One of the things I love about homeschooling is its portability. He practiced math (his choice) while we were out having spontaneous breakfast.
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Homeschool kicks off
Today was Day 1 on the books. Although I feel every day is a day of learning and educational opportunities, today was the first day we took attendance for record purposes. It went very well. At least three times in the middle of our day Doran exclaimed, "I love home school!" Guess we're off to a great start!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Finding My Groove
Starting the homeschooling journey feels so much like starting the parenting journey. You read, you study, you take a break from reading, you try some ideas out, then you panic and go back to reading some more. After all, there's so much to know! So many opinions on the same subject, how can you ever decide which one is best.
It seems there are plenty of experts on how to educate your child, whether at home, private school or public school. I've read articles, books, editorials, blogs, etc. by many of them and feel just as scared and uncertain about this step as I did when I first brought my bundle of joy home. One mistake and I'll ruin everything!
Thankfully I know better than that, and now it's time to step away from all the reading, abandon any and all official labels, and just be with my son, listening to him, working with him, experiencing life with him. And if anyone is going to be the expert on him, it's going to be me.
It seems there are plenty of experts on how to educate your child, whether at home, private school or public school. I've read articles, books, editorials, blogs, etc. by many of them and feel just as scared and uncertain about this step as I did when I first brought my bundle of joy home. One mistake and I'll ruin everything!
Thankfully I know better than that, and now it's time to step away from all the reading, abandon any and all official labels, and just be with my son, listening to him, working with him, experiencing life with him. And if anyone is going to be the expert on him, it's going to be me.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Now it's really official
Doran is officially withdrawn from public school. Let the new adventure begin!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Way Back
As I've been mulling over different styles of homeschooling and considering what might work best for us, I've also been trying to decide when to start. Tonight it occurred to me that we would not be "starting" anything. Rather, we'd be returning to the way of learning we embraced in the beginning: following our bliss.
Doran and I had a great conversation today after I revealed to him (with his "permission") who his teacher would have been for first grade. We talked about his experience in kindergarten, what events were good for him and which ones were bad. One instance in particular stuck out for both of us, an occasion when he expressed feelings of frustration regarding his pairing of reading partner (she was still struggling with letter recognition at the time and he was reading fluently and independently). He shared with me for the first time today that he feels it was at that moment that he became less interested in reading.
My heart broke hearing his honest confession, and I remembered my own reaction to the phone call I received about the incident. I automatically took the teacher's side and made my son feel guilty for having needs that weren't being met in the situation. I apologized to him today and thanked him for sharing with me. It was eye-opening to say the least.
So as I think about when we'll start this new adventure, I realize that we're not really starting anything. We'll just be returning to the philosophy that worked well for us in the beginning: play has worth and learning is more meaningful when done in an environment of joy and pleasure. What a timely reminder for both of us!
Doran and I had a great conversation today after I revealed to him (with his "permission") who his teacher would have been for first grade. We talked about his experience in kindergarten, what events were good for him and which ones were bad. One instance in particular stuck out for both of us, an occasion when he expressed feelings of frustration regarding his pairing of reading partner (she was still struggling with letter recognition at the time and he was reading fluently and independently). He shared with me for the first time today that he feels it was at that moment that he became less interested in reading.
My heart broke hearing his honest confession, and I remembered my own reaction to the phone call I received about the incident. I automatically took the teacher's side and made my son feel guilty for having needs that weren't being met in the situation. I apologized to him today and thanked him for sharing with me. It was eye-opening to say the least.
So as I think about when we'll start this new adventure, I realize that we're not really starting anything. We'll just be returning to the philosophy that worked well for us in the beginning: play has worth and learning is more meaningful when done in an environment of joy and pleasure. What a timely reminder for both of us!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Exploring Options
Unschooling. The word excites and frightens me. It is in complete opposition to the educational system with which I grew up and yet it is so deliciously appealing. I sit and imagine what my son's experience of life would be if he was free to explore his own interests in his own time. What would my experience be like? How would he grow and how would I change? I'm so acutely aware of my control issues and just the idea of releasing them so drastically brings an exhilarating sense of freedom.
But I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. No curriculum? At all? But I love curriculum! No schedule? No checklists? What about that state-mandated assessment test he would need to complete at the end of each school year? Will he be able to "make it" in the "real world" without formal education? That requires a great deal of trust not only in him but in me and the world around me. What an intense test of faith.
And the TV/video game issue, not to mention chores and allowance. Can I trust my child to eventually learn to self-regulate how much time he spends in front of the computer or TV? Part of me says, "Yes. Take today for example." He and I had no vehicle so we walked to the library, then to lunch, then to ice cream for dessert and finally back home. He played computer games for about 30 minutes before we moved onto playing board and card games. Several hours later we watched TV together, snuggling on the couch, laughing at slapstick comedy. We then read a great book, chatted one last time, and it was time for him to go to bed. We stayed so busy with being together that he barely asked for screen time at all. It was a good day.
I've said frequently that I just want my boy to be happy. I also want to raise a sensitive, compassionate, responsible person who contributes to the world around him in some way. I have just enough romanticism to believe he can be all of that and just enough practicality to find the way to make it happen.
But I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. No curriculum? At all? But I love curriculum! No schedule? No checklists? What about that state-mandated assessment test he would need to complete at the end of each school year? Will he be able to "make it" in the "real world" without formal education? That requires a great deal of trust not only in him but in me and the world around me. What an intense test of faith.
And the TV/video game issue, not to mention chores and allowance. Can I trust my child to eventually learn to self-regulate how much time he spends in front of the computer or TV? Part of me says, "Yes. Take today for example." He and I had no vehicle so we walked to the library, then to lunch, then to ice cream for dessert and finally back home. He played computer games for about 30 minutes before we moved onto playing board and card games. Several hours later we watched TV together, snuggling on the couch, laughing at slapstick comedy. We then read a great book, chatted one last time, and it was time for him to go to bed. We stayed so busy with being together that he barely asked for screen time at all. It was a good day.
I've said frequently that I just want my boy to be happy. I also want to raise a sensitive, compassionate, responsible person who contributes to the world around him in some way. I have just enough romanticism to believe he can be all of that and just enough practicality to find the way to make it happen.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
It's official!
Open Minds School of Discovery is officially registered and legal for operation as of Tuesday! I still have to withdraw Doran from public school, but the biggest part of the process has been completed. Now to get started!
Even though we are legal, we won't officially begin taking attendance for at least a couple of weeks. While I've been steadily and eagerly assembling materials and reading, reading, reading, I still have some loose ends to tie up before jumping in to our next big adventure. I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions the past couple of weeks, trying to listen to my heart (and my son) and tune out other people's expectations. I'm a people-pleasing approval seeker but my heart's desires are often unconventional, so one can only imagine the inner turmoil I experience on a regular basis. Ultimately I've had to accept that there is no "right" answer in this situation. I've had to make a choice between two appealing options and hope my intuition leads me well as it has many times before.
So I'm nervous and excited and eager to see what adventures await! I know we'll face challenges and I may even feel like giving up, but I know neither one of us will be the same for the experience, and that feels just wonderful.
Best of all, I have a new-found reason to blog more frequently (I know, I know, I've said that before). I think this will be a great way to document our experience. I'll even schedule time into our day for it. Goodness knows that's the only way it'll get done!
Even though we are legal, we won't officially begin taking attendance for at least a couple of weeks. While I've been steadily and eagerly assembling materials and reading, reading, reading, I still have some loose ends to tie up before jumping in to our next big adventure. I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions the past couple of weeks, trying to listen to my heart (and my son) and tune out other people's expectations. I'm a people-pleasing approval seeker but my heart's desires are often unconventional, so one can only imagine the inner turmoil I experience on a regular basis. Ultimately I've had to accept that there is no "right" answer in this situation. I've had to make a choice between two appealing options and hope my intuition leads me well as it has many times before.
So I'm nervous and excited and eager to see what adventures await! I know we'll face challenges and I may even feel like giving up, but I know neither one of us will be the same for the experience, and that feels just wonderful.
Best of all, I have a new-found reason to blog more frequently (I know, I know, I've said that before). I think this will be a great way to document our experience. I'll even schedule time into our day for it. Goodness knows that's the only way it'll get done!
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