Continuing the homeschool data dump…
Twenty years ago when I first started thinking about homeschooling (but had been thinking about education for a long while before, starting when I was 17 and with great excitement read The Lost Tools of Learning for the first time), it seemed much more of an expression of the individuality not only of the child and his learning style, but also of the family undertaking it.
And this was a good thing.
Although it's wonderful that so many resources are available to parents today (in particular the internet itself, without which I can hardly imagine how I did anything back then), nevertheless, thinking about one's family as unique and on some sort of special mission through life helps, rather than hinders, the process of developing a vision and sticking with it.
If you are always looking over your shoulder at what others are doing you'll never get anywhere, and the most detrimental effect comes from the influence of the over-achieving parent who puts a premium on the appearance of activity and results.
The wise parent, on the other hand, knows that a show of effort on the part of Mom hardly ever reaps progress on the part of little Suzy. On the contrary, you might say there is an inverse relationship: little Suzy often knows, at some elemental level, that not only need she not respond when the parental whirlwind is in full force — she knows that the whirlwind will whirl all the more the less she does, covering up her mental laziness.
Parents who provide an environment of order and wonder — and then step back– get the best out of their children, although I freely admit what is obvious to the greatest ponderers of child development: No one really knows how children learn.
By this I mean the deep, internal, mysterious learning that produces a person in love with pursuing knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. It's the whole “you can lead a horse to water” question…
Which is not to detract from the benefit of a strong teacher, a well thought out course, or a logical curriculum. This is why I call the process mysterious. You just never know when a child will catch fire, or even when something is smoldering within, invisible to the naked eye — or when he will be impervious to the most imaginative instruction.
I don't like the continual comparison that goes on between homeschoolers (I do it too, and find myself often in a state of panic over someone else's choices) for these reasons; but that's not to say that good examples aren't out there.
Usually they are parents who did step back after furnishing the very best of who they are to their children.
One of the first books I read was Homeschooling for Excellence — an interesting account of a family who sent their boys to Harvard after keeping them busy homesteading in California.
(You can probably just get it at the library.)
If you read between the lines (armed with your knowledge of how you would report on your homeschooling if you were also homesteading), you realize that the Colfaxes did very little in the way of formal schooling or providing a curriculum — I think they, in classic form, vastly overstate the formality of what they did, as informal as it seems to the reader. It was probably in reality much less than how it seems in their presentation.
Which is something to think about!
But they themselves were educated, they provided meaningful work for their children, they clearly passed on their passion for excellence in general to their children, and in addition, they took advantage of the rarity of their experience to capture the attention of the Harvard admissions committee (full disclosure: we did the same thing! Now it's not such a sure bet that homeschooling is unusual enough to be in itself a recommendation.)
Excellence is not a quality you can package. But there are different kinds of excellence, and each family can find its own unique path to this sought-after state. As for academic excellence, it pays to listen to those who possess it.
So I often recommend that parents read the articles on the Arthur Robinson curriculum site.*
Academically he is as strong as they come (in science) and his children have excelled in academe.
{Which leads me to express one of my strongest principles: Don't take advice from people who haven't run the race! One thing that slays me is books written by homeschoolers whose children haven't gone to high school, much less college or on to a career! Yet it's one of the commonest things!}
Robinson has a great, compelling story; one that helps us see that we are getting a bit whiny when we don't notice immediate results or when we assume that all knowledge will enter our children's minds by a path that goes through ours — which, when you think about it, is foolish and arrogant. He knew what he wanted to do and he did it, despite the obstacle of having his wife pass away when the youngest of their six children was only a baby.
If you are struggling with thoughts of how your children just aren't getting things or how long it takes them to do the simplest tasks, read the Robinson story. Then read the other articles on the sidebar. It's a bit of tough love for the spoiled homeschooler, and I find it really helps put things into perspective.
That's my little bit for today…and let me know what you thought of these links when you get to them!
*Disclaimer: I think he's a bit of a nut, although a harmless one, politically (at least, I don't find myself stockpiling food, and living in a small town in New England is the closest I'll get to seeking shelter from the coming cataclysm, whatever form it may take). And I wouldn't buy his curriculum because I think children need real books, not CD-ROMs, and I think it's part of the task of forming a family to collect the books they need, just as you feed or clothe them.
Pippajo says
Ooooh, boy, you've got the gears in my brain all oiled up and starting to whir. That's all I'm saying at this point…
Laura says
I was studying to be a high school English and/or Math teacher when I got married. Because I switched majors part way through college, I wound up with a lot of religion classes, English classes, and math classes, but the only education class that I had was my Teaching Religion course. (I had been studying to go into church work, a Director of Christian Education.) Anyways, when I married I was not through with my degree and was unable to continue as my husband was in grad school and someone needed to work to pay the bills. At the time I was in school, I was very good in the two subjects I was studying and was very studious. Since then, my education has been in diaper changing, care of little ones, minor childhood illnesses and asthma, household chores, etc… By the time that my kids are old enough to be learning things like calculus, I won't remember any of it. I never liked science and don't know how I could ever teach my kids about the weather and layers of the earth and stuff like that that kids learn. The reason why I really am interested in homeschooling is that I think that kids should not be in school for 8 or more hours a day and 180 days a year. I think that that is horrible. What scares me is that I don't know everything, and I'm worried about their social development. I went to public school until college and my husband went to private school for all but one year out of 24 total years. I have met children who were schooled at home, but only when I was a child. Those kids seemed to not have friends and often were very hard to talk to. Now, this comes from a girl who didn't have friends in school and was considered an outcast in my tiny school (33 in my graduating class). My parents never took the time to invest in friendships because they spent all their spare time with us kids. As an adult, I am really trying hard to learn how to make friends and want my children to have friends. I live very far from family, so having friends nearby seems like a positive thing. Okay, so there is the background to help you understand my fears. Any thoughts on all that?
Leila says
Pippajo– you are scaring me. :)Laura — I'm not telling you to homeschool! Everything I've said applies to raising kids — whether in school or out.I've spent the last 30 years being scared — scared of not doing the right thing — so join the club! ;)It's true that friendships are important. School builds community — at least, that's the idea. Pray and seek what God's will for you in this. There are no easy answers!No one teaches every subject to their children! There are books and other resources, and by the time they hit high school (and calculus, and science) you need those resources any which way you can get them. I'll talk more about this — meanwhile, check out that Ambleside link!
Briana says
Totally Awesome! We use the Robinson Curriculum which we have tailored to our style of homeschool along with other things. You don't read the books on the computer. You print them. They are scans of the original books so they turn out pretty good for a home printed book. You can find most of the books on project gutenberg but I thing the program is worth the cost since they are ready to print and have the original pics, etc. Just a little fyi. Oh, and I love Ambleside Online also. This year I am using http://oldfashionededucation.com/fullcurriculum.h… for my younger ones. I am trying out her schedule. I subbed some of the books we already have for some on the plan. Thanks for the last two articles. It's fun to see how other homeschool "outside the box"!
Leila says
Thanks, Brianna! Of course, you are right about printing the books out in the Robinson Curriculum, but I stand by my assessment. I think there can be some printed-out material in the home school, but for the most part children and adults need real books.The different sizes, the varied design, the weight of the different papers — all these things and more give texture to the intellectual life, and prevent it from becoming two-dimensional. Collecting books is truly one of the joys of life. Much more important than collecting recipes!The "living books" or however you want to identify them deserve a place on the bookshelf. Sometimes they can be taken out from the library — but increasingly, the library doesn't have them.Also, the winds of government control are blowing. If the "safety" people have their way, the sale of old children's books will be banned! <a href="http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/09/01/article/seller_beware_feds_cracking_down_on_secondhand_sales_of_some_productshttp://www.news-record.com/content/2009/09/01/art… />(This law does not exclude books!)So it's more important than ever for each family to have its own real library.I think it's good that the RC has scans of all these books — and a whole lot of them can be found online for free in any case — and I'm sure families will always make good use of material in this form.
entropy says
I have some strong opinions, I believe I have a vision but then I read a post by you and come away thinking that I really don't know anything! I mean that in the best possible way. Excellent series so far.
Crafty P says
okay, okay… reading, interested, and looking forward to more!
Sally says
Great blog!! :)A giveaway at my blog in memory of my 17 y/o grandson who passed away a week ago this weds. if you'd like to participate. Thanks.
Camille says
I have a 3 yr old and a 10 mo old (almost) and I am planning to homeschool (even though my hubs is a public school teacher!). The other day as I am running around cooking, changing diapers, cleaning, cooking again, cleaning and am exhausted by noon… I wonder when in the world I would have the time or energy to homeschool? How in the world do you fit it all in?
admin says
You energize me!
Wanderingsue says
Ooooooh, it's all so exciting! I'm a qualified primary (elementary) school teacher and have no belief at all that that will help us in any way at except shutting up critics. Man, there's this gorgeous school just slightly too far away- check out the Family School in Larkhall, anyone in South London.Didn't even start off to say those things, just thanks Auntie Leila- love this topic even more than your quilts!
Jeannie says
I'm really late to the questions but I was re-reading your posts and sorting out my thoughts. What's your take on the Book of Knowledge series of older years? I have never seen them but am contemplating a local craigslist set for a very reasonable price. Are they worth having on the shelf? My oldest are 9 and about to turn 7 and read everything in sight!Thanks for your blog-love it!
Leila says
Jeannie, I'm not familiar with that one. If it is something like Journeys Through Bookland — a series that we have that is a collection of children's stories and literature — it's probably worth having. Most publishers had their own version once upon a time — nicely produced with good illustrations. But if that's not it, then I can't say!
Catie H says
Hi Aunt Leila,
I just read through Arthur Robinson’s story and rules for his home school… did you adopt this “self teach” method in your own home school? I know you don’t buy into all his theories (for one, I know you use sugar!) and I know you prefer books to cd-roms, but regarding the self-teaching part… I can see how this makes sense. When I was in High school and College, I would consistently let my mind wander during a lecture only to truly teach myself the information late in the evening when I actually gave the textbook my earnest attention. Wondering if you went this route with your children (however loosely)?
Thank you! 🙂
Catie
Leila says
Catie, yes– that is what I find helpful about Robinson’s articles. He does a good job of explaining how kids learn — insofar as it can be explained at all. I have no doubt that God blessed him in his situation — his wife dying so early on, and his good faith effort to do his best for his children.
That said, I am not discounting the role of the teacher. The parents can teach. But it’s a different thing from what we usually think of — it’s not about stuffing their heads with information and dragging them through their studies. A teacher is a delicate practitioner of a high art. You know when to speak and help and when to wisely let the student wrestle with things on his own.
Robinson definitely gave me the courage, as someone further down the road than I, to go with my inner conviction not to set up “school” at home in the conventional sense.