RICHER THAN GOLD
You may have tangible wealth untold
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be
I had a mother who read to me.
~ Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954)
I can attest to the veracity of the above poem because I did have a mom who read to me. And I loved every minute of it. Sure, I could read all the books she read aloud, but there was just something magical about being able to share the story with someone else. Some of my fondest memories of being homeschooled were when lunchtime would come and my mother would pull out a story and read while my brothers and I ate. We would always beg her for "just one more chapter." I still have distinct memories of the books Secret of the Andes, Follow My Leader, My Side of the Mountain, and David and the Phoenix and the way I imagined the wonderful adventures unfolding to my mother's voice. It has easily been two decades since I heard / read those stories, and I still remember every one.
This relates to the couple of comments and questions about Kid A's ability to read and how that came about. I wish there was a "secret" to this that I could unveil with a flourish and then everyone would clap and cheer and tell me just how clever I am. But, reality is often a great deal duller than my somewhat active imagination.
The greatest influence on Kid A's ability to read is the fact that I've been reading aloud to him for as long as he's been around. We will sit and read books together for upwards of an hour a day (not usually all in one chunk though). As we read, I'll point to certain words and we'll sound out the letters together. And about a year ago, we started to play "learning to read" using a little chalk board I have in the living room when Kid D was taking a nap. I'd make up silly songs about vowels and silly stories about phonics rules. (The "e" at the end of a word jumps over the consonant and when it lands on the other vowel it flattens out its sound.) I didn't have a set schedule or method or anything like that. We've mainly just played and I would point out words to him where ever we might be and we'd just sound them out together.
When Kid A turned 4 years old (March 2010), I found a very handy web site called Shelfari that helped me keep track of all the books we were reading. I really liked it because I could rate the books and then add tags to them. This way I could quickly find all the books we've read about turtles or about honesty and then see which ones were worth reading again. Since I've started keeping track, we've read over 900 books together. When we hit 1,000 mark, I'm going to throw us a little celebration. After all, the love of reading is the beginning of a lifetime of learning.
Oh, and the icing on all this cake? We live within walking distance of a library.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The "S" Word
I knew I would have to deal with this issue. It always comes up. When some people hear I have decided to homeschool Kid A, the question inevitably is asked. I can almost ask it for them. "Aren't you worried about.... SOCIALIZATION?" Their eyes get kinda wide, like they think I must not have considered this very important aspect of child-rearing before I made my decision to homeschool.
But! I have the advantage this time. With equally wide eyes, I ask them in return, "Do you think I am anti-social?" They seem puzzled by this question, but always answer no. Of course they don't think I'm anti-social. Then I drop the proverbial bomb. "Well, I was homeschooled from third grade through high school."
The response to this is usually no response at all. They get this look that I have begun to equate with "foot-in-mouth" embarrassment.
And to be honest, I must say I don't really understand this concern people have. Because I am a "insider" to homeschooling, I don't have the benefit of looking at it from the outside perspective. Because I am an "outsider" to public school, the equation is flipped for me. I wish to ask these parents aren't they concerned about their children's socialization.
I have no desire to enter into a public school vs. homeschool debate. I think both are viable educational options. Not every family should homeschool - not everyone has that vision. That's fine. But on the other side of the coin, some families feel called to homeschool their children and I just wish more people would be fine with that decision.
My homeschooling my children is NOT a commentary on your decision to send your kids to public school. I'm not trying to "one-up" you or make you feel guilty or anything like that. In fact, your educational choices did not even enter my mind when I decided to take up the mantel of a homeschooling mom. Why should my choices matter to you? I have absolutely nothing against public school kids. Proof? I married one!
And just as all homeschooled kids are not academic geniuses, not all public school kids are socially well-adjusted . I think the educational environment of the child - while indeed having some effect on children - is not the only factor in determining academic and social outcomes for the child. The child's natural personality needs to be taken into account. Some are shy, some are gregarious. (You couldn't keep Kid A from being social - whether you wanted to or not!) The child's home life needs to be considered. If a child has a good relationship with parents at home, public school's influences (both good and bad) can be filtered through these relationships.
Every kid is different. Every family is different. We all just need to accept that no one-size-fits-all educational and lifestyle choice is going to work for everyone.
But! I have the advantage this time. With equally wide eyes, I ask them in return, "Do you think I am anti-social?" They seem puzzled by this question, but always answer no. Of course they don't think I'm anti-social. Then I drop the proverbial bomb. "Well, I was homeschooled from third grade through high school."
The response to this is usually no response at all. They get this look that I have begun to equate with "foot-in-mouth" embarrassment.
And to be honest, I must say I don't really understand this concern people have. Because I am a "insider" to homeschooling, I don't have the benefit of looking at it from the outside perspective. Because I am an "outsider" to public school, the equation is flipped for me. I wish to ask these parents aren't they concerned about their children's socialization.
I have no desire to enter into a public school vs. homeschool debate. I think both are viable educational options. Not every family should homeschool - not everyone has that vision. That's fine. But on the other side of the coin, some families feel called to homeschool their children and I just wish more people would be fine with that decision.
My homeschooling my children is NOT a commentary on your decision to send your kids to public school. I'm not trying to "one-up" you or make you feel guilty or anything like that. In fact, your educational choices did not even enter my mind when I decided to take up the mantel of a homeschooling mom. Why should my choices matter to you? I have absolutely nothing against public school kids. Proof? I married one!
And just as all homeschooled kids are not academic geniuses, not all public school kids are socially well-adjusted . I think the educational environment of the child - while indeed having some effect on children - is not the only factor in determining academic and social outcomes for the child. The child's natural personality needs to be taken into account. Some are shy, some are gregarious. (You couldn't keep Kid A from being social - whether you wanted to or not!) The child's home life needs to be considered. If a child has a good relationship with parents at home, public school's influences (both good and bad) can be filtered through these relationships.
Every kid is different. Every family is different. We all just need to accept that no one-size-fits-all educational and lifestyle choice is going to work for everyone.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Curriculum: The Choices are Mind-Boggling
Back in the mid 1980s when my parents decided to homeschool me and my two brothers, there weren't a lot of choices of curriculum for homeschoolers. My dear mother pieced together all our math, science, reading, spelling, geography, etc. lessons from a few sources. She tried to pick out the best books to fit our needs, but her choices were limited.
Now it would appear that I have the opposite problem. The choices presented to me are myriad. And varied! I can go classical education. I can go unschooling. I can go traditional schooling. I can use online courses and videos. And and and....
My recent venture to a local homeschooling convention really drove the point home about how many choices there are out there. The only limit is how much money you want to spend. In my case, not much. I'm starting with Kid A, who turned five in March, and frankly, I just don't think I need to spend +$400 on a complete curriculum for kindergarten / 1st grade. I know how to read. I know how to spell. I can do basic math. I certainly do not need to shell out hundreds of dollars for lesson plans and teacher's manuals on how do to these things. So I wandered through the vendor hall and let myself just absorb (or be assaulted by, it's all how you look at things) all the choices out there. I took notes on what I liked. I jotted down the cost. I quickly became confused because there was just so much to choose from.
In the end, I came away with a list of books I wanted to get to help me on my way with teaching Kid A the basics. (And somewhat of a headache.) Back home, I went online and ordered up the books necessary to begin the "beautiful learning journey that is homeschooling." Okay, that's just me being sarcastic. As a homeschooled kid, I have a certain amount of skepticism on how romantic these homeschooling conventions make homeschooling out to be. All sunshine kisses and rainbow smiles. All deep learning and understanding and bonding. They never bring up the tedium. The work. The trying and the failing. I feel somewhat sorry for these young mothers desperate to "do the right thing" for their children who are given this fantasy version of what homeschooling is like. So they try it only to discover it takes a lot of work and there's more trial and error than they were led to believe. But I digress...
I am using what is called the "eclectic" approach to homeschooling. Pretty much, I take what I like from each style of homeschooling and just swirl it all around to together. For grammar, reading, history, and science I am following the suggestions of a Classical Education as outlined in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. I like the circular nature of this approach so if I miss anything the first time around in grammar stage (K-4), I know we'll cover it again in the logic stage (5-8 grades) or rhetoric stage (9-12 grades). For math, handwriting, and spelling, I'm just going with the traditional approach of getting a text book and going through it.
Here's what I've come up with for Kid A's kindergarten / 1st grade curriculum:
And so, we anxiously await the arrival of all these books and resources so we can start learning. Fortunately, I've already been teaching Kid A on the sly. He knows how to read and he also knows some basic addition. I did this just in our normal daily life, so I'm hoping I can expand this teaching to be a little more structured and daily.
Now it would appear that I have the opposite problem. The choices presented to me are myriad. And varied! I can go classical education. I can go unschooling. I can go traditional schooling. I can use online courses and videos. And and and....
My recent venture to a local homeschooling convention really drove the point home about how many choices there are out there. The only limit is how much money you want to spend. In my case, not much. I'm starting with Kid A, who turned five in March, and frankly, I just don't think I need to spend +$400 on a complete curriculum for kindergarten / 1st grade. I know how to read. I know how to spell. I can do basic math. I certainly do not need to shell out hundreds of dollars for lesson plans and teacher's manuals on how do to these things. So I wandered through the vendor hall and let myself just absorb (or be assaulted by, it's all how you look at things) all the choices out there. I took notes on what I liked. I jotted down the cost. I quickly became confused because there was just so much to choose from.
In the end, I came away with a list of books I wanted to get to help me on my way with teaching Kid A the basics. (And somewhat of a headache.) Back home, I went online and ordered up the books necessary to begin the "beautiful learning journey that is homeschooling." Okay, that's just me being sarcastic. As a homeschooled kid, I have a certain amount of skepticism on how romantic these homeschooling conventions make homeschooling out to be. All sunshine kisses and rainbow smiles. All deep learning and understanding and bonding. They never bring up the tedium. The work. The trying and the failing. I feel somewhat sorry for these young mothers desperate to "do the right thing" for their children who are given this fantasy version of what homeschooling is like. So they try it only to discover it takes a lot of work and there's more trial and error than they were led to believe. But I digress...
I am using what is called the "eclectic" approach to homeschooling. Pretty much, I take what I like from each style of homeschooling and just swirl it all around to together. For grammar, reading, history, and science I am following the suggestions of a Classical Education as outlined in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. I like the circular nature of this approach so if I miss anything the first time around in grammar stage (K-4), I know we'll cover it again in the logic stage (5-8 grades) or rhetoric stage (9-12 grades). For math, handwriting, and spelling, I'm just going with the traditional approach of getting a text book and going through it.
Here's what I've come up with for Kid A's kindergarten / 1st grade curriculum:
- Grammar: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind: Level 1
- History/Geography: The Story of the World - Volume 1: Ancient Times
- Supplemented with age appropriate (i.e. picture) books from the library that cover what subject/era were are studying
- Blackline Maps Of World History: The Complete Set 5000BC-Present (which I foresee using throughout my entire homeschooling career)
- Handwriting: Penmanship Grade 1 Student Book (Horizon)
- Spelling: Worktext Grade 1 (BJU Press)
- Science Topics to be covered: The Animal Kingdom, The Human Body, and Plants using these resources
- The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia
- The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia
- Green Thumbs: A Kid's Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening
- Math: Singapore Primary Mathematics 1A and 1B Workbooks and Textbooks (my husband who was never particularly fond of math thought this program would be the best, especially since we're homeschooling boys)
And so, we anxiously await the arrival of all these books and resources so we can start learning. Fortunately, I've already been teaching Kid A on the sly. He knows how to read and he also knows some basic addition. I did this just in our normal daily life, so I'm hoping I can expand this teaching to be a little more structured and daily.
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