tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post2068259541618310339..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: My old homeschooling folderSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-55709610776427130352011-01-08T10:19:39.106-05:002011-01-08T10:19:39.106-05:00Those are some really good points, Sally. Home li...Those are some really good points, Sally. Home life makes an excellent balance for all the rest of life -- and today's kids don't spend nearly enough time at home!<br /><br />I am so glad homeschooling is working out so well for your family. So different from being a formal teacher!Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-24549686629761110132011-01-01T11:38:56.358-05:002011-01-01T11:38:56.358-05:00This is a lovely post. And it's so nice to hea...This is a lovely post. And it's so nice to hear this kind of reflection from an adult who was homeschooled. <br /><br />My oldest child went to school for four years (in a state school in England), and we pulled her from school at nine for many of the same reasons your mother articulates in her note to your father, though we were still in the crying stage at that point. I'm kind of glad we never progressed to "glaring." I think the observation that we build ships in port is brilliant. <br /><br />And it's not as though homeschooling completely insulates children from social experience, either. Both my girls -- and for some reason these things seem to be part and parcel of girl dynamics; my boys have been totally happy-go-lucky, socially -- have experienced the clique thing with other homeschooled girls, the "two's company/three's a crowd" syndrome, the "but the boys all like the girls in the spaghetti-strap tank tops" syndrome, the "boys like bubbly extroverted girls and I'm not" syndrome . . . in short (except for the boy stuff, which we weren't dealing with when our oldest was nine), pretty much the same kinds of things we experienced when the older kids went to school. <br /><br />I think the main difference is the focus. When children go to school, that's their world. Home is a refuge, to be sure, but they're not there that much, and when something's going wrong at school, it's as if the whole universe is imploding. In homeschooling, the world of home and family encroaches on that external, social world in a serious way, and balances it. My oldest teenager is invested in her friends for sure, but she sees her siblings and parents as allies in a way that I know I never did, and that's been very valuable to her, especially as a sensitive, introverted person who feels her joys and griefs deeply. She's off to college next year, a more confident, focused, self-motivated person than I would have envisioned her becoming, back when she was nine. <br /><br />And as a formal public-school teacher, I know what you mean about wanting to, essentially, homeschool them all (though I didn't have that paradigm in mind when I was in the classroom). I often feel that way about the 36 children in my First Communion class now. I do my best to give those kids at least something of what my children get at home, but really it's impossible, and I end up sending stuff home in the hopes that their parents will get a clue . . . <br /><br />I haven't had anyone make DNA, though we've had lots of short stories, a Latin bingo game (made for a class of younger children my oldest taught last year), and other good stuff. I make plans, but then I'm overjoyed when they come up with something better.Sally Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05014351173194941624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-7300972399583404752010-09-25T09:26:11.745-04:002010-09-25T09:26:11.745-04:00Heather, your point of view about cliques seems to...Heather, your point of view about cliques seems to have been my dad's suggestion as well. My mom's point was that so much exposure to cliques was not "toughening" me, but actually hardening me and making me a less nice person. She said that we build ships in port, not on the open seas -- that childhood is a time for sheltering and gradual exposure to the world, not fullscale entry into the hard realities of the world before one is really ready for them.<br /><br />Yes, I'll be the first to admit that I'm unusually trusting, that I tend to assume the best of people, that I'm willing to start conversations with strangers without worrying about whether they will shun me (or losing much sleep if they do), that I am not "cool." However, I don't think this is a bad thing. I'm not really sure what the long-term benefit is of being exposed to cliques and mean people at a young age. The only long-term effect I know of is a huge drop in self-esteem and confidence among adults who were bullied as children (as I was, during those years).<br /><br />I do hope and try to bring some of that great educational experience to the kids I teach, but somehow it gets really difficult to manage with a large class. I can't let them *all* decide what our direction will be, because we have to go together. I do stress that they are responsible for their own learning, that I'm not going to shove knowledge into their heads against their will.<br /><br />But I guess you did have some chances in public school to make games and newspapers! That's good, and shows some teachers have managed to make room for such things.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-74600386990688493972010-09-24T18:15:33.472-04:002010-09-24T18:15:33.472-04:00"But think of it this way: conventional schoo..."But think of it this way: conventional schooling insists that kids learn dozens of facts every day, and yet it is taken for granted that they won't remember much of it when they're grown up."<br /><br />You destroy public schooling in sentence; very nice.<br /><br />I also liked the story . . . <br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-5172354289552226142010-09-24T00:48:27.783-04:002010-09-24T00:48:27.783-04:00Bravo.
I agree with you that working to learn wil...Bravo. <br />I agree with you that working to learn will lead to learning. <br />And it builds character. This can happen in a creative school setting with a creative formal teacher, or at home. I don't think schooling inherently is all rote, but hopefully more teachers are being trained today in innovative interactive methods. <br /><br />On the other hand, I think a little bit of exposure to cliques like you had in middle school can be good to build endurance of personality. I know I'm stronger for all that bullying and insecurity and indignance. It took a while, but I got there. <br /><br />Oh, homemade board games! I made one about the novel, The Cay. And homemade newspapers! I think your Spanish Gazette would have a fine time hanging out with my Norway Times or something or other (name uncertain since it's buried in a box right now).Heatherhttp://hungryheather.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-72851521407815210262010-09-23T18:54:33.497-04:002010-09-23T18:54:33.497-04:00okay, I would LOVE a Monopoly-style game about cel...okay, I would LOVE a Monopoly-style game about cellular metabolism! That is right up my alley! I majored in biology :)<br /><br />That's so great that you were able to take so much out of your homeschooling. I think it gives a lot of hope to those who wish to homeschool their children.Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18037863893536646602noreply@blogger.com