10, 2007 10:26 AM
Sorry, but this simply isn't true. I think that too often, homeschoolers only talk to homeschoolers, and within these groups, yeah, it's all perfectly normal.
Otherwise, when talking to even libertarian-leaning friends and acquaintances, there is no phrase better designed to kill a conversation and ostracise the speaker than, "I homeschool my kids."
Published: September 10, 2007 10:52 AM
Yeah, I don't think homeschooling is nearly as popular as the article states. Relatively speaking perhaps it is. Anyway, I agree with Paul. What passes for "socialization" at public schools is nothing but forced integration. Too bad most of the escaping prisoners do not learn to hate their warden, instead they blindly swallow everything its agents instruct them to believe.
Published: September 10, 2007 11:04 AM
The 'lack of socialization' argument is tenuous. Without the compelled hours of schooling, the home schooler has a wealth of opportunities to socialize far beyond the available means in a public or even private school.
The educator of the home schooled can take her daughter or son out into the world and use nature as a learning tool. The pupil may learn about saving from a trip to the bank with mom, or about losses/profits from a local businessperson. Each trip affords the pupil a new interaction, varied, to socialize rather than the forced socialization with just your peers in a classroom.
And then schools allow home schoolers to participate in after-school events such as sports, band, etc.
But in the end, doesn't the question have to be asked about whose responsibility it is to socialize a student? It certainly isn't the responsibility of the state to force this socialization.
Published: September 10, 2007 11:25 AM
I have a question. How do you homeschool your kid when your wage slavery consumes 40+ hours of your week?
A great idea for those who have fought themselves free of the chains, but sadly beyond the reach of most.
Published: September 10, 2007 11:55 AM
Jean Paul,
I feel your pain, and how! It's even harder to do when your non-working spouse also refuses to participate in homeschooling, but it can be done. I and my children are living proof.
First, you find a way to work flexibly, from home by preference. This is hard, and it took me a year of hard searching to manage it, but I managed it.
Next, you block off hours in the day which are sacrosanct. These do not get interrupted except for emergencies. Phone calls go to voice mail, and email goes ignored. For me, this is about 7:30 until 10. When you have individual attention, you don't need more than this -- in fact for young kids, they can't take more than that anyway.
Since the other parent refuses to participate in the home school activity, I'm adopting Arthur Robinson's approach. Robinson found himself a widower with six children; his wife spent years getting homeschool lessons ready, and was prepared for any other contingency except for a lack of teacher. After his loss, he refused to give up her dream, and worked out a scheme to get his children to be self-educators. Even when my kids get older and need more school time, they will provide most of it for themselves. They're too young right now, but in time, they will be doing these activities right in my office where I'll also work.
Third, make sure all parties in your life understand that this is the most important thing you are doing. Learn to say not only "no" but "hell no". Sure, sometimes you'll need to juggle your sacrosanct time if there is a meeting with a client that can't be moved or something, but you make up time on the weekends.
And speaking of which, weekends disappear as sources of time off. Lesson and activity time get boundaried by extra time spent for work, which you might have missed during the week.
Fifth, give up television and most social activities. Cut out time from non-school and non-work junk timewasters, such as commuting, unnecessary shopping trips (make lists and checklists), couch potato time, internet time (my big addiction), and navel-gazing time.
Find ways to sleep less. My strategy is 45 minutes of exercise and 15 minutes of sunlight each afternoon. There is a net savings of time if you can knock off more than an hour of sleep doing this.
And finally, for those evenings after you're done with your wage-job, and the kids are in bed, work on obtaining freedom from that treadmill. This is the hardest step, but the main difference from your "wage slave" status and the status of a real slave is that a real slave cannot purchase their own freedom. You can. There are lots of opportunities for home businesses out there. My niche is currently eBay, and while I can't yet replace my salary, I should be able to within a couple of years, thanks in no small part to the education I've received from mises.org for the past five years.
It can be done. It's a matter of willpower. Good luck to you.
Published: September 10, 2007 12:33 PM
The "establishment" is careful to paint homeschooling as creating social outcasts. Look at the opening scenes from the movie "Mean Girls" for instance. Even though the entire movie is about the social jungle and lack of academic standards in American highschool, the opening is "I was homeschooled" with a shot of repressed, identically dressed fundamentalist-type kids who spout, "Everything I learn is from the Bible."
My sister is a city planner, yes a Keynsian in spades. Yet she home-schooled her 4 kids while getting her master's degree because the local schools were so bad she couldn't tolerate it.
Several relatively nearby neighbors homeschool their kids, and the Raleigh, NC paper recently published a study that says "homeschoolers and private schoolers save the state some $1.5B" by paying the taxes but not sending their kids to school. Gee, how generous.
Sadly, there is a thick fundamentalist Christian layer in the homeschooling materials and forums I've found. It's hard to cut through, but not impossible.
The first homeschooled kid I dealt with was a 14 year old entrepreneur who had been teaching horseback riding and buying/selling horses for years, making a tidy living, at 14 years old. She spent 3 hours a day to fulfill the California State requirements for "education", and spent the rest of the time interacting with the community and other people. When I met her, I guessed her age at 25, not 14.
If you're interested in one of the "full course" curriculums, try searching for "accelerated achievement" or A-Squared. They're Mormons, but the materials and organization are excellent and all on a single CD.
"Socialization" is a complete myth, pushed by people who have nothing else to argue with, because it is unmeasurable. By every measurable index, homeschooling beats the propaganda camps hands down. Less time, higher test scores, greater proficiency, no bullies.
Public School Delenda Est.
Published: September 10, 2007 1:45 PM
I got on the homeschooling bandwagon after reading John Taylor Gatto's "The Underground History of American Education"
Published: September 10, 2007 1:55 PM
Oh, and the second "homeschooled" person I met was in a chat room. He was becalmed and bored in the middle of the Pacific.
Published: September 10, 2007 2:12 PM
Determining whether a child should be placed in a conventional school setting or be home schooled should be based upon the child's potential and the programs and personnel available to help the child achieve that potential.
Published: September 10, 2007 2:43 PM
Dear "IMHO",
I think maybe you have that chain of causation somewhat reversed, my friend.
Published: September 10, 2007 3:14 PM
To those who wonder about having enough time:
Homeschooling doesn't mean replicating a classroom environment in your home. The idea that children need to be spoon-fed knowledge is simply a myth produced by the state education system.
Most children will do just fine with very little adult-directed "learning time" at all. When they're free to pursue their interests, learning is just what happens naturally.
See, for example, the fascinating and successful record of the Sudbury Valley School -- their philosophy of education translates fairly well into a homeschooling environment.
Published: September 10, 2007 3:22 PM
I liked this:
"Although it's commendable when the young achieve Herculean goals, homeschooling has always been more about freedom and personal responsibility than winning an Ivy League scholarship or playing at Wimbledon. In general, it has attracted working-class families of all ethnicities and faiths, who have been eager to provide a nurturing, stimulating learning experience."
If we weren't homeschoolers, it might have seemed really too much to me to take 40 minutes out of my children's and my day to sit down with them and teach them Austrian principles from the Greats.
Instead, it was 40 minutes, rain or shine to sit down and read to them and reason with them from Human Action, MES, Democracy the God that Failed, For a New Liberty and A Theory of Socialism and Capitalism.
If you've ever thought it worthwhile for your kids to learn how to reason about, to understand, and maybe adopt some of your beliefs in the area of political philosophy and political economy, you will seriously consider homeschooling - and don't leave it all to your spouse either. :)
Published: September 10, 2007 6:31 PM
If I actually didn't suffer from an aversion to children (being 20 and not into women does sort of make one that way), and I chose to have some, I would definitely homeschool them or send them to a reputable private schopl. Instead of them wasting time on PE I would have them learn self-defence and how to handle a gun, and instead of socialist propaganda I would have them learn history from a variety of sources, including many Austrian ones.
Published: September 10, 2007 6:58 PM
“Sadly, there is a thick fundamentalist Christian layer in the homeschooling materials and forums I've found. It's hard to cut through, but not impossible.”
On what basis do you conclude this is sad? Has it occurred to you that perhaps there would be an abject dearth of excellent homeschool materials if not for the people inspired to create them by their Christian beliefs? I contend that it was socialistic atheists who were the main movers behind this disaster of a system we call public schooling today, and it is no small coincidence that it is often people of spiritual conviction who are the leaders in the homeschool field today.
Be careful when observing correlation, to not miss out on cause and effect.
Published: September 10, 2007 7:06 PM
First, it is really is relatively easy -- in that it is far easier to homeschool than to undo the damage of public education.
Second, social interactions as a reason to use public education is a myth. Read or watch Lord of the Flies.
Third, keep in mind that a social major interaction is between unionized government employee and child. Many teachers believe that they are better parents than the parents themselves. These are the folks who get to establish your children's beleif system.
Fourth, public educators subscribe to the belief that they get to indoctrinate children. They do not subscribe to the Jeffersonian belief that it is better to suffer the occasional fool than to offend the sensibilities of a parent.
Finally, many of your neighbors also believe that the state has a right to indoctrinate every child, regardless of the beliefs of the parent. When perverse materials enter the classroom, many parents will say that all students must read them. It is never enough for these parents to expose their own children, they use the power of government to expose your child.
So, we are back to where we started. It is much easier to homeschool than undo the damage.
Published: September 10, 2007 8:32 PM
I contend that it was socialistic atheists who were the main movers behind this disaster of a system we call public schooling today[?]
I believe it was the XIX Century Progressives who are behind compulsory schooling . . . However I do not get my atheistic brethren off the hook, since (and it saddens me to say) most are left-leaning socialists or anti-capitalists.
Published: September 10, 2007 11:20 PM
How do you home-school your kid when your wage slavery consumes 40+ hours of your week?
False dichotomy - the issue is not to either home-school or send the kid to the state's school/prison/indoctrination camp.
You're looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. People home-school their kids because government has driven the private sector away from the education business almost for good, at the same time offering in its stead inadequate or truly awful public schools. It is not like parents would rather home-school their kids than send them to affordable private institutions - the law of comparative advantage would tell you that the time spent teaching their own children could be better spent on something else. The reason they do it is because the options given are MUCH worse, either on its economics or its ethics.
Think of it this way: Without state interventionism, in the form of ultra-expensive licenses or smothering regulations, private institutions would flourish, and the ensuing competition would drive prices to affordable levels, just as it happens with anything where there is still free competition, like cell phones. Then there would be no need or point in home-schooling children. Saying that you cannot afford to home-school just places more fault on the government's monopoly, not less - it is government that makes it non-affordable for you, and not your so-called "slavery" to the wage.
Published: September 10, 2007 11:38 PM
Jaq,
Actually, I really don't have them reversed. I believe it is better to completely evaluate your situation in advance rather than attempt to switch midstream.
I see from your comments above that you apparently have the homeschooling situation pretty much nailed down. And for that I'm glad.
What I am trying to say is that there are times when a child may have specific needs--whether it's being gifted, learning disabled or just one of those kids who'll get around to things when he/she is good and ready--and that it's good to identify these needs as early as possible. How does one know? Observe the rate at which they achieve their milestones. If your 2 year old is behaving like a 3-1/2 year old, then it's quite possible that the child may want to start his/her education earlier than most children. The reverse may be true for children who are missing their milestones.
Some parents may feel that they lack the expertise to teach a child with special needs and may wish to enroll them in a school that has a program specficially designed to maximize the child's potential. Parents who make the decision to homeschool may wish to seek guidance in selecting materials that are appropriate for the child's particular stage of development. Some parents will just intuitively know what their child will need.
I hope this clarifies my point.
There are a couple of things I would like to add to what you wrote in your posting to Jean Paul. Before anyone decides to teach (and this includes teachers), they need to ask themselves some questions. I'll just mention a couple of them.
Are you easily frustrated? Can you patiently watch your child struggle with an unfamiliar word, or do you give them the answer, just so you can move things along? (My neighbor did that. Upon completion of 2nd grade, testing showed that her child was still at the 1st grade level. A tutor was hired, but was hampered by the fact that the mother insisted on giving her child the answers.)
Do you have good communication skills? Are you able to explain the material in a way that a child will understand? (Some parents speak to their children like they're mini adults.)
Published: September 10, 2007 11:55 PM
I have not read the comments. I am commenting on the article itself which came through my Google News Alert for 'homeschooling' keyword.
Thank you for a great article. Rather than being the usual fluff or drivel that most homeschooling articles are, yours has been researched well and you make great points. I agree with it all.
I am college educated and left the corporate world to raise my children at home. I have homeschooled my children since birth, meaning, they were never in a preschool or an elementary school, to date. They are 7 and 10 now. I first heard of homeschooling when I was pregnant, my husband brought it up after reading an article on the front page of The Wall Street Journal about a study of standardized test scores, where the homeschoolers topped the private school and public school students. I didn't seriously consider it until my son was a baby and I found out that three local families I had met through a group for mothers and babies, whose children were wonderful people were being homeschooled. What a surprise, I didn't know anyone in my state (CT) homeschooled! Come to find out there are a lot of us here.
I agree also with Gatto's comment on genius. I do feel that if nurtured in the right way with the right envirnment every child is 'gifted' in their own way. Some may be just early-blooming, precocious, others may be late-blooming, but I still believe that all could be considered 'gifted'. I truly feel it takes effort on the part of adults in young children's lives to 'make them stupid' which is a process that usually works in the end. I won't get into a long discussion of what I mean here but I could provide many examples.
I find that more and more parents have homeschooling in mind as a real option for their children. A certain number of them have this notion before the children are of age to enroll into preschool (like me). We are people who see homeschooling as just one of the choices out there, make up one faction of the population of homeschoolers.
Many more others, either know ahead or time or end up finding out later, that homeschooling is an option for them when and if some problem at school comes up. They liked the idea of school for their children and so they enrolled them but later saw problems. Everyone in that circumstance that I know who later homeschooled, struggled and spent a good amount of time (sometimes as long as two years) trying to 'work with the school' to address the issue. Then finally, they realized that the problem would not go away, that it was either a small issue with that school or that it was a huge issue with the entire school model, so they pulled their child out and began homeschooling.
(Note: other people that I know have pulled their child out of public school for some of those same reasons, but instead, enrolled into private school and they are happy. Usually the ones who opt for homeschooling instead of private school do it because they can't afford private school for one or more of their children; homeschooling is cheaper especially if the mother is already not working outside the home for pay and others just don't want any part of being a homeschooling mother so they are happy enough with a private school, I have some friends in this category.)
I have spoken to so many who didn't know about homeschooling but the minute they did, and after researching it, they pulled their child out of school. Usually it is because of one or more of these going on with their children: not learning well, not feeling they get enough attention by teachers at school, being labeled with disorders and labeled as failing, parent thinks school is not rigorous enough, parent thinks too much time wasted on standardized test prep not learning new material, bullying on the bus and/or school which has huge effect on the child's well-being, or the parent thinks the child is gifted and is not being intellectually challenged enough at school.
There is the other segment that homeschooled from birth for religious reasons, and the religious reasons are the very top reason that was always present.
So that is my summary of who homeschools, the three main segments: the relgious reasons, the ones who see it as just one real option for how to learn, and those who tried school but had problems and got out.
One more thing, recently a blog reader of mine said she wants a book to tell the homeschool failures. Well I am not sure how that is defined. Regarding homeschooling success, it is not always about graduating from homeschool high school early, or an earlier college degree, or becoming a sports pro or a contest winner. I consider success with homeschooling if the child was benefitted in a positive way from their homeschooling experience. This is true if the child was homeschooled for part of one school year, a number of them, or all of the years. I don't know many who have homeschooled from birth and go all the way until college admission. Those are not failures. Some start in school, are homeschooled for a time, then re-enroll. Others leave school and stay out, others start with homeschool and later enroll into school for middle school or high school. So long as the child was enriched and benefitted in some way, I think they are successes.
Published: September 11, 2007 9:12 AM
Gamito, I think you misunderstood my position. In the Rothbardian sense, I Hate The State and all it does. I agree, they are to blame for all.
They are particularly to blame for the conditions that keep me sitting at a desk, staring into a glorified lightbulb 40+ hours a week to provide for myself and family while denying me the pleasure of their company and shared lifetimes of growth and learning.
With the wealth of knowledge and technology at our disposal, we all should be spending a fraction of the Hunter-Gatherer's hour-a-day on sustaining activities, with the rest of our time spent in fulfillment of the human spirit. I mean, it should sound shocking that cavemen lived happier lives than we do, but it does not surprise me at all.
My statement was 100% complaint about the status quo, 0% criticism of the ideal, and absolutely places all blame squarely on the evil of the state.
Published: September 11, 2007 10:27 AM
Curt Howland: "Sadly, there is a thick fundamentalist Christian layer in the homeschooling materials and forums I've found. It's hard to cut through, but not impossible."
Paul Edwards: "On what basis do you conclude this is sad?"
I agree that while it is not unfortunate that there is wide availability of effective Christian faith-based curriculum, it is unfortunate that it is still difficult to find materials effective for homeschool purposes that are religion-free.
Published: September 11, 2007 3:12 PM
Us trendsetters here in Australia have had a home-schooling system for many decades, provided by the State education Authorities! 'The School Of The Air' is a radio program that mails books to pupils on outback stations, and they communicate by radio between teachers and pupils. No school uniforms, but you can't use sickness as an excuse to not attend classes!
I was talking to my fellow Australian Libertarians on the future of education, and I think it will end up all home-schooling, with lessons being transferred across the internet, and each person learning at his/her own pace, and Universities will turn into places you have to go for an exam, to prove you are competent in that field- though I wonder if anyone will do this when competency could be one lesson away, for anyone?
Published: September 11, 2007 7:38 PM
Does "school of the air" have private competitors?? why not?
There are already online classes and courses, but the future will see kids in front of a multi-media computer seeing a teacher and the nteacher seeing them.
There will also be alternatives to even that.
Published: September 12, 2007 5:09 AM
Interesting that you should bring the Australian example up Nick. I have long thought that it would be an ideal system for private schools in the future with regard to students in remote regions, just like Open University is making it easier to study from a distance.
Published: September 12, 2007 7:48 AM
I am on my 5th year of homeschooling. I have tried both public and private schooling. What I love the most is the flexibility and freedom for our family. We can school year around (they forget so much during the summer anyway)and we can have family trips when we want. Also, since we school during the summer - if we want to take longer breaks at Christmas and springtime - we can. I absolutely love being on our own schedule and not forced by other systems.
Published: September 12, 2007 12:01 PM
GeronL,
Whilst there is no competition from private firms, that is because the field is currently small. Our word 'station' is more like your word 'ranch'. These are remote holdings.
Of course, if the state hadn't provided this service, some private firm might well have jumped in to do it, as a niche market.
And I was using it as an example of where I think education will go in the future. With the Internet getting everywhere, I, for example, can now found out all i need about the Austrian school, by visiting this website! Perhaps we'll all get Uni degrees in the future, and only Mega-Uni degrees will be worth anything.
Published: September 12, 2007 8:09 PM
Why whenever "educating children" is a topic of conversation do homeschoolers immediately feel a need to point to MEGA achievers to validate their choice to keep their children out of a failing system...when very few from either arena actually ARE mega achievers - lol. While Im happy for those young people & their parents...sort of.... Im left wondering about the many awesome young people who just want to follow in mom & dads home-based footsteps. Would this imply that those kids are less than exactly what they want to be? It just seems to me like we herald promoting the same things the public school are when we do that. We're competing with puppets on a string, when we in fact are bound by no strings...thats not a fair comparison. Where is the glory in comparing a free bird to a caged bird? I dunno....just seems strange to me....there is no comparison.
I also loved the point that was made about "What passes for "socialization" at public schools is nothing but forced integration." That is SO true!
As for homeschoolers using public school resources (PE programs, etc), here are "Some NEA Resolutions Passed at the 2007 Convention in Philadelphia" THESE PASSED! We are not talking options for much longer!
Source: http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2007/aug07/NEA-Convention07.html
"B-75. *Home Schooling.* The National Education Association believes that
home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the
student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling
occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements,
including the taking of assessments to ensure adequate academic
progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the
immediate family, with all expenses being born by the parents/guardians.
Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate
state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state
department of education should be used.
The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not
participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools."
I dont think homeschool parents should even WANT to participate in public education programs. The kids only want to because "everyone else" (eg TV et al) is telling them its so much better. Why is the public school method of child training so exalted and to be desired....because they can train a multi-million dollar football player to become all he wants to become and disregard the authorities that be? Does anyone else think maybe even those who homeschool might be just a little off track in what we consider true success in this life?
Published: September 14, 2007 5:14 PM
RE: ".....it is unfortunate that it is still difficult to find materials effective for homeschool purposes that are religion-free."
First, your almost correct...there are NO textbooks out there that are religion free. Anyone that has faith in anything or anyone has a religion. Secular textbooks are swimming with "religion". Individual religion is simply defined as your own beliefs & convictions, be they Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, self or whatever. Its not the "Christian" element thats the difficulty. There is not not a perfect textbook that will fill your need. Its defining "effective" resources for the purposes in your heart that are already a part of your own living example.
Just try to teach things you dont live and see how quickly children will see right through you and REBEL. How often have we heard "Why do I have to know this?" and the parent replies......"I cant remember how its done because I havnt used that formula since the semester I learned it." MAYBE you had children to allow others to define reality for them, but most don't. If you have to have a man-made textbook to teach your children how to be productive adults, you're fighting a losing battle. Teach what you know.
Train yours in the way they should go according to your beliefs, WHILE YOU STILL CAN. The NEA is the same a threat to ALL religion/faiths. They want to control our freedom to rear ALL of our children.
Hang the AILING public school idea of textbooks and start teaching your children how to be moral, rational productive adults where your at....by being a moral, rational productive people yourself. Quit encouraging self indulgence and start teaching self control. You wont find any better "effective" tool in ANY textbook and it will hold YOU accountable to boot. How different we would ALL be if we truly believed our own truth....we INVARIABLY tell on ourselves by the way we live. That is what we teach.
Whether you want to confess it or not, it begins day one. EVERYONE is a homeschooler - lol. Just cause you dont call your self one, doesnt mean your not. Even absentee parents are training their children. Public education encourages us to teach them that we are not their sole authority giving us the opportunity to (not guiltlessly) hand them over to people neither your or your children even know. When you find out about the things being taught that you dont agree with....you either have to UNteach or let it go....but YOU are ultimately responsible.
Anyone can turn over a new leaf though. You just have to define the way your family SHOULD go and walk in that belief. Whether or not your beliefs are in line with reality will unavoidably prove themselves out one way or another eventually. For those that are right, reward will be great....for those that are wrong, you'd better make sure you're living what you believe cause as far as any living person can physically prove, this is as good as it will get. Academics as defined by greek education are made up of simple foundations that dont take 12 yrs to teach. They truly take care of themselves when taught in a practical way as the need presents.
Own what you believe...prove it and teach it as you prove it. Its really the only way you can prove to YOURSELF your living the way you should be living. If you cant PROVE them useful, you will never convince the kids your beliefs are even worth having.
Published: September 14, 2007 10:19 PM
Someone said homeschooling seems normal to homeschoolers because they hang out only with other homeschoolers. I started homeschooling back when people still said, "Homeschooling? What's that?"
Even when it became more popular, homeschooling wasn't our world. My children had neighborhood friends. They made friends at church, at their sports classes, in their volunteer work, and in the other types of activities they chose.
It's intereting to me that people think that school is the only place to make friends. I don't go to school and I have friends. In fact, I have the world's most isolated career--I'm an author (I write homeschooling books, so far.) My days are spent alone at a computer for the most part, but when I'm done writing, I go out into the world and surprise...there are people there, even though where I go isn't a traditional school.
Maybe I'm silly, but I always thought the purpose of school was to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic...not 85 new ways to hurt a child's feelings and other fun school socialization tricks. I am not certain school is the place to learn to socialize. You only see children of your age, and in your neighborhood, and no one is really watching to guide your social learning.
Published: September 16, 2007 7:36 PM
While I always start my comments by admitting homeschooling isn't for everyone; my most important point is that it works for us...
My only beef with "homeschooling" is just that the term itself is a severely limiting misnomer. My kids and I are rarely home as the world truly is our classroom; and we spend each and every day experiencing life to the fullest. Each week may be filled with thousands of miles, dozens of activities and events, and hundreds of new acquaintances.
My oldest, at the age of 7, has been through all 48 continental states and into Canada and Mexico. My 3 year old has been through 33. We have attended well over 3,000, and possibly even 4,000, cultural events and institutions such as museums, zoos, aquariums, historic sites, natural formations, colleges, universities, hospitals, research centers, concerts, theatrical performances, symphonies, and even movie sets. My children have spent time learning in a multitude of environments from home-based activities, to co-op classes, to university lectures, and even impromptu one-on-ones with highly notable professionals in a variety of given fields.
On our travels, we meet and interact with thousands upon thousands of people from all walks of life. My children are happy to befriend any one of any age, background, culture, language, socioeconomic status, or even physical, mental, or emotional well-being. They enjoy learning from anyone they can meet.
I don't shelter my children at all. My daughters know who Britney Spears is, but they would never be influenced by her, good or bad. My daughters know the workings of the world, but they have the natural confidence to make their own decisions for their own best interests. They will never be mere puppets to anyone with any agenda. They are their own people and always will remain proud, accomplished individuals.
But, most importantly for us, beyond our extensive travels, interactions, and social networking; my children are able to be children. I wouldn't have it any other way. Every day begins and ends the same way, and in between it all; my children can play, relax, use their imaginations, and charter their own course. They are neither pushed nor restrained; and the joys of childhood will remain in their hands for as long as they wish.
And I am merely the facilitator who ensures their lives belong solely unto them.
That is homeschooling....
And I could never fathom raising my children any other way.
Published: September 17, 2007 10:12 PM