We didn't do anything spectacular for kidschool today, but afterwards I had an interaction with Logan that reaffirmed it's going well.
"Mom, can we do more school?"
"Not right now, honey."
"Why?"
"Because we need to eat lunch, and have quiet time."
"But I want to have school! It wasn't LONG!"
"It was actually longer today than normal."
"But I want it to be longer!"
He then proceeded to cry about it. I really couldn't do more right then...Alex is a very fussy little man when he's hungry, and afterwards everyone took naps (including Logan). That kid loves to learn, though. I think he's going to be in heaven when he learns to read (as long as I don't turn reading into a chore with the way I teach it to him) because he won't have to wait on me when he wants to find out about something.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Beginning of Our Journey- Part 2
So I decided that I was going to do homeschool shortly before Jim and I were married, partly owing to the experience I had working in a public elementary school, but mostly because I came to know that it was what I needed to do once I had children. When I told Jim that I'd come to a determination about it, he was quite relieved. He had known for a long time that he wanted his children to be educated at home, and he'd known for a short time that he was going to marry me. It worked out that those decisions wouldn't be in conflict. I'm pretty sure that wasn't a coincidence. :)
After I made the decision, other reasons started coming to the front of my mind, and it made more and more sense. I remembered what it was like for me in public school. I was a straight A student. I didn't care one bit about what I was learning, though. I simply played a game where the highest grade earned me praise...and a big head. If I attended my classes, and turned in all the busywork assigned I received good grades. There were plenty of classes that I failed every test, and still came out with an A...because I did the busywork that I learned nothing from. I didn't study and didn't care to. The things I valued in school were social time, sports, music, and praise. I graduated from high school in the top of my class knowing very little about anything, and I was cocky to boot! College was a humbling experience! (That's another post, though.)
As I thought about my experience in school, I also thought about the kids that were around me. Every student was an individual, but I started to see in my mind some distinct groups that most kids fit into one way or other. I was one of the kids who earned good grades without much effort; there were others like me. The most important thing to me, though, was socializing and extra-curricular activities. I was one who became bored with the academic portion of school before I was finished with preschool. (It's a fact. I remember thinking that my preschool teacher was an idiot because she didn't know how to count to 100 or say the ABC's. I distinctly remember being bored in preschool.) Early on, school became anything but an academic endeavor. I think that happens a lot.
On the opposite side of that are kids who get behind at some point and feel discouraged because they never get a chance to catch up, and because they aren't receiving the praise that some of their peers are. In this situation, I wondered what school became for them. I think that school was mostly a social/ extra-curricular opportunity for them as well. At least that's what my observation was, and how I think I would respond in the same situation.
There were undoubtedly a few kids who were learning at the same pace as the classes they were in...or at least some of the classes. For those few, I can't say much, except that I still wonder what school was for them. I met very few students that really seemed to care about academics. Everyone seemed to care about socializing, and a lot cared about sports, music, drama, clubs, etc...
So, what's my point and have I offended anyone? I hope I haven't offended anyone because that certainly isn't my purpose. My point is this: I believe that a lot of kids are learning that school isn't about learning, and that academics are just a chore. Children are naturally curious. When they learn to crawl, they get into everything, taste everything, touch everything, etc... When they learn to talk, they ask hundreds of questions every day. We're going through these stages in my home right now. Then when children enter school, they are excited to learn and they sincerely want to. They love to discover things. It's natural and normal and good. If they are allowed to learn at an appropriate pace and with an approach that inspires them, they will seek to study things more deeply when they are young adults. I sincerely believe this. (More on that later too.)
There is something that happens too often that halts this natural progression, though. I talk to people about this a lot because it's often in the front of my mind, and I've asked many about their experience in school. Most say that there came a time in elementary school when they lost their excitement for learning. Schoolwork became a chore, and they did it just to get it over with. I don't think it has to be that way, though! So, a huge reason I've decided to educate in my home is the hope that my children can love learning. I began to love learning in college and it changed the way I looked at my classes. I actually began to learn something and I felt a real light in my life. I don't want my children to have to wait until college to have that experience.
I'm going to stop here for now. I probably won't write much more on the why I decided to homeschool. I could probably list a dozen reasons, but that isn't my intent.
After I made the decision, other reasons started coming to the front of my mind, and it made more and more sense. I remembered what it was like for me in public school. I was a straight A student. I didn't care one bit about what I was learning, though. I simply played a game where the highest grade earned me praise...and a big head. If I attended my classes, and turned in all the busywork assigned I received good grades. There were plenty of classes that I failed every test, and still came out with an A...because I did the busywork that I learned nothing from. I didn't study and didn't care to. The things I valued in school were social time, sports, music, and praise. I graduated from high school in the top of my class knowing very little about anything, and I was cocky to boot! College was a humbling experience! (That's another post, though.)
As I thought about my experience in school, I also thought about the kids that were around me. Every student was an individual, but I started to see in my mind some distinct groups that most kids fit into one way or other. I was one of the kids who earned good grades without much effort; there were others like me. The most important thing to me, though, was socializing and extra-curricular activities. I was one who became bored with the academic portion of school before I was finished with preschool. (It's a fact. I remember thinking that my preschool teacher was an idiot because she didn't know how to count to 100 or say the ABC's. I distinctly remember being bored in preschool.) Early on, school became anything but an academic endeavor. I think that happens a lot.
On the opposite side of that are kids who get behind at some point and feel discouraged because they never get a chance to catch up, and because they aren't receiving the praise that some of their peers are. In this situation, I wondered what school became for them. I think that school was mostly a social/ extra-curricular opportunity for them as well. At least that's what my observation was, and how I think I would respond in the same situation.
There were undoubtedly a few kids who were learning at the same pace as the classes they were in...or at least some of the classes. For those few, I can't say much, except that I still wonder what school was for them. I met very few students that really seemed to care about academics. Everyone seemed to care about socializing, and a lot cared about sports, music, drama, clubs, etc...
So, what's my point and have I offended anyone? I hope I haven't offended anyone because that certainly isn't my purpose. My point is this: I believe that a lot of kids are learning that school isn't about learning, and that academics are just a chore. Children are naturally curious. When they learn to crawl, they get into everything, taste everything, touch everything, etc... When they learn to talk, they ask hundreds of questions every day. We're going through these stages in my home right now. Then when children enter school, they are excited to learn and they sincerely want to. They love to discover things. It's natural and normal and good. If they are allowed to learn at an appropriate pace and with an approach that inspires them, they will seek to study things more deeply when they are young adults. I sincerely believe this. (More on that later too.)
There is something that happens too often that halts this natural progression, though. I talk to people about this a lot because it's often in the front of my mind, and I've asked many about their experience in school. Most say that there came a time in elementary school when they lost their excitement for learning. Schoolwork became a chore, and they did it just to get it over with. I don't think it has to be that way, though! So, a huge reason I've decided to educate in my home is the hope that my children can love learning. I began to love learning in college and it changed the way I looked at my classes. I actually began to learn something and I felt a real light in my life. I don't want my children to have to wait until college to have that experience.
I'm going to stop here for now. I probably won't write much more on the why I decided to homeschool. I could probably list a dozen reasons, but that isn't my intent.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Impromptu
Here's a post with pictures...woohoo!! :) It occurred to me at one point today that I'd like some pictures for this blog so I pulled out my camera.
For now our kidschool routine is: opening prayer, opening song, learning activity, story time, closing song, closing prayer. Otherwise, a lot of what we do is impromptu. Often the learning activity changes from what we started with into something else because the kids were curious about something or I had a better idea at that moment. Today was no exception. Annie received a lot of artsy/ educational gifts for her birthday so I promised the kids we'd use them all during school time this week. Today we started with the modeling clay she received and had some really great conversation while we worked it together. I think the best part of school is having focused conversations with these kids. I learn so much from them that way, and when they are focused they learn the most in their turn. Then I pulled out the chalk she was given and thought up an open-ended project. I put a large piece of paper on the table, pulled out a black crayon, and asked the children what we should make a picture of. Annie said, "Grandma!" and Logan seconded the motion, so I drew a rough picture of my mom which the kids then colored and embellished as they chose. Before looking at the picture, I will admit that my artistry skills are greatly lacking, but would have been slightly better in this case if I hadn't had kids hanging on my arms when I drew it.
Notice the chalk on her nose?
A few close-ups with enclosed descriptions. ("a nice spider named 'Alex'")
"Jim the ladybug" and "Annie the ladybug"
I will also note that her skin is not red, you are merely seeing through it to her blood. Logan is fascinated with the fact that blood circulates through our bodies.
The creation of this picture led to another learning opportunity because we decided to mail it to her. They wanted to know how it would get to her house, so I walked them through the steps of preparing the envelope, and explained the process it would take to make it to her. Logan then mailed it.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Beginning of Our Journey
I want to record some of the why we've decided to homeschool, how we came to this decision, and how we want to teach our children. It's not all in place yet, and I certainly can't take the time in one post to write it all down, but I want to start. I'm sure this will take many posts and will ever be changing as we learn and change.
As I said previously, I was opposed to homeschooling for a long time. I'd never considered it and had always assumed that I would send my children to public school. Then I started dating Jim. I remember when we had our first conversation about homeschool. We were standing beside my car in the church parking lot before it was time to head home, and he asked me what I thought about homeschool. I knew he'd been homeschooled, so I was on my best behavior and tried to be considerate of him. My answer wasn't unkind, but I really wasn't in love with the idea and I let him know it. He asked me if I would be willing to consider and I responded that I'd definitely be willing to pray about it when the time came that I had children. I wasn't lying, but I think I used it as a way to postpone the need to think about it. We continued to discuss a little here and there during our courtship and into our engagement, and I always gave him the same answer: that I'd pray about it when the time came.
Two months before we were married I took a job in a public elementary school as a para-educator. I hadn't found a position in my field yet, and being an aid in the Special Education program was somewhat related. (I was a rec. therapist, so I wanted to work with those who have disabilities in one aspect or other until I found a job in that field.) I worked with two children during this time, one in third grade and the other in fifth. If there was a day that one of them was absent, I assisted in other areas. Sometimes I helped in the kindergarten, or with the other kids in the SE program. I now had the opportunity to be in a public school every day, and not from the viewpoint of a student. Perhaps that is why I didn't find a job in my field right away. I don't know, but in any case it helped me see what I would need to do for my own children.
Now here is the part in my post where everyone prepares to hear me bash the public school system, and my dear friends who earned their degrees in elementary education wonder if we'll be friends from henceforth. So I need to say something before I continue. First of all, I think that teachers are incredible people. Most people who decide to become teachers do it because they sincerely want to help the rising generation. They certainly aren't in it for the money! They are the kind of people that we need in this nation. Many of my best friends are or were teachers, and they are incredibly caring people and wonderful parents! Secondly, I do think there are many good things that happen in the public school system. I gained a lot of helpful ideas during the time I worked in that school.
So...the experience I had working in a school influenced my decision to homeschool my children. While there were good things going on, there were a lot of things that didn't impress me. In the teacher's lounge I listened every day to teachers speaking poorly of their students. They made fun of these kids! Then in the classroom, those teachers didn't seek to help those particular students. It wasn't all of the teachers, but it helped me realize that I wouldn't want my children influenced by teachers like that. In other classrooms where I spent most of my time with teachers who loved their kids, I observed that one person couldn't give each child as much attention as he or she needed to learn the given material. The third grade was learning multiplication and there were about two kids in the room that were actually getting it. A portion of the kids couldn't add well yet, and I was helping a child who was still learning to count. They were all expected to be learning multiplication together, though. Many of the students were very capable of understanding the multiplication at that time, but they needed a little extra attention that they just couldn't get. Because I was a one-on-one aid to a child in that classroom, I obtained permission to help him learn math at him own speed during that time of the day. In a month's time, he went from barely being able to count, to being able to add and subtract small numbers. The other aids and teachers were surprised at his progress, but it was nothing more than the result of individualizing that part of his education. Helping him in that way was an eye opening experience for me. In my field, we focused on individualizing our recreation programs to help people with disabilities achieve, social, physical, and cognitive goals. So, applying that to his math time was second nature to me, but it helped me see how I could help my own children if I homeschooled.
I had many other experiences while working in that school that helped me realize I wanted to teach my own children. I was amazed at how much the children influenced each other, even on the kindergarten level. They really paid more attention to each other than anything else while they were at school. I believe that children are sent to parents because they need adults to guide them. It scared me to think that when my child turned five, I could be sending him away from me five days a week for most of the day where he would guided by children who understand very little and are bound to make countless mistakes in that guiding that they don't even realize they are doing.
So, yes, I had some negative experiences that made me think of what I didn't want, but that isn't entirely how I came to my answer. Those things made me seriously consider what type of education I wanted for my kids and I suddenly just knew. It was an impression that I know came from God, and I knew it would be the best thing for me to do. After that, other logical reasons came to the front of my mind, and I started forming ideas.
At this point, I need to say "to be continued" because I've run out of time to write. I will post this much, though, so perhaps it won't be such a task to read when I do get all my thoughts down. :)
As I said previously, I was opposed to homeschooling for a long time. I'd never considered it and had always assumed that I would send my children to public school. Then I started dating Jim. I remember when we had our first conversation about homeschool. We were standing beside my car in the church parking lot before it was time to head home, and he asked me what I thought about homeschool. I knew he'd been homeschooled, so I was on my best behavior and tried to be considerate of him. My answer wasn't unkind, but I really wasn't in love with the idea and I let him know it. He asked me if I would be willing to consider and I responded that I'd definitely be willing to pray about it when the time came that I had children. I wasn't lying, but I think I used it as a way to postpone the need to think about it. We continued to discuss a little here and there during our courtship and into our engagement, and I always gave him the same answer: that I'd pray about it when the time came.
Two months before we were married I took a job in a public elementary school as a para-educator. I hadn't found a position in my field yet, and being an aid in the Special Education program was somewhat related. (I was a rec. therapist, so I wanted to work with those who have disabilities in one aspect or other until I found a job in that field.) I worked with two children during this time, one in third grade and the other in fifth. If there was a day that one of them was absent, I assisted in other areas. Sometimes I helped in the kindergarten, or with the other kids in the SE program. I now had the opportunity to be in a public school every day, and not from the viewpoint of a student. Perhaps that is why I didn't find a job in my field right away. I don't know, but in any case it helped me see what I would need to do for my own children.
Now here is the part in my post where everyone prepares to hear me bash the public school system, and my dear friends who earned their degrees in elementary education wonder if we'll be friends from henceforth. So I need to say something before I continue. First of all, I think that teachers are incredible people. Most people who decide to become teachers do it because they sincerely want to help the rising generation. They certainly aren't in it for the money! They are the kind of people that we need in this nation. Many of my best friends are or were teachers, and they are incredibly caring people and wonderful parents! Secondly, I do think there are many good things that happen in the public school system. I gained a lot of helpful ideas during the time I worked in that school.
So...the experience I had working in a school influenced my decision to homeschool my children. While there were good things going on, there were a lot of things that didn't impress me. In the teacher's lounge I listened every day to teachers speaking poorly of their students. They made fun of these kids! Then in the classroom, those teachers didn't seek to help those particular students. It wasn't all of the teachers, but it helped me realize that I wouldn't want my children influenced by teachers like that. In other classrooms where I spent most of my time with teachers who loved their kids, I observed that one person couldn't give each child as much attention as he or she needed to learn the given material. The third grade was learning multiplication and there were about two kids in the room that were actually getting it. A portion of the kids couldn't add well yet, and I was helping a child who was still learning to count. They were all expected to be learning multiplication together, though. Many of the students were very capable of understanding the multiplication at that time, but they needed a little extra attention that they just couldn't get. Because I was a one-on-one aid to a child in that classroom, I obtained permission to help him learn math at him own speed during that time of the day. In a month's time, he went from barely being able to count, to being able to add and subtract small numbers. The other aids and teachers were surprised at his progress, but it was nothing more than the result of individualizing that part of his education. Helping him in that way was an eye opening experience for me. In my field, we focused on individualizing our recreation programs to help people with disabilities achieve, social, physical, and cognitive goals. So, applying that to his math time was second nature to me, but it helped me see how I could help my own children if I homeschooled.
I had many other experiences while working in that school that helped me realize I wanted to teach my own children. I was amazed at how much the children influenced each other, even on the kindergarten level. They really paid more attention to each other than anything else while they were at school. I believe that children are sent to parents because they need adults to guide them. It scared me to think that when my child turned five, I could be sending him away from me five days a week for most of the day where he would guided by children who understand very little and are bound to make countless mistakes in that guiding that they don't even realize they are doing.
So, yes, I had some negative experiences that made me think of what I didn't want, but that isn't entirely how I came to my answer. Those things made me seriously consider what type of education I wanted for my kids and I suddenly just knew. It was an impression that I know came from God, and I knew it would be the best thing for me to do. After that, other logical reasons came to the front of my mind, and I started forming ideas.
At this point, I need to say "to be continued" because I've run out of time to write. I will post this much, though, so perhaps it won't be such a task to read when I do get all my thoughts down. :)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Homeschool's Best Kept Secret
I read something yesterday that got me thinking and it made me feel better too. Another homeschooler wrote that she thought homeschool's best kept secret were the average kids. Before I considered the idea of homeschooling a few years ago, I was actually very opposed to it. I believed the stereotype that I'd heard: that homeschool children were always academically behind and very socially backward. Nevermind that two of my very best friends when I was a teenager were homeschooled and certainly didn't fit that label.
Once I decided to teach my children, and am now connecting with other homeschool families, I'm finding another stereotype/ attitude among the moms: that homeschooled children must be prodigies or you are failing. That's probably not how other moms think, but it feels that way sometimes. It seems I'm always hearing success stories of kids who are three years above grade level. I recently listened to a discussion between two moms about how well their 4 year old sons were learning to read. They both had success stories about how their boys could read books on their own. I have a 4 year old son as well, but he doesn't read at all. He loves books to an incredible degree, but he is struggling with letter recognition. I walked away feeling kind of bad and had to question myself if I was doing things right. Since I'm homeschooling, shouldn't my son be reading already? The answer of course is NO, and I know that. I also know that they weren't trying to make me feel bad and were simply discussing something of mutual interest. My son is on a very normal level with reading development and that is okay. So the comment I read yesterday made me feel better. My kids may excel in one way or other, and they may not. They will probably struggle in areas, too. The important thing is that they are learning and want to. They do not have to be prodigies. And if they grow up to be normal that is perfectly fine. Probably most important, though, is that I shouldn't be comparing my children with other children. That way of thinking is a trap, and it's made me question myself at times. Why don't my babies crawl and walk as soon as other babies? None of mine have, and I've felt bad about it at times. They all learned though! (Well Alex isn't walking yet...but he will.) It isn't a competition. My kids are individuals, not statistics, and I really need to see them as such...at all times.
Once I decided to teach my children, and am now connecting with other homeschool families, I'm finding another stereotype/ attitude among the moms: that homeschooled children must be prodigies or you are failing. That's probably not how other moms think, but it feels that way sometimes. It seems I'm always hearing success stories of kids who are three years above grade level. I recently listened to a discussion between two moms about how well their 4 year old sons were learning to read. They both had success stories about how their boys could read books on their own. I have a 4 year old son as well, but he doesn't read at all. He loves books to an incredible degree, but he is struggling with letter recognition. I walked away feeling kind of bad and had to question myself if I was doing things right. Since I'm homeschooling, shouldn't my son be reading already? The answer of course is NO, and I know that. I also know that they weren't trying to make me feel bad and were simply discussing something of mutual interest. My son is on a very normal level with reading development and that is okay. So the comment I read yesterday made me feel better. My kids may excel in one way or other, and they may not. They will probably struggle in areas, too. The important thing is that they are learning and want to. They do not have to be prodigies. And if they grow up to be normal that is perfectly fine. Probably most important, though, is that I shouldn't be comparing my children with other children. That way of thinking is a trap, and it's made me question myself at times. Why don't my babies crawl and walk as soon as other babies? None of mine have, and I've felt bad about it at times. They all learned though! (Well Alex isn't walking yet...but he will.) It isn't a competition. My kids are individuals, not statistics, and I really need to see them as such...at all times.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Kidschool Today
I'm very new to this home educating thing, but I am finding that I love it. I call our learning sessions kidschool, and we do them five days a week for the duration of the morning. The hardest part was deciding to set aside that time for school. Once I made the commitment to myself, though, it's been easy. As soon as breakfast is over and everyone is dressed, I usually give myself 30min. to accomplish anything else that I feel is necessary and then we have kidschool until lunch. The kids are loving it, and they can't wait until we start school every morning! I've felt a huge amount of peace enter my life now that I'm doing what I know I'm supposed to be doing with my children. Interestingly enough, the children have been more obedient and cheerful too. But the most amazing thing is that I've found that I'm more productive even though I don't have those morning hours to do my other work. This has really been a blessing for our family.
Anyway, on to our success for today... This morning we played 'grocery shopping' and it was a hit! The kids usually want snacks during school time, and I am finding that I can often use those snacks to make some hands on learning. So today I prepared a variety of snacks and set them out on the counter. Each snack had a price tag attached. I asked the kids if they would like to go shopping for the snacks and they were very enthusiastic, but they had a problem. They didn't have any money! So we talked about earning money and they asked me how they could earn some money for our 'grocery store'. They did some quick chores and for each earned some coins. We then added up our coins and headed to the 'grocery store'. Logan chose his snacks first. He wanted one of each, so we added up the total, re-added his coins, and made his change. He'd earned enough for everything. Annie also wanted to buy everything, but when we added the cost, she came up short. At first she was devastated, but she succeeded (with assistance) in problem solving. I suggested that she could earn more money, and she jumped at the chance to do another chore in which she earned just enough more. While the kids enjoyed their snacks, we discussed the value of working hard to earn the things that we need and want, and Logan began making plans for the next time we played 'grocery store'. Next time he wants to buy clothes! :)
Anyway, on to our success for today... This morning we played 'grocery shopping' and it was a hit! The kids usually want snacks during school time, and I am finding that I can often use those snacks to make some hands on learning. So today I prepared a variety of snacks and set them out on the counter. Each snack had a price tag attached. I asked the kids if they would like to go shopping for the snacks and they were very enthusiastic, but they had a problem. They didn't have any money! So we talked about earning money and they asked me how they could earn some money for our 'grocery store'. They did some quick chores and for each earned some coins. We then added up our coins and headed to the 'grocery store'. Logan chose his snacks first. He wanted one of each, so we added up the total, re-added his coins, and made his change. He'd earned enough for everything. Annie also wanted to buy everything, but when we added the cost, she came up short. At first she was devastated, but she succeeded (with assistance) in problem solving. I suggested that she could earn more money, and she jumped at the chance to do another chore in which she earned just enough more. While the kids enjoyed their snacks, we discussed the value of working hard to earn the things that we need and want, and Logan began making plans for the next time we played 'grocery store'. Next time he wants to buy clothes! :)
A Need For A Record
While in college, I became quite regular with keeping a personal journal. It was a way to purge my thoughts, meditate, figure things out, and create a record for future reference. At times my journal was like a dear friend. I've continued writing in a personal journal, and I've filled many pages. Two and a half years ago I started another type of journal, but this one was more of a public family journal. I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging about the little happenings in our family and have found that my blog is an excellent way for me to record the lighter part of our lives. Now I feel the desire to start another type of record, again in blog form. For years I've felt inspired that I should teach my children if I was able. Now that we've begun that path, I want to keep a record of their successes, failures, my thoughts, and my own new discoveries. That's what this blog is about.
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