Posts Tagged ‘education’

What would you do…

{ May 9, 2008 @ 12:53 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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if you knew you couldn’t fail?

This is one of those quotes you see everywhere; on tee shirts, bumper stickers, blogs *grin*, but have you ever really thought about what it means?

What it means to me is this. If you don’t fear failure you are a lot more likely to try something. If you try something, you learn something. It doesn’t matter if your cheer class doesn’t take off; you have learned you are good with kids and that the market is weak for cheer in the homeschooling market. Next time you’ll open it to public schoolers. It doesn’t matter if you are struggling and unable to keep up with the Brit Lit schedule because you can cut back and still learn and read some great books. It’s easier to take that chance when there is no F on your permanent record hanging over your head.

IMO not failing is not something that is emphasized in public schools. I don’t mean not failing your classes, that is an ever present threat, I mean not failing at all. I mean trying just to see if you can. Giving it a go without fear of not making it. Taking the leap off the cliff of *what if?*.  Instead I see school as pushing the *sensible* option. Take the classes you are best at. Only take AP if you are sure your grades will be up to snuff. Pick a major with job potential. Don’t stray from the traditional academic path. I know *I* learned that lesson well when I was in school. The goal was to get good grades, good SATs and go to college. Those plans fell apart and to this day I have never had the courage to pick back up where I left off. Why not? What if I can’t do it? What if it doesn’t work out? What if I pay all that money and can’t find a job? In short…what if I fail?

My kids have no such qualms. I think a lot of it comes from being young and invincible, but I think at least some of it comes from homeschooling. Frankly, I never saw this confidence in K when she was in school. As part of our yearbook I asked each of them what they wanted to be when they grew up. Their answers were revealing.

K wants to teach history in her own school. She has definite plans for how this school will be too. Full of resources, teachers as guides, student run. She wants me to help, apparently I will be admin :) I LOVE that she has this dream. I also love that she is absolutely sure that it will happen. We’ve actually talked at length about how such a school could be set up as a homeschool enrichment center or a non approved private school, how many rooms one would need, what we might have for extra-curriculars. She knows she may need a degree, and so will get it, but college would be a means to an end for her, not just *what you do*.

B wants to work for Mike Holmes. I can see it too, this kid has used tools since he was 3 and is pretty darn good with a drill. The fact that Mike is in Canada and B is only 9 doesn’t phase him in the least. He’d go up there now and do some painting for the guy if he could.

And really, why can’t he? Why can’t K teach history? Of course we aren’t going to move to Canada (and I doubt their labor laws would allow B to work for Mike Holmes anyway :) ), nor can we open a school right at the moment, but there are ways I can help my kids reach their goals sooner rather then later. And I should.

I recently read an article called Big Hairy Audacious Goals by Julie Bogart on Home Education Magazine. This really struck a chord with me! I’ve always said that one of the great things about homeschooling is that kids have the time and the freedom to follow their passions. Up till now those passions have been soccer and cheerleading ;) which were relatively easy to support. These new ones provide a bit more of a challenge, but I’ll give it a go!

Turns out the local living museum offer archeology summer camp for those 14 and up and if you are a member you can learn to lead tours as young as 13. BINGO!

B is still a bit young for anyone to consider taking him as an apprentice, but Grandpa has a woodworking shop in the basement and B is always willing to fetch and carry for any family member doing home improvements. He’ll learn and he’ll help…perfect!

I’ve also considered the example I set for my children. Why do I not take college courses? Because (and I’m ashamed to say I’ve actually said this) *what would be the point?* since I’ll *probably never get my degree*. The point would be learning. The point would be self improvement. The point would be I want to and have only resisted because I’m afraid of failing to get that degree.

Not anymore. So what if I don’t get a degree? I’ll learn something which if nothing else I can pass on to the kids.

Besides, it might help with that school.

Why we homeschool

{ March 20, 2008 @ 1:12 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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This has been coming up a lot lately, both in my on-line life and in my IRL interactions.  I’m not sure why, but I figured it was as good a time as any to explain why we do what we do!

The short answer is because school isn’t a good fit for my homeschoolers.  It is a good fit for M, so she attends school.  Simple enough, no?

Now for the long answer.

I have a problem with how most institutionalized schools are run.

There, I said it. I apologize to all my teacher friends, and to my mother who is a card carrying member of the NEA, but there it is. and before anyone gets really offended, I am speaking of school as an institution, not necessarily our personal experience with school.

I don’t like the *sit still and be quiet* attitude, the emphasis on peer interaction (to the exclusion of all other) and the pressure to conform and be *normal*.  I don’t like that the schools seem to think they own our children to the extent that I must ask permission to have them out of school and then wait to see if they accept my *excuse*.  I don’t like that testing is held to be so important that schools hold pep rallies for it, focus thier teaching on the subjects that will be tested and are cutting things like band and art so as to have more time to learn math and English.  I don’t like the one size fits all education that most schools use, nor do I like the emphasis on *grade levels*.  I don’t like how they move the children around every year (to different teachers and peer groups) so no real connections can be made nor do I like being expected to accept a new teacher as the *authority* on my child when they know her 9m tops. I also don’t like things like school violence, bullying and peer pressure.  I don’t want to shelter my child from life, but school is NOT life.

And speaking of life, I want my kids to have one.  When K was in school (which she was until the end of 4th grade) she was up at 6:30, had breakfast and got on the bus at 7:30AM then got home at 4PM.  She usually had an hour or so of homework which brings us to 5PM.  Then dinner so we are at6PM.  She is a child who needs lots of sleep so bedtime was 7PM leaving her ONE HOUR of time to do something she actually wanted to do.  That’s it. If we had to do errands or had a Dr. appointment (because you know you shouldn’t make them during school hours!) that was gone too! Honestly, the way I feel now that was enough of a reason to homeschool but there was more.

K was bullied. K was teased and taunted for being different.  K felt she was *stupid* because her learning disability made it hard for her to learn like the other kids (and to be fair the school did try to help her, she just needed more).  She spent the majority of her waking hours in a place that made her miserable, didn’t really teach her efficiently and then had to bring it home with her in the form of homework.  K was beginning to change herself to *fit in* with the queen bee and wannabees culture of school.  Where was the joy?  Where was the *well rounded* education I hear so much about?  Between the trouble she was having and the fact that she literally had no time to do anything BUT school and homework she really didn’t have much of a life. There was certainly no time for extracurriculars or things like scouts or 4-H.  I know this is not true for all children, but it was for mine.

After having K home for a year, I declined to send B to kindergarden and I have never looked back.

Ah, I am sure you are saying, but don’t you have a child in school?  (I’ve actually seen people put on a sly look when they ask this, as if they’ve *got* me now Mwwwahhahah!)

Yep.  But let’s look at M’s school for a minute. 

M is in a contained classroom.  What this means is that she is with the same children and teachers year after year and is thus capable of forming real relationships with these people (and so am I, as her parent).  M is not required to take NCLB tests.  In the classroom a variety of teaching methods are used and active learning is encouraged.  Teacher student ratio is nearly 1:2 so things like bullying and teasing are pretty much non-existent and/or not tolerated.  Because it is a multi-age classroom, grade levels are not as all consuming and children are allowed to progress at their own rates.  M’s class has a cooking group, she attends play therapy, PT, OT and speech classes.  She does therapeutic horseback riding, adaptive PE and still has two recesses a day.  Her schooling is a lot different then typical schooling.  Her needs are also different and the highly structured environment of school fills them right now.  The teachers value M for who she is, not for what she *should* be.  M doesn’t have homework, her bus brings her home more quickly and she needs less sleep so she has more time to do things after school. If I could find a school that taught all kids like that I might consider sending K and B!

Maybe.

In the end it comes down to this:

I want my children to be well rested, well nourished and well rounded.  I want my children to love learning and value education for it’s own sake, not to get good grades so they can get into a good college.  I want them to have time to do what they love and to just be.  I want them to learn who they are without peers jeering at them or being pressured to be like everyone else. I want them to be passionate and creative and free. My children cannot be those things while attending school full time.

That’s why we homeschool.