Structure

Lets just say that when we were in New Jersey, we heard some concerns about structure in homeschools. Unfortunately, I was not the addressee of these remarks, so I'm not sure what the exact concern is.

Structure as in routine? We have a weekly routine -- playdate on Monday, parkday on Tuesday, dance class on Wednesday, visit to Gaga on Thursday or Friday and assorted errands. Hmmm...that may sound like we're too socialized. So, the socialization concern goes out the window, but what about teaching? You see, the real concern here is teaching, not learning, which goes on all the time and cannot be stopped. Well, it can be stopped if you make learning deadly dull and force it on a child and then tell them that they aren't doing it right.

We have a daily routine. We have breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening. Our bedtime routine includes reading to the girls. As for the rest of the day -- well, it depends on the day. I love to read to my kids, but thats gotten hard to do since the 3 year-old screams "no read book" whenever I read to the 5 year-old. I hope that this phase will pass quickly enough and we can have a routine reading time together.

We also play games -- yes, thats right, we sit around and play all day. And my 3 year-old is learning her numbers from a deck of cards. And she's learning her alphabet from the numerous other toys strewn about the house. The 5 year-old is learning, well, I don't really know what because I refuse to quiz her and when others try, she often refuses to answer, but she knows what an aeronaut is. I didn't. Anyway, according to the state standards of learning and the Core Knowledge Series, she's at or above grade level, so I figure we've got some time to play. While I don't agree that these are a proper measure of learning or knowledge, its a nice place to hang my hat while we get settled.

Does routine mean that I'm supposed to sit a 5 year-old down at the table and ply her with workbooks? Fifteen minutes in the morning for math? Twenty for handwriting? This doesn't make sense to me. Structure such as this certainly isn't about learning -- my children learn so much more from playing than they would with stilted, limited, forced workbook or lesson time. In addition to this view, I also have a 3 year-old which would make attempting to 'teach' a Sisyphean task -- or would it be Promethean punishment? It would certainly feel like my liver was being plucked out on a daily basis. Imagine how the kids would feel.

If the structure is for discipline, than I must still ask why? So a 5 year-old can learn to be bored but to 'take it like an adult' because we all know adults need to get used to confinement and limiting their brain use so that they can be productive, earn a good wage, and then go spend it. How 'bout a little linky to Gatto just so you can see either how far gone I am or how deluded such thinking is.

Running around and playing at 5 does not mean she won't be able to sit in a college lecture hall or have the discipline to study. Those skills can be picked up later if need be. She's only 5.

Perhaps we shall agree to disagree. Perhaps this is why no one discusses such matters with me. And a nod of admiration to my DH who doesn't rant in public.

Mountains, History, Baseball and In-Laws

We're back! We had a nice field trip to Vermont, Cooperstown, NY, and New Jersey.

In Vermont, we were asked how long we plan to homeschool. An interesting question, I thought -- how long do you plan to breathe air? Seriously, I suppose some people homeschool with the idea that they'll send the kids to school when they are older -- for instance, kindergarten is optional, but first grade requires an institution. Or perhaps to get a kid 'back on track' -- I've heard of people who homeschooled for a year or two to get their child's skills up to grade level or some such (Dan Riley's School for a Girl).

How long do we plan to homeschool? As long as it works but we take it one day at a time.

History and baseball were covered in Cooperstown, New York. We went to the Farmer's Museum, where we learned about processing flax, a bit about typesetting and smithing, and hung out in a tavern. We also visited the Baseball Hall of Fame. My favorite were the World Series rings -- have you seen the Arizona Diamondbacks? T-a-c-k-y. Then again, they'll all gotten a bit too bling-bling in recent years. Please.

Suzanne announced in Vermont -- "I love Vermont." She announced in New York -- "I love New York." I thought the silence was conspicuous in New Jersey -- but she loves her relatives there, so it more than makes up for it.

Going on a Field Trip

I'm not known for blogging regularly, though I am trying to get back into the swing of it. I just wanted to let it be known that I won't be posting for a week as we'll be on a homeschool field trip.

I hope to have many interesting things to say upon my return. I can always hope!

Curriculum?

We don't need no stinkin' curriculum.

I was asked a couple of times yesterday what curriculum we're using. I really don't see a need to use a curriculum for kindergarten. I'm not quite sure a curriculum is ever necessary.

I am terrible at answering questions about our homeschooling. Awful. I blather on about natural learning. I get blank looks. So I mention the stuff we have in our house -- books, toys, items that can be used as manipulatives. More blank looks. Okay -- we've got workbooks -- thats like a curriculum -- and when Suzanne is interested, she does work in them.

The trouble with curriculum is a grade-based curriculum would not work. Suzanne is far beyond what it taught in language arts and social studies (with the exception of handwriting, where she's probably average or a bit behind). For math, I think she's probably dead-on -- she's interested in more advanced things, but I don't think she gets it. Then again, I'm not sure that she learns everything in a sequential manner, so why make her suffer through boring lessons if she gets to the 'clicking point' by other means?

Another big problem is that we are not home enough to homeschool in the way that many non-homeschoolers view to be homeschooling. This week, we had a couple of days at playgrounds with other homeschool kids, we ran errands and we visited my mom. What did Suzanne learn? I don't know, but she was playing chess with my dad last weekend -- does that count for something? In the car on the way somewhere, she was rattling off various time measurements -- 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, by increasing unit up until decades. I had to help her out with centuries. Thats got to count for something. [She learned all this from reading Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney].

But wait a second, I'm the one who doesn't want to count anything.

Word got back to me that a mom (who doesn't read this blog) and whose child is in a local Montessori school is amazed at the progress I'm making with Suzanne. Whats even more amazing is that I'm not making any progress with her. She's doing it on her own, with assistance from me when requested.

My DH keeps reminding me that our curriculum is similar to the response given by Napolean Dynamite at the beginning of the movie when he is asked what he's going to do that day. What are we doing today? I already told you. Whatever she wants. Gosh!

The First Day of School

I feel the need to post because today is the first day of school in my county. The first official day of homeschooling for us. Wow. It seems so bizarre, so surreal, and yet, likes it no big deal at all. I didn't even hear or see the school buses go by this morning.

Whats on the agenda for today? We're going to a large playground for a homeschool park day.

Back to School with Suzanne

I'm a unschooler at heart -- I see how much my kids learn just by living and by my providing them with books and toys to stimulate their interests and guide them in their learning.

Suzanne,5, has been very interested in writing recently -- I should say, in printing capital letters. We've got magnadoodles and paper and pens/crayons/pencils. We've got workbooks scattered around the house. She is doing a great job all by herself and is very motivated.

A friend was cleaning her closet and recently gave me several handwriting workbooks which I gladly took and handed over to Suzanne. The idea is she can work in them whenever she likes, however she likes.

Suzanne is not an unschooler at the moment. She wants school-at-home. "Teach me, mama!" Is her refrain. She wants me to walk her through the workbook. Egads! I HATE it. As a former honor roll student, I'm great at following directions. I could use a bit of work on free-thinking, but I'm a great direction follower. So, if the book says 'start at the top of the letter and make a downward stroke,' I'm going to get annoyed if Suzanne goes from bottom to top. I know I should work flexibility in, but I'm most flexible when I'm completely removed -- hence, my love of unschooling.

We'll work it out somehow, but right now, Suzanne has dictated to me a schedule as follows:

Morning: letters
Noon: numbers (printing numbers, I assume)
Afternoon: workbooks
Evening: encyclopedia and dictionary (I have NO idea what she means by this, maybe that she'll be reading them)

I'm worn out already.

Homeschooling Apologetics

I was just e-mailing a former work colleague of mine about my plans to homeschool. I thought I'd share my response to his questions.

>>>Are there any requirements that you have to have to qualify to home teach?

In Virginia, you have to give notice and provide evidence of ability to teach as well as a description of your program of study. Evidence is satisfied by a college degree or a statement of why you think you can provide adequate instruction [i.e. prove you are literate], a teacher's certificate or using a specified curriculum with a teaching service. The description can be brief, just something to show that you've thought about it.

>>>Are there guidelines/requirements of content/curriculum for home schooling?

You don't have to follow them, but there are plenty of places you can look -- at the Virginia Standards of Learning [SOLs], the Core Knowledge series [What your first grader should know, etc], the World Book encyclopedia scope and sequence, there are lots of places on the internet you can find suggestions about what kids should be learning and when.

I just looked at the SOLs and found that she's already learned nearly all of what is supposed to be covered for kindergarten and has surpassed a lot of it. Which is why I like homeschooling, she doesn't have to slow down or speed up just in order to keep pace with the class. If she's getting something quickly, she can move through it fast; if she's not ready for something else, we can wait until she is rather than stress her out by pushing her.

>>>How do you deal with the socialization issues?

Ah, this is always a big worry but it doesn't really hold up on examination. I can't tell you how many times I was yelled at in school for socializing -- you're not supposed to be talking to your classmates. What is school socialization? Learning to wait in line? Go to the bank or a fast food restaurant or the grocery store, library, etc. Taking turns? Go to a playground and try to get on a swing or play with a popular toy at a playgroup. Raising your hand to speak? Go to a library storytime or museum program. And things that aren't learned in real life can be learned very quickly when the need arises.

As to playing with other kids -- we go to ballet class and we have playdates and go to park days and on field trips; when they're older they can volunteer. The problem quickly becomes limiting the social outings; its easy to get overextended. Another nice aspect of homeschooling is that socializing is not limited to the child's same-age peers, you can socialize by visiting nursing homes; you meet people at the grocery store and the library.

>>>Since you live in an area considered to have good public schools, what made you decide to home school?

Not only that, I was educated by the county's public school system! Just 3 years ago I was asking DH why would anyone live here and homeschool? Well, its mostly about freedom for me -- freedom from the school schedule and calendar. We don't have to have our daily lives controlled by school -- when we get up and when we get time together and when we can take a vacation.

We also get freedom from standardized curriculum. Like I said, Suzanne can move at her own pace in her learning -- she can advance far ahead of her age-mates without becoming intellectually arrogant [a real problem; I was in the GT system and looked down on those who weren't], or she can take longer in other parts of her learning without feeling like she's stupid. She can also learn what she wants to when she wants -- she's not told she has to wait until the subject is covered.

There are lots of other reasons why I like homeschooling, but freedom was what drew me to it in the first place. Plus, I don't think school is necessary for learning to occur -- I think it occurs better outside of it, really. You'll see with baby daughter how much she grows and learns and she doesn't need outside interference or the bribery of rewards to do it.