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Tina P.
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lapazfarm wrote:
Here is the thing: no matter if you think of traditional modern schooling as a military" or factory mentality, the fact remains that the model is a failure. What it produces (intended or not) are a bunch of mediocre "products" that can fit neatly and uniformly into boxes. Creativity and true genius are squelched in the name of conformity and efficiency.
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I take offense to this huge generalization, Theresa (this is not a personal affront, just wanted to point out that you need to be more wary before you speak/write; the military is a huge organizaiton, and as MamaJen pointed out, they do "meaningful work"). Not *everyone* who comes out of the military or out of a modern school is an automaton. Not all homes can boast the love and nurturing that yours and mine can. And some children need to free themselves, as I explained in my previous post, from less-than-perfect homes to become the reliable, steady adults that they are. The military is a natural choice. You can be independent very quickly and learn *life* lessons (ie: how to save/spend money wisely, how to cook for yourself ... ) with mentors stepping in to help when needed.
Now beyond that, I know that many of us on these boards went to an *ordinary* school and I see scads of creativity coming from all quadrants. Or are you suggesting that real life is where we found our voluminous creativity?
And my kids frankly don't care to do the work that's required for this creativity. I started Confirmation lap books with them *months* ago. Guess what's done? I copied and pasted the cover of the book onto the file folder that *I* folded for them just the right way. I explained what I wanted from them for the different areas of their lap books and even offered to help them get it all organized ... that's as far as it went. My dd went so far as to write one minibook.  The interest fizzled. Maybe I'm not enough of the teacher-as-artist-model.
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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msclavel
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 5:42pm | IP Logged
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Oh my, another great thread.
Well, I'll jump in and share about my husband's "education". By every one else's reckoning, he was a "failure" at school. Parents too wrapped up in their own stress (he grew up very poor) and a not very maternal mother left him pretty much on his own. He came home to an empty house starting in 4th grade. No one asked him what he learned, no one read to him, no one made sure he did all his homework. He is very bright, but hated the drudgery of school. He hated homework and tests. He eventually dropped out of high school and got his GED a few years later. Never went to college. He is now an extremely successful Network/Computer Engineer and has moved quickly in his current job. He owned his own company (VERY small) for a few years. Every technical/management skill he knows he learned by himself. His ability to learn quickly by reading and then doing amazes me. His ability to solve complex problems is uncanny.
So what's the point? For years everyone thought his education was a failure. In most respects it was (he still hates reading any kind of literature), still his ability to learn what he loved was never diminished and in the end he "designed his own curriculum" and still does. As I look at the natural abilities and learning styles of my children, my husband's experience always weighs heavily. I want them to love to learn what they love to learn about. Sometimes that means "I" have to get out of the way. I totally understand what you mean Cay about designing "their" curriculum, not mine.
I've gone on too long, I can't wait to keep following this thread.
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lapazfarm
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Tina, I am sorry if what I said offended. I am NOT anti-military AT ALL! I have a daughter who was in the Army and it did her tremendous good. My ds is very interested in the Coast Guard and I am supportive of that should that be where life takes him (he is only 11 so who knows).I think the military is a fantastic institution and a perfect fit for many folks. But those are adults.
My beef is when we try to, as Michelle pointed out, apply the military mentality to educating children.
Uniformity is vital in the military (hence the "uniforms"), where each man is a part of something much larger than himself.
Not so much in kindergarten.
Am I suggesting that every child that comes out of public schools is an automaton? Of course not! That is rediculous.
But if you read up on the history of public schools in this nation you will see that that is exactly what they were designed to produce. Productive workers for the factories, to build a strong economy, etc etc.
Am I suggesting that some of us who are creative got that from real life? Absolutely.
I know I did. Despite my largely pathetic public school education.
That said, I'd like to return the conversation to Cay's original questions about homeschooling and creating a curriculum to suit our child's needs.
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 6:24pm | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
My 9 yr old dd on the other hand is the opposite, constantly reading, writing, learning...and she wants to try "real" school. Yet she's the one who balks and fusses when it's time to get the workbooks out. <sigh>
I don't doubt that that she's learning all the time, I'm just trying to find a way to make home-learning completely appealing to her. Goodness knows I try. 
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Actually this makes perfect sense to me.
If your daughter is as intellectually voracious as she sounds, then workbooks are the last thing she is going to respond to, IMHO. Although they have their place, filling in blanks in workbooks can be the most mind-dulling activity to an active mind!
Perhaps when she says she wants to do real school, what she really means is that she wants more intellectual stimulation. She wants to be pushed to think. You mentioned FIAR, and the active discussions that curriculum encourages may be just the thing. But will she perceive it as babyish? Especially if she shares the activities with her younger sister? Wouldn't something like Sonlight be more "grown-up" and thought-provoking?
Again, just some thoughts. Let's see who I offend this time. 
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Willa
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Cay Gibson wrote:
How on earth did schools get so sidetracked and derailed?
I read the part of Smith's book available on line. I kept nodding my head in agreement. I'm going to check with my library, but is this book worth the $$, Willa? |
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I checked it out from the library. That being said, I just put out the $$$ to buy it (secondhand) so I could keep it for my permanent library. I did not agree with everything he said. But it was a valuable read IMO. (And easier to get through than Myth of Laziness, I think).
As for how the schools got derailed, I haven't read through all the thread yet, buteverything I've read about the history of education, including this book of Smith's, said that our public school system in the late 19th and early 20th century was heavily affected by the Prussian military model. Since the Prussian military had been so extremely successful in getting soldiers battle-ready -- people of influence saw this and wanted to transfer the same logistical efficiency over to the public schools. And the industrial factory models, which had been so productive in terms of output, also had an influence on how the schools came to be set up.
It was not so effective in teaching children as it had been in training Prussian soldiers for battle. And if I remember my history correctly, the specific military discipline practiced by Prussia ended up leading to some unpleasant things.
Smith warns us not to glamorize the one-room schoolrooms of the past where dry difficult textbooks and corporal punishment and rote memorization techniques were standard... but it was a bit different because education took place in a family and community context and was an extension and support of the parents' role -- not attempting to supplant it.
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Willa
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Maryan
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 7:19pm | IP Logged
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Following this train of thought...
Cay wrote:
| I keep passing by my copy of LB's "Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum" ....The plans I've taken from them seem to be the part of the day that my children like the least. But isn't learning work? And we don't usually "like" work, do we? though we should learn to embrace it...When and where amd HOW do I stop "Designing my Own Curriculum" and let them design their own? |
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Cay wrote:
| ...But children do seem to need a certain degree of routine and schedules and discipline. |
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I do agree that children need discipline... But I think there can be both a separation and a connection between school, where we nourish ideas, and home life, where we feed the soul. We hope that what they learn in both arenas will spill into the other. But do we need the same methods for both? In order to teach children discipline for "life," that they should wake at a timely hour, keep their rooms neat, etc, do we need to enforce discipline in the educational arena as well? Or can we leave the disciplining for life skills and keep education more purely interest-based and fun? Do we make little Suzy write those words three times each whether she likes it or not because it teaches her discipline? Is that really our educational goal? Or is it a life goal? Can't we separate the two? |
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MicheleQ wrote:
I don't think it's separate. Children do need a routine but there's a difference between routine and regiment. The military setup of the school system made learning comparmentalized rather than flowing and organic.
This issue of some children getting "straightened out" in the military has more to do with discipline or more precisely self-discipline. But children don't need a regimented system of schooling to learn self discipline. They need an opportunity to grow and learn in an environment of love and acceptance and in relationship to their teacher(s). |
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Erin wrote:
| Can I wonder aloud that a good reason that you can relax now is because you have already done the necessary discipline of reading and writing in the earlier years. I have discovered through trial and error that you (well me really) can't skip these years or they do hinder progress.. |
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And then...
willa wrote:
| My experience has been that children do usually end up designing their own curriculum by the teenage years. |
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It seems that YOUNG kids have a desire to learn and a free flowing mind... but lack skills and perhaps the HABIT of studying. While my kids are learning a new skill, they can get easily frustrated and I set the pace to their ability (a luxury a classroom teacher like myself wasn't able to do)! However, when the new skill is LEARNED, they love repeating it -- like writing the same word five million times!! That seems natural (so repetition and copywork isn't necessarily bad -- it does lead to the "light bulb" -- I think.)
So I agree with all the quotes above...it seems that children need discipline, thrive in discipline, and really grow in a disciplined environment. I don't think you need to separate homelife and school discipline. However, I don't think discipline and whipping and finish-that-workbook-or-else are synonymous with discipline!
So I think Erin's point of school discipline when they are young and Michele's point of a loving, learning relationship to guide a young mind that wants to learn, but needs some skills to accompany that free flowing mind. Discipline is always loving and it's not necessary cold and dry.
I like Willa's point that once the skills are in place, the mind is in the habit of study, then it seeks areas of study that it COMPLETELY enjoys??
I LOVE that you do curriculum work, or math work, or whatever you view as disciplined work in the morning... and then follow your nose in the afternoon.
It seems so wise to this once teacher and now newbie homeschooler... I'd like to follow that path!
I don't think my mind has the self-discipline right now to understand the derailing conversation of this thread (my 7 mo. is cutting 6 teeth)  -- but here's another thought -- in terms of trying to TEACH TO MANY (not necessarily in trying to teach), I don't think methods in the classroom or necessarily THE problem. It seems more like what Michele said about "loving atmosphere" and "self-discipline" and that most knowledge comes from a TV in many homes today -- IMHO.
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Willa
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 7:27pm | IP Logged
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Oops, I see that I was saying the same thing as Theresa. As she says, I don't think the military model is flawed in itself. I think it was misapplied.
I have been thinking about your question, Cay, about letting the children design their own curriculum.
My kids are uncomfortable with that, at present. They do not want to design their own. Of course, my ultimate goal is that they learn to do this. When they move out into the world they will definitely be "designing their own" -- no one will be doing it for them. I want them to have the discernment to choose their life curriculum wisely, so everything I do as a homeschooler leads to that goal.
But I think my kids have figured out that we are their parents for a reason. They want us to set the course. They do give input, and take up the reins more and more as they get older.
I am trying to listen to the voice that tells me when I'm straying off course -- whether it says I'm slacking off too much, or pushing the kids too hard and causing burn out. I think that if I am really listening, it's usually pretty reliable.
This is really hard to express -- I'm still trying to work out where I am in unschooling. I do assign things, but I try to keep watching to see if they are working and if not, tweak them or drop them or recast them. So I can't tell if that makes me an unschooler or not. I definitely owe a big debt to unschooling, anyway.
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Willa
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 7:28pm | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
Am I suggesting that some of us who are creative got that from real life? Absolutely.
I know I did. Despite my largely pathetic public school education.
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I'd have to say my creativity stems from my real life too but....
I have to say that I remember reading that bordeom can be a good motivator of creativity, and many great writers spun masterpieces while sitting in a jail cell: Bunyan, Dante come to mind.
I didn't spin a masterpiece but I did write a book while sitting in Geometry class and some of the other boring classes. I also read a lot of books from behind the textbook.
So, who knows. I think the desire to create is spun into us by God's handiwork. We are creative beings. Nothing we or anyone else does to us can fully take that away.
What's sad is that today too many workers have to reign in that creative power to do the factory/corporate job they are assigned to do to feed the family. Then you have people (my husband is one of them) who finds everyday and everything a challenge and meets it head on.
That's how I wish I was...but I'm not...so I had to marry him to complete myself. 
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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nicole-amdg wrote:
| I don't even know what FIAR is yet. |
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Well, now you do: Five in a Row
lapazfarm wrote:
You mentioned FIAR, and the active discussions that curriculum encourages may be just the thing. But will she perceive it as babyish? Especially if she shares the activities with her younger sister? Wouldn't something like Sonlight be more "grown-up" and thought-provoking?
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I had all these thougths, Theresa. I have already gone through the new Sonlight Catalog and written down the books she has not read yet. I'm thinking I really should just stick with reading and a good math curriculum for this child. She absorbs grammar, spelling, science and history simply from reading about it.
We've been doing CHC, MODG, some Seton thrown in, and notebooking the past couple of years.
So I told Chels today that we were tweaking our school alittle. She looked at me with that curious creativity.
I told her we were going to go back and use FIAR and make lapbooks with Annie. I realized how long it had been since we'd done a lapbook.
I pulled out her old lapbooks and she spent hours looking over them, remembering them, inhaling them.
Folks, you simply cannot go wrong with these darling lapbooks. I remember years ago on the CCM list, after my friend Kimberly had introduced her lapbooks to me, I asked on the list if anyone was familiar with them. No one responded. It was a new concept. Within a few months, everyone seemed to have gotten clued in and was off and running. Or is it off and rowing . 
But today I was reminded what treasures these dear lapbooks are. Every now and then, like today, we have taken them off the shelf and feted them. And they bring back such treasured memories, such warm feelings, such lovely thoughts, such beautiful books.
I realized that in all my years of hsing, FIAR and lapbooks are one thing I did right.
I handed her the pile of FIAR books and told her to select one. I really thought I'd find her elbow deep in reading through each of them. She selected Roxaboxen and sat with it most of the afternoon. We've read it a couple times since starting FIAR but it's probably been a while since she read it.
She wanted to know if Roxaboxen was a real place. She wants to go there. I was telling her that it represents the backyard of every child and their own imagination. Then we found in the back the author's note and the location of the real Roxaboxen. Chelsea was delighted.
So I handed her FIAR Vol IV and a notebook and told her we needed to make plans to present the lessons to Annie. In the notebook I had written the title followed by the various subjects offered in the manual. Chelsea loves to plan and makes lists and lists and lists everyday, so I didn't think twice about offering it to her this way.
She looked through the manual for a long while then sighed, and asked if I couldn't just plan the lesson and could she please do it with Annie.
I told her certainly we could do that. She jumped up happy and ran outside and...
...began to create her own Roxaboxen.
Will she think it babyish? No. We read picture books almost everyday of her life. We scope out the library for new ones. The last two girls have absorbed my passion for picture books and FIAR and lapbooks will insure that they retain it.
I think we're going to go back down the picture book rabbit trail.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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bfarmmom
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This is a WONDERFUL thread. I have been thinking about all of this for the last several months. Thank you Cay for bringing this up.
Our entire homeschool career has been workbook based. This is what I am comfortable with. I am able to check off the boxes and it makes me feel great. I am able to "hold" the progress that has been made. But as I look back over our school years and ask myself "What have they learned, reallylearned?" Not so much. I can honestly say that as I look back over the years, they have not been really passionate about their studies. I have been dragging them along. (kicking and screaming I might add ) Am I expecting to much? Should they be passionate about learning at their age?
I get so wrapped up in the process that I leave behind the joy that can be found in homeschooling.
I am trying to be more "child led" in their education now. This is soooo out of my comfort zone. This keeps me up at night with the questions. Am I doing enough? Are they doing enough? Are they learning? Why was I not asking these questions following the workbooks? I certainly should have been.
I am sorry I am rambling on here. I am just thinking out loud. Am I making any sense?
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 8:07pm | IP Logged
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That sounds wonderful, Cay!
My kids also all love picture books. Good ones are really timeless and ageless, aren't they?
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 9:06pm | IP Logged
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I was just at Jennifer's Blog and we all know they use little purchased curriculum because of boat lifestyle.
Yet when I go there I see so much "real learning". They're all over the place. Marianna is being exposed to learning that some of us, as adults, haven't been exposed to.
This is the kind of learning I desire for my children, and promised myself we would do this year. But I can't get my 14 yr old out of the house to do it. 
Ses what I mean? I get the girls all figured out:
* Sonlight
* FIAR
* Real Learning
But there is always someone who doesn't want to go along with "the plan".
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: May 03 2007 at 9:14pm | IP Logged
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I linked Willa so I need to link Cindy too.
One
Two
Three
Cindy's posts on planning (ie: designing curriculum) that I've been reading.
I'm really not as wishy-washy as I sound. I just like reading and questioning all these wonderfully gifted, great minds.
All of yours included...
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Taffy
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 8:26am | IP Logged
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Some here may find this post interesting...
What Everybody Ought to Know about Choosing Curriculum and Schedules
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Susan
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 8:47am | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
I think we're going to go back down the picture book rabbit trail. |
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I really agree that good picture books are quite timeless. Timeless and ageless and fabulous! We give every cruising friend that is heading out on a long passage a great picture book to read on those long night watches, usually Eleventh Hour or another Graeme Base book. Sure these salty adults look at us funny but they end up loving the books! One man gave all his nieces and nephews a copy for Christmas after crossing to the Bahamas with it.
Regarding picture books as a basis for curriculum for older students though, I love to connect a chapter book along the same theme to the picture book, as an extension, a natural progression. It sounds like Language Arts and History are easily covered by the lapbooks you love, Cay. What other areas are super important to you and your daughters and son? Art? Science? Cajun French? Is any one of these something you could have your son 'teach' the girls instead of you? (like the frogs?)
You know I based a bit of what we've done this year on Tapestry of Grace. The thing I really liked about Tapestry of Grace is that it is set up for the whole family from Kindergarten to High School. Everyone is on the same topic, working at the same pace but on their level. Crazy that I, who have only one child, like this part the best, isn't it? But it allows me to think about what level Marianna might actually be at. I might step down in one subject but up in a different subject and I love that they have the picture books and the chapter books listed as well as the heavy (Gaillic Wars by Julius Caesar, anyone?) books. Know that I'm not advocating ToG, I didn't buy it this year, I simply used their timeline and their free materials as a leaping off point. But they have a section on lapbooks, as well Classical Ed ideas. (the Lower Grammar section of the Classical Ed link is great but the Dialectic section seems to be under construction?) The point though is not to have you read or buy into their stuff but take their idea of the whole family working together and apply it with stuff that works for your family. You like Classical, Cay. The girls like Lapbooks, your son needs challenges, can this all be done on one topic or theme?
For instance, looking through ToG's Egypt Plans here I pulled all three of these books from the library this fall on their recommendation:
Bill and Pete go down the Nile (by de Paola)
Cat of Bubastes, A Tale of Ancient Egypt (by Henty)
Egyptian Book of the Dead (by Faulkner)
Marianna read Bill and Pete at the library and tossed it aside, brought Henty's book home and sunk deeply into it and browsed the pictures of Faulkner's (at home too). Three different levels, three different reactions, one kid.
Ah well, I've been yammering on here and I need to go over a Math lesson now, but I'll be eagerly reading this thread!
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The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 9:31am | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
I'm really not as wishy-washy as I sound. I just like reading and questioning all these wonderfully gifted, great minds.
All of yours included... |
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Cay, no one would EVER think of you as "wishy-washy"
Thank you for sharing Cindy's posts, I had not seen these before! Great thread with so much to think about! At this point in our school year, we're just having as much fun as we can!! 
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Meredith
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 9:39am | IP Logged
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marihalojen wrote:
You know I based a bit of what we've done this year on Tapestry of Grace. |
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This is unit study style. Right?
We are doing a bit of Greece literature (about one story every two weeks) using Evan-Moor guides and the girls love that. That study alone might take us two years to finish.
How intensive is ToG?
I find if the unit study is too intensive, I get bogged down and we never finish it.
I am great with the planning and getting it on paper. My worry is that I'm not a great presenter of the material. That's why, when doing "Catholic Mosaic" all the plans and activities are simple. That's do-able for me.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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asplendidtime
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I was reading some articles by Kenneth Noster (Derwent Alberta) regarding Schola (learning in leisure), I can't find the article online which I wanted to share (would I have to type it up,  ?)
But here is an article he wrote which is wonderfully similar... I thought you'd all really enjoy it, Kenneth Noster is a Catholic Homeschool father and a definite 4real kindred-spirit! You can find more information, and articles by Ken Noster here:
http://www.wisdomhomeschooling.com/content/category/7/85/43/
School is Leisure
an article by Kenneth Noster
Unfortunately, almost all of us take our definition of "school" from the limited experience of our own schooling. Whether or not we actually acknowledge it, the public school system becomes our model of how things should actually work. We presume learning is best broken up into defined subjects, that tests are the best measure of learning, that we should finish the math book each year, and most of all, that school is work...
At times it is useful to understand the intent of certain concepts, activities, or institutions by looking at where we originally got them. By looking at the (often Latin or Greek) word from which the English is derived, we can gain insight into what was done in an earlier age.
One such word is the English word School. We all home school. We buy school books, we notify WISDOM Home Schooling of our intent to home school, and at some time in our day, we decide it is school time. But what does school mean?
Unfortunately, almost all of us take our definition from the limited experience of our own schooling. Whether or not we actually acknowledge it, the public school system becomes our model of how things should actually work. We presume learning is best broken up into defined subjects, that tests are the best measure of learning, that we should finish the math book each year, and most of all, that school is work. We say, "have you finished your school work yet?"
When our children resist doing school work we become concerned that they don't want to learn. We are afraid that they will not develop self-control and other disciplines, and they will never be able to compete in the world of academics or commerce. It seems the more we push them to learn, the less they want to do it, even if they obediently (though oh so slowly) comply.
The problem is not our children as much as our own distorted view of how learning is best supported. Perhaps much of the resistance by our children comes because we are trying to entirely orchestrate something that they themselves need to do. Learning needs to happen by and in the learner. If parents were to dictate every aspect and detail of playing with Lego, they would soon have children who hate Lego.
Like Lego (or fort building, or dolls, or any pretending at all) learning comes naturally and is desirable to every child.
By breaking Lego play into first using the square blocks, then adding the long narrow ones, then introducing wheels, we would stifle a process best explored freely by the child. Nor am I suggesting the child will necessarily learn best entirely on his/her own. Your questions, suggestions, and just plain interest will help propel the rate at which Lego concepts may be explored and learned. With sensitivity to allow completion of a phase if not a whole project in Lego, you will best serve the child by then guiding him/her outside to work on the fort or the dollhouse for a while. From your perspective, you know 12 hours of Lego would limit the child's development in other areas.
Faced with a child who resists school work, I have asked many a mother, "what does he/she like to do? Almost always, the answer is, "play," the only area we as parents haven't yet taken over; therefore it is still desirable to the child.
Learning should closely resemble play. It should be eagerly and readily entered into by the child. So, what's the probem?
The problem is our definition of School. Institutionalized school was never a very good idea. (You can imagine what institutionalizing would do to play.)
School is derived from the Latin word Schola, meaning leisure devoted to learning. This is how school began, and this is how school succeeded for many centuries. Like playing with Lego, learning comes naturally, and is intrinsically enjoyed if it occurs within the context of leisure.
This definition does not in any way belittle the importance of learning. Rather, it indicates how learning is best accomplished. This definition comes from an age when everyone worked. Frankly, it is very similar to our family farm. If we were to allow it, there is sufficient work available that everyone in our family could labour all day, every day. Schola is that window of time we must budget into our day in order to give everyone a chance to set aside their jobs and spend time just learning.
Now, if schola is truly leisure, it would be inappropriate for parents to push to accomplish a certain amount of learning in the time given. If it is truly leisure, it needs to resemble other forms of leisure. If the Math book doesn't get finished this year it may be finished next. (When you get tired of water skiing, you head for shore - you don't ski the whole lake.) Carrying the analogy a little further, you may find that on the first few trips to the lake your child refuses to water ski. Somewhere along the way someone convinced him it was work, so he's resisting it. That's fine, let him build sand castles instead, but keep the skiing idea alive. It is natural for him to rise to a challenge and desire to succeed. The honest effort he will be willing to put in to any leisure, be it skiing or Math will be the ingredient necessary for successful learning.
But what about teaching discipline? How will my child develop acceptable character, if he/she can take learning casually? Well, first of all, notice how diligently a child applies himself to Lego, or herself to skiing, or horse training, or fort building. It may take a while, because school has come to mean work to your child, but once it truly becomes leisure, the student will dig in and concentrate just as with play. Secondly, school should not be the place where you teach character any more than you teach character at play (manners, charity,...). Rather, diligence, obedience, determination, self-control,... are best taught at work. If practise is needed in these areas, unhook the dishwasher, plant a garden, raise chickens, build a boat, help neighbours, volunteer in the nursing home, whatever can be done in your environment to do "meaningful work alongside an adult." This is the place to develop discipline.
"But what if my child wants to be an engineer, a doctor...? Surely learning will eventually need to become work." Studying medicine is a great challenge academically, however the greatest challenge is not the learning, but the discipline to set aside the time to learn. For now, the parent is the source of that discipline, not by insisting that a certain amount of learning be accomplished each day, but that a certain amount of TIME be assigned to the leisure of learning. This is time that will not be spent on work or play. It is time for learning. Eventually, perhaps long after home schooling is over, and especially if specific personal goals emerge, the student will take on the responsibility of maintaining this window of time in a daily regimen.
How then did our society get mired in an education system that turned leisure into work? The first schools were not this way at all; they were charities. Educated individuals, usually upper class ladies, extended assistance to the children of illiterate parents in order to teach these children the basics of reading and numbers. Only an hour or two per week was sufficient to teach these children who were happy to have some leisure devoted to learning, and quickly mastered the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Everything else, they learned at home. When government became involved in schooling, other motives began to appear. Most evident was the notion that beyond the 3-R's there was a need to prepare children for the world of work. In the wake of the industrial revolution it seemed beneficial to use schools to prepare children for the factory assembly line: sit quietly, follow orders, regurgitate what you have been delivered, and aim for external rewards. Over time, other motives have emerged, each taking schools further and further from homes.
The solution is to see schooling for what it really means, discover that this definition has grown out of centuries of successful experience, and attempt to apply this reality to our own homes. A home school that is unthreatened by demands for specific methodology and results can capitalize upon the nature of the child. If parents maintain a lifestyle that continues to provide that window of leisure devoted to learning, and remember to keep it leisurely, they will not only enjoy this year more, but they will see greater results in the learning their children achieve.
Last Updated ( Monday, 23 April 2007 )
http://www.wisdomhomeschooling.com/content/view/43/43/
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Rebecca~Mama to
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Mary 14,
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JenniferS
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 10:55am | IP Logged
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Wow! Thank you for the article, Rebecca.
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nicole-amdg
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| Posted: May 04 2007 at 2:54pm | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
nicole-amdg wrote:
| I don't even know what FIAR is yet. |
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Well, now you do: Five in a Row
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By the time I figured out what FIAR stood for, I was itching to get my hands on it--"Everyone loves it! I have to have it!" But I had trouble with the (old?) links to the website, probably about the same time as you, Cay, because almost the next thing I know, I see your thread about it in the Rabbit Trails forum.
Currently being under a self-imposed buying freeze, I reserved it at the library to give it a test drive! Just waiting for it to come in now.
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Nicole
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