Homeschooling
by Kati Jan 08
We like to call this Road schooling. Our family has always homeschooled. So for our family this was not a big transition to get use to when we started full timing. There are many approaches to Homeschooling. All families are different, so there is not one way to do it. We have changed our outlook and philosophy several times throughout the years. Homeschooling was never something that I thought I would do. When we lived in Coral Springs, Florida we had a friend mention homeschooling to us. I was not ready to send Auvi away for 7 hours a day. I was also nervous about sending her to a South Florida Public School. So we thought why not try it for a year. We were hooked! And we have done it ever since.
Homeschooling Techniques and Styles
There are several styles to home schooling. Below I will describe a few of the homeschooling styles and techniques.
1. Road Schooling
Road Schooling is when you use your surroundings as a teaching guide. We love this approach to homeschooling. By educating your child on the road you are able to make things come alive. I feel that by touching, holding, breathing, feeling and living a subject a child can truly learn it. Imagine you are in the 5 th grade. Mrs. Wilson is telling you about the Seminole War. She reads to you about the Indians and how they were slowly loosing their land. She tells you about the 107 soldiers who were walking on December 28,1835 for days. She reads to you that on that day 180 Indians fought for their land and 104 soldiers died that day. BUT do you remember it?
Now imagine that you are there on the exact spot. You are on the Dade Battlefield. It is December 28, 2007. You feel how solemn and sacred this land feels. Hundreds of people are dressed in 1800 era clothing. You walk through the villages and see the food and the items that were being bartered. You feel the 90 degree weather beating down on you. As people come together there is the smell of sweat and weeds mixed together. Slowly a soldier walks out and tells you that he was one of only 2 who survived the battle. Then the 107 US Soldiers walk out of the vegetation. You hear them celebrating because they think that they are home free. They have been promised a large Christmas feast and rest. You can see in their eyes that these soldiers are hungry, hot and tired. As you begin to feel the hope that they feel that morning you are startled by a loud Whoop. Out of nowhere 180 Indians come riding in shouting and shooting their guns. You can feel the desperation as the soldiers try to find cover as they stoop down onto the low lying plants. This battles does not take long. Quickly you see men die. Then you see medics trying to help these men. They have hardly any water or medicine. The trumpets keep playing its commands. You see the men looking for more gun powder as the supplies run desperately low. You hear and feel the blow of the canon as it is fired. Slowly they all die one by one. The feeling in the air is heavy, solemn, hot, and desperate. And then it is over. The Indians take the weapons they can. They rejoice and they ride away in victory. As you sit there in silence. You see a body slowly move from under a soldier. You see a man who looks like death himself crawl to find another alive. From there you hear of their story.
I could have never made that scene come to life for my children. Being able to see the land, feel the heat and smell the smells made this part of history come alive for them. If I had read that they may have imagined a snow bank or a dessert where this fight took place. They will always remember the feeling that they had from being there. This is Road Schooling.
You do not need to be on the road to have these experiences. You can find many places to visit whereever you live. Look around the sky is the limit when it comes to learning.
2. School-at-Home
School-at-home is the style most often recognized. This is also the most expensive method and the style with the highest burnout rate. Most families who follow the school-at-home approach and purchase a boxed curriculum that comes with textbooks, study schedules, grades, and record keeping. This is the approach that we first took when we began Homeschooling. We started out with ABeka. ABeka is a wonderful Homeschooling program. Currently we are using ABeka Math Curriculum. Essentially you bring public school into your home without the influences of the public but with all the same stress and requirements.
Some families use the school-at-home approach but make up their own lesson plans and find their own learning materials.
3. Classical Homeschooling
The "classical" method began in the Middle Ages and was the approach used by some of the greatest minds in history. The goal of the classical approach is to teach people how to learn for themselves. The five tools of learning, known as the Trivium, are reason, record, research, relate, and rhetoric. Younger children begin with the preparing stage, where they learn basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. The grammar stage is next, which emphasizes compositions and collections, and then the dialectic stage, where serious reading, study, and research take place.
4. Leadership education (Thomas Jefferson Education)
Leadership education teaches students how to think and prepares them to be leaders in their homes & communities, entrepreneurs in business, and statesmen in government. ***This is the type of education that I want for my children and I would guess most of you want for your children. It encourages thinking outside the box, which is difficult for many homeschoolers.
Throughout history, leaders have been schooled by mentors and tutors. They study the classics with guidance from their mentors. It is the mentor system that creates leaders. Unfortunately the leaders in America have been trained to be professionals and specialists - not leaders. Most of our nation consists of followers who do not have a problem with the system at hand. If our children are to overcome this dilemma, we must train them to be entrepreneurs and statesmen by the historically-proven methods for training leaders .
There are three basic categories followed in this model.
a. Core phase- this generally occurs with toddlers and is the time in their life where they will learn what is right and wrong and good and bad. Sometimes older kids/adults find themselves needing to revisit earlier stages.
b. Love of Learning- In this phase, generally from about 7-12, your child begins to understand the enjoyment behind learning. When you learn how to make the fastest paper airplane or the best recipe for cookies you begin to understand that you can enjoy learning things. There will be no solid focus on any one subject for long periods of time here as attention span may be short during this phase but it is crucial that you assist your kids in developing an understanding of the great enjoyment that comes from learning. Many adults remain in this phase.
c. Scholar phase- During this phase you will be sorting out what your mission may be in life and how you would like to contribute back to the world. A student during this phase is generally between 13 and 19. They will have found some areas that greatly interest them and will devote long hours to researching as much as they can about it. Not because a test is coming up but because they feel a desire to know all they can about it.
The Thomas Jefferson Education philosophy and support systems have changed our lives. It has refocused us on the importance of a true leadership education for our children. This paragraph summary does no justice to the amazing wealth of knowledge you will find amongst their website and their organizations.
You can purchase the book A Thomas Jefferson Education by: Dr. Oliver Van DeMille For more information you can go to www.GWC.edu
5. "Relaxed" or "Eclectic" Homeschooling
"Relaxed" or "Eclectic" homeschooling is the method used most often by homeschoolers. Basically, eclectic homeschoolers use a little of this and a little of that, using workbooks for math, reading, and spelling, and taking an "unschooling" approach for the other subjects.
This approach works great for families who want their children to be able to focus on what their interest are. In our family some children are more focused on math than science. By using this approach we are able to interchange text books, mentors, field trips, and specialized classes.
6. Unschooling
Unschooling is also known as natural, interest-led, and child-led learning. Unschoolers learn from everyday life experiences and do not use school schedules or formal lessons. Instead, unschooled children follow their interests and learn in much the same way as adults do—by pursuing an interest or curiosity. This approach was unpopular years ago. Now many families are unschooling in one way or another. By unschooling children are able to learn by their own natural curiosity. I have a son who is fascinated by insects and nature. By studying nature he has learned several skills. In Nature he has learned to watch for patterns, these patterns are then turned into math. The math is then turned into science and biology. Our personal belief is that our primary job is to instill the love of learning in our children. By doing this they will thrive and enjoy learning in all areas. Rachelle DeMille has a great pamphlet that you can purchase on www.GWC.edu on the Love of Learning.
The advantage to unschooling is that unschooled children have the time and research abilities to become experts in their areas of interest. The disadvantage is that because unschoolers do not follow the typical school schedule, they may not do as well on grade-level assessments and may have a harder time if they reenter the school system
7. The Charlotte Mason Method
The Charlotte Mason method has at its core the belief that children deserve to be respected and that they learn best from real-life situations. According to Charlotte Mason, children should be given time to play, create, and be involved in real-life situations from which they can learn. Students of the Charlotte Mason method take nature walks, visit art museums, and learn geography, history, and literature from "living books," books that make these subjects come alive. Students also show what they know, not by taking tests, but via narration and discussion. Popular books on this method include A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education, both by Katherine Levison.
8. The Waldorf Method
The Waldorf method is also used in some homeschools. Waldorf education is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and stresses the importance of educating the whole child—body, mind, and spirit. In the early grades, there is an emphasis on arts and crafts, music and movement, and nature. Older children are taught to develop self-awareness and how to reason things out for themselves. Children in a Waldorf homeschool do not use standard textbooks; instead, the children create their own books. The Waldorf method also discourages the use of television and computers because they believe computers are bad for the child's health and creativity.
Books about the Waldorf method are available from the Rudolf Steiner Bookstore (1-916-961-8727). Waldorf curriculum and support is available from Oak Meadow (1-818-704-1046). More information about the Waldorf method can be viewed at Wonder Homeschool.
Overview
These are just a few home school techniques. There is no right or wrong program. Each family and each child will find a way that works for them. If you have any questions regarding any of this information please feel free to contact Kati at mom@ourloudfamily.com
Every child is great. Just look into the eyes of a child and you will see that they truly can accomplish anything they put their minds to. Let's help them reach their full potential.