I’ve mentioned that this year I’m home schooling, as you may recall.
I’ve wanted to talk about our experience & our reasoning behind the decision, for awhile, but it seems like something else has always come up.
Also, I know that you may just come here for the freakin’ awesome food, so I don’t want to bore you with my day-to-day stuff. But, this homeschooling thing has pretty much taken over my life, so I think it only fitting to share.
And, since I have more to say on the matter than what can be shared in a single blog post–lots to share (& I’d love to answer any questions you may have), I decided to create a series on the topic. Each Tuesday, for the next bit, I’ll share some thoughts on homeschooling & education–what we’re doing, what’s working, what’s not.
Today, Part 1 of the series.
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Home Schooling
This year I’m homeschooling my four children.
Two of them, Hyrum, my 7 year old/2nd grader, & Asher, my 5 year old/kindergartner are “in school” & use a structured curriculum. Mali (4 year old) & Salem (18 months) are also participating in the process.
Prior to this year, I homeschooled my oldest son, Hyrum for kindergarten. I didn’t use any formal curriculum, or attach myself to any one method. I read some Thomas Jefferson education materials as well as a Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise-Bauer, & visited some online home schooling forums.
My approach was simple. Every day we’d spend 1-2 hours on “formal” stuff, 1-2 hours reading, & then 1-2 hours doing informal educational stuff, like go to the library, visit a park, get together with friends for a play date. I made sure he had plenty of unstructured play time with his siblings, most of which, happened outdoors. I also had him enrolled in a theatre class & children’s choir that met once a week.
Why?
My primary reason for home schooling him for kindergarten had more to do with the fact that I felt he was not ready, socially, to attend. He had attended 2 years of preschool, yes, but he has a late summer birthday. This puts him at the very bottom of his class age wise. He’s already on the smallish side & I didn’t want him to the be “runt” of the group. If we home-schooled him for the year, I reasoned, by summer time, we’d have a better idea if he should attend kindergarten (& then be the oldest in his class), or continue on to 1st grade if he was ready.
Also, I had done some research on boys & education, & in combination with knowing my son & his learning style, I came to the conclusion that he could benefit from an extra year at home with me where we could focus on reading, handwriting, numbers, all the kindergarten stuff but doing it at home allowed me to tailor his educations to fit his needs.
I also feel it important for kids (particularly active boys with a lot of energy), to get plenty of outdoor, free play/exploratory time, & having him at home enabled us to go for a lot of bike rides, walks/hikes, & trips to the park.
Even though that year was one of the busiest of my life–I had my fourth child, taught 13 fitness classes a week, Joseph was finishing up his 3rd year of law school (& working part-time for some of that year)–I am so glad that I made the choice to keep Hyrum at home. We did a lot of things that we never would have done together as a family, & with Hyrum, that just would not have occurred had he been in public school.
Hyrum attended 1st grade after that year of home school, & did well. He has been a resistant reader from a very early age (although he loves having books read to him), but he performed well (comparitively) & according to his teacher, had no trouble with reading or other subjects.
The Beginnings
Ever since Hyrum was a baby, I have been interested in the idea of home school. For years, I went back & forth on the idea, & always made a point to make conversation with other homeschooling moms if the opportunity arose. What interested me most about home school is the independence of it. I like that you can make it what you want. You decide the curriculum, you decide the method. My inner control-freak loves this idea.
Also, I love being with my kids. Note, I’m not especially fond of other people’s kids. I like them & all, but I would never consider myself someone who would enjoy teaching elementary education (my plan in college was to teach secondary education, which I would enjoy). I think this is important to point out–that is, that I’m not exceptionally talented with working with children.
But, I love spending time with my children, & being an integral part of their education. I love that in a home school environment, learning is intertwined with the day to day, rather than seen as a separate thing you “do” when you go to school. I also like that each child can go at the pace that is right for them, & that they can have a rigorous, challenging intellectual experience, if done right.
Coming up next week, part 2: Why I’m choosing to home school now.
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Do you have any experience with home school?
Know anyone that did it growing up?
Doing it now with your children?
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