One Sixteenth

How to Start Homeschooling

Hi all. Good morning! It's late, and I'm in a bad mood. My blog rules forbid me to tell you why, though, so on to something else.

Right now, I know several parents who are either seriously considering homeschooling, or have taken the plunge. I'd like to take this opportunity to give you the benefit ::snort:: of my three years of experience.

The first thing you should know is that it won't be like you think it will be. It will be better. And worse. It will be harder. And easier. But it will be different.

Be flexible.

The first year will likely be horrible. You will have many, many bad days. You will be frustrated and stressed out. Your child will not want to cooperate. In fact, you might not get through any of your curriculum that first year.

That's okay.

That's okay??

Yes, it is.

It takes time to adjust. If your child has been in school already, it takes time to adjust to having them home full-time. You will drive each other crazy. Your job, this first year, is to use this time to get to know each other better. Try new ideas. See what works and what doesn't. Work on your relationship with each other. Have fun together.

Parents, we are socialized to think that our kids are burdens, and we should be glad when they're off at school so we can get some peace/relax/get some work done. You have to redefine that entire mindset. That takes work, and time. You are not used to dealing with your child full-time, without "breaks." This is the time to get over it. "Breaks" are a product of our modern society. What do you think Ma Ingalls would think of the idea?

This process of learning how to function with each other without breaks, in a teacher/student relationship as well as a parent/child relationship, can take a long time. Even a year. Or so. Like I said, that's okay. The dirty secret here is that it really doesn't take that much time to "catch up" on academics. That's easy. The relationship is the hard part.

If your child has never been to school, you will need to take this first year to learn how to work more formal learning into your life. How you do this will depend on your philosophy of education. Which brings me to my next point:

The first thing that every new homeschooling parent, or any prospective homeschooling parent, should do is to sit down and write out your personal theory of education. What is education? What does a student need to do to for you to consider them "educated"? What are your highest aspirations for your children? What is the bare minimum you will accept?

As you do this, here are some points for you to keep in mind: Education has been around for many thousands of years. Think about the implications of that statement. Education had meaning, value, and definition long before your state standards were written.

The government has no monopoly on education. Your state education department is just a bunch of people who made some decisions. There is nothing magic about their proclamations. There is nothing magic about your state's curriculum, or standards. They represent one group of people's view of what education should be. That view may or may not be the same as yours.

You, on the other hand, as a homeschooler, are free to choose your own yardstick. Maybe you will choose to stick by the state. Maybe you will choose to look to ancient Greece and Rome for your standards. Maybe you will look to our nation's founders. Maybe you will create something else altogether.

You have a great deal of leeway, even in restrictive states. Go to the library and check out all the books you can find about education. Read them. Talk to your spouse. Begin to get a handle on the awesome freedom and responsibility you have.

Once you have written down your philosophy and goals of your child's education, you can begin to think about curriculum and methods. Another important point: a curriculum is a tool. There is nothing magic about curricula, either.

It's scary, at first, to break away from the public school model. It's been drilled into our heads for all our lives. We worry about whether our children are "keeping up," or are "on track."

It's all bunk. Really. Really. The entire idea of "keeping up" is meaningless.

Get the big picture view of how you want your child to be educated. Keep it firmly in mind. You have until they graduate from high school to attain that vision. There's plenty of time. Really. Relax.

And good luck.

Posted by Steph at February 20, 2005 01:50 AM