Homeschool Halloween
Canadians "do" Halloween! It is a huge deal here. The girls dressed up as Princesses and dressed Luca up as "Lucachu". Then they hung about the front door gnashing their teeth until dark. The three of them raided every house on our crescent and returned with pounds of candy! Happily they took as much delight in handing out stacks of the muck as well. I threw 3 sticky - sugar-hyper kids into the bath and then had to read to them for 2 hours to get any of them to sleep.
tomorrow should be interesting - sugar withdrawal symptoms and detox. And rules. We have a rule that says that they can help themselves to a piece of candy (small) after they have eaten a fruit or had a full glass of water. It has been a wonderful rule - so much more peaceful than always deciding if they can have the stuff or not. (Oh, and - not at bedtime or before breakfast! Eeew.)
I had the loveliest compliment - one of the neighborhood kids (12 year old) came over last night and asked me for help - she needed a costume and said since I was so creative and had everything here - please would I help her. So sweet! Well, when you ask like that you are certain to get help from me!
I dressed her up as an Elizabethan duchess and tonight she came over and I painted everyone faces. I took the opportunity to explain to them that they need to carry perfumed hankies as part of the costume...why...because the ladies back then seldom bathed and never brushed their teeth and they had just discovered sugar. They were rotten and stank.
Brushing teeth after moderate amounts of sugar is a good idea... water of a ducks back on Halloween! Still I had to say it.
She said - "Gee - you know everything! I wish I was home schooled!" as she dashed out the door to collect her own pile of candy.
oh well...
Now then - I was going to say all sorts of other things when this week happened to us.
I will post on single parents on Monday!
Then I shall get back to my original thought on peer groups!
Can you tell that we home school? Ask me a question and I drop everything else to answer that! Still I return!
Chat soon!
K
Monday, October 31, 2005
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Is there research on home schooling?
and
Can single parents home school?
A recent comment brought up these 2 interesting questions.
You will be delighted to know that there is research on the subject!
Here is a link to see some of it.
http://www.hslda.org/research/default.asp
Dr. Brian D. Ray has a report listed on that site that I found fascinating. I have quoted a small piece of it below:
This was from a survey completed by 7300 homeschooler adults and their responses are compared to the national US statistics
....................................# respondents %hs'd adults %US adults
Have you read any books
(in English) in the past
six months? .............................5254 98.5 69
Read a newspaper
at least once a week.................5253 60.6 82
Read one or more magazines
on a regular basis....................5254 100 89
Watch national news on TV
or listen to national news
radio almost every day............5254 42.1 64
Read national news
online almost everyday...........5254 29.5 NA
Do you participate in any
ongoing community service
activity,for example,coaching
a sports team,volunteering at
a school,or working with a
church or neighbourhood
association?..........................5253 71.1 37
Are you a member of any
organisation, like a
community group,church
or synagogue, union,
homeschool group,or
professional organisation?.....5254 88.3 50
Attended religious services
once a month or more...........5254 93.3 41
Politics and government
are too complicated to
understand...........................5253 4.2 35
Own family has no say
in what federal
government does.................5251 6.2 44
A person should be allowed
to make a speech against
churches and religion..........5243 91.5 88
A book most people
disapprove of should be kept
out of a public library..........5244 40.8 36
A person should be able
to make a speech against
using taxes to feed
people or to pay for
medical assistance...............5240 95.9 NA
Could write a letter to
government official that
clearly states his/her opinion...5249 98.4 94
Could make a comment or
statement at a public meeting..5254 96.5 88
Knows how to use the internet...5251 99.6 37
Uses the internet at home
for e-mail..............................4956 94.3 NA
Uses the internet at home for
school research or courses....5254 73.9 NA
Uses the internet at home for
information search................4802 91.4 NA
Used a public library or public
library program in the past month..5253 68.5 32.3
Used a public library or
public library program
in the past year.....................5254 90.3 56 3
For more info and the details of the research analysis, please do go to hslda.org
I found the stats from above very revealing! That would be the proof of the pudding.
Homeschooled children are growing up to be articulate, community oriented, thinking individuals.
And they can earn a living too! That is in the previous table, I think.
and
Can single parents home school?
A recent comment brought up these 2 interesting questions.
You will be delighted to know that there is research on the subject!
Here is a link to see some of it.
http://www.hslda.org/research/default.asp
Dr. Brian D. Ray has a report listed on that site that I found fascinating. I have quoted a small piece of it below:
This was from a survey completed by 7300 homeschooler adults and their responses are compared to the national US statistics
....................................# respondents %hs'd adults %US adults
Have you read any books
(in English) in the past
six months? .............................5254 98.5 69
Read a newspaper
at least once a week.................5253 60.6 82
Read one or more magazines
on a regular basis....................5254 100 89
Watch national news on TV
or listen to national news
radio almost every day............5254 42.1 64
Read national news
online almost everyday...........5254 29.5 NA
Do you participate in any
ongoing community service
activity,for example,coaching
a sports team,volunteering at
a school,or working with a
church or neighbourhood
association?..........................5253 71.1 37
Are you a member of any
organisation, like a
community group,church
or synagogue, union,
homeschool group,or
professional organisation?.....5254 88.3 50
Attended religious services
once a month or more...........5254 93.3 41
Politics and government
are too complicated to
understand...........................5253 4.2 35
Own family has no say
in what federal
government does.................5251 6.2 44
A person should be allowed
to make a speech against
churches and religion..........5243 91.5 88
A book most people
disapprove of should be kept
out of a public library..........5244 40.8 36
A person should be able
to make a speech against
using taxes to feed
people or to pay for
medical assistance...............5240 95.9 NA
Could write a letter to
government official that
clearly states his/her opinion...5249 98.4 94
Could make a comment or
statement at a public meeting..5254 96.5 88
Knows how to use the internet...5251 99.6 37
Uses the internet at home
for e-mail..............................4956 94.3 NA
Uses the internet at home for
school research or courses....5254 73.9 NA
Uses the internet at home for
information search................4802 91.4 NA
Used a public library or public
library program in the past month..5253 68.5 32.3
Used a public library or
public library program
in the past year.....................5254 90.3 56 3
For more info and the details of the research analysis, please do go to hslda.org
I found the stats from above very revealing! That would be the proof of the pudding.
Homeschooled children are growing up to be articulate, community oriented, thinking individuals.
And they can earn a living too! That is in the previous table, I think.
Home school socialisation questions:
Wow - Thank you for taking the time to pose such a thought provoking comment.
Naturally, I mostly disagree with you (surprise surprise! :)
There are 2 points that you made with which I 100% wholeheartedly agree -
“those who know how to survive in the emotional and social wars are the ones that can add knowledge and become successful.”
and
your second post about there being schools that do indeed prepare their students properly for the real world.
ABSOLUTELY.
And I would like to add that in every school you can easily find teachers who devote themselves and MOST of their spare time in doing everything they can to help their students and prepare them for the real world. When you find those teachers - treasure them and take them out for supper!
In general, those teachers are severely handicapped by the system in which they have to work. Ask any one of them!
Although as you say there are newer concept schools out there that have paid a great deal of attention to the logic of preparing our children. Sadly they are still few and far between. If you have one near you - and it meets your child's and your needs, then support it! That is a far easier thing to do than to commit your family to home schooling.
Now, let’s move on to the other points:
“Hi there, one BIG thought - mothers protect their children! “
I wish that were universally true. It immediately brings to mind all the children who are assaulted and bullied. Did you know that 1 in 4 children is assaulted so severely in his or her childhood that the case is recorded by the police!!? Now, I will instantly grant you that some of those assaults are the parents and some are strangers, but some are their schoolmates. That doesn’t sound like efficient and universal protection to me.
On the subject of parents who assault their children - there are, sadly, some people who are totally unequipped to even have children, but do anyway. There is an element of that in every society. They would be equally ill-equipped to school their children (although technically they would have been doing so for the first 4 years anyway).
Happily sending your child to school for someone else to educate is far, far, easier than keeping them home and taking the responsibility yourself. While this is not a guarantee, obviously, it does, on the whole, mean that the homeschooler parents are willing to go the extra mile for their children and would be more than up to the job. Thankfully.
“In no way or manner can you get your child to realise that he has to fight for himself to attain what HE/SHE believes they want to make out of life. “
I am guessing you don’t have a teenager or even a two year old in your life!
The whole of the growing up process in one of separating yourself from your parents and family and finding your own values and abilities. Schooled or home schooled that process goes on, regardless of whether we approve of it or even enjoy it!
“In no way can you teach your child to cut off the rest of the noise and to concentrate and listen so he gets the results he deserves in the test.”
I wish you could see my eldest daughter who has just discovered all the wonders of novels, completely tune out her siblings clamouring, the music, the pets, the telephone, the gorgeous day outside and most of my suggestions that it is now time for doing something else. She deserves a medal for concentration!
ooo - don’t get me started on the subject of tests!
If you helped your child learn something - then you know whether or not they know it. They demonstrate their learning in their conversation and activities. Thereby, they reinforce their learnings and prove to themselves that they have useful information and abilities.
Now, of course, if you had just taught 30 calm and attentive :) kids something - you would have no idea of who had understood you and who was lost. Then you may want to test them to see where they were.
Of course, once you start in on that, it is no longer just a let’s-find-out-where-you- are-at exercise - it becomes a who-is-the-best-at-this-test-taking-skill exercise.
Once this is part of the system, then the teachers’ salaries and promotions are judged on their students scores and you get the unimaginable situation where teachers ask “certain” children to stay home on the day ot the test! Documented.
You even get teachers “teaching to the test” and some will go so far as to help their students cheat. Few and far between, I trust. Still, sad but very true.
Also on the subject of tests and social skills. One of the most valuable skills anyone can develop is that of co-operation. I have this skill, you have that knowledge - together let us create this great thing.
Last time I checked that was called cheating on the test!
“In no way can you teach your child to be the odd one out for what he believes when the rest has a different opinion and are adamant to change his views.”
Again I suspect that you don’t spend much time with a teen. They generally delight in having opposing views and in parading them up and down in front of anyone who will stand still.
Beside that, my children are very aware of being different in our small community. They are generally the only home schooled kids in many of their classes and in my observation, cope just fine with it, even when the other kids make fun of it.
I can only speak about my children here. Many of their preferences are different than their playmates and having had the leisure to genuinely think through their choices and discuss them with caring adults, they are more able to defend them and maintain their position than many other children. They almost always have a well thought out reason for their choices.
That is one of the most vital aspects of our homeschool.
“In no way can you teach your child how to argue without getting personal and physical if he does not know/experience the consequence of that.”
Wow - on the contrary - you have to live with the person you just hurt - you can’t just leave home in the afternoon or get yourself another sister.
Besides arguing skills are mostly learned by experiencing the parents’ arguing styles. Arguing is also a social skill that they learn from being with people.
In schools their age peers display a huge variety of arguing styles that include yelling, punching, hair pulling, bullying and condescension. They probably also get to see really good debating skills and caring correction.
My belief is that adults probably have better skills than children and that I would prefer that my child learn from adults or a variety of age groups then exclusively from their age peers.
“In no way can you teach them to be part of a school play and to have landed the role, whichever it is, because he had to decide for himself how much he would like to be involved and to what extend he is going to promote himself to get there - above the same efforts of how many like him.”
It sounds like you are assuming that home schooled children are not part of any outside activities. Quite the contrary - they are part of many.
They can avail themselves of college classes that schooled students can’t go to. They can do late night theatre productions because they can sleep in the next day. They can go to the museum when it is quiet and get the full attention of the guide. They can group together and script, choreograph and produce their own production - they have the time.
In fact, our smallish homeschool group was lucky enough to secure the help of a professional theatre production company and we have publicly produced and sold tickets to 2 very professional and enjoyable theatre productions over the last 3 years.
“I do not need to write a book - I have seen this many a time over - and it is not in the play group where you learn any of this - because that is always fun - it is in the majority of the day where you have to compete and learn and survive. All of the above is extremely important social and emotional skills which have to complement the knowledge and technical savvy they gain and in turn will be their saving grace when they have to face the BIG BAD world. Not all systems work perfectly, but those who know how to survive in the emotional and social wars are the ones that can add knowledge and become successful.”
I would say that that statement is born out of the old economy where the prevailing belief was one of lack and limited resources. This is still a true picture in the school situation.
In the real world, with our modern economy we have the privilege of technical savvy and have realised that this is a world of abundance, not limit. The most important skills are co-operation as opposed to competition, learning motivated by passion and not by rote, and flourishing not mere survival.
There are useful skills that can be learned in a play group, but there are far more useful skills that can be learned from genuinely interacting with the real world.
Spending time with people of all ages and beliefs, visiting seniors’ homes, volunteering, running a flea market stand, chatting on the internet, apprenticing with real working people, being part of a national scientific study, travelling the real world and learning to speak real languages with real people, butterfly hunting, photography expeditions, theatre productions :), being part of the museum exhibit creation team, submitting your writing to real world newspapers and magazines for publication, actually building a house! or catering a gourmet dinner party and so much more.
Social skills are learned best in a social setting. Not in age limited groups in a confined and unrealistic situation, where authority is the enemy. In real life our children will need to be able to converse appropriately with anyone, not just their “mates”, they will have to take orders from people of wildly different ages and abilities and unless they land in jail they will never again have to publicly ask to go to the bathroom.
Wow - Thank you for taking the time to pose such a thought provoking comment.
Naturally, I mostly disagree with you (surprise surprise! :)
There are 2 points that you made with which I 100% wholeheartedly agree -
“those who know how to survive in the emotional and social wars are the ones that can add knowledge and become successful.”
and
your second post about there being schools that do indeed prepare their students properly for the real world.
ABSOLUTELY.
And I would like to add that in every school you can easily find teachers who devote themselves and MOST of their spare time in doing everything they can to help their students and prepare them for the real world. When you find those teachers - treasure them and take them out for supper!
In general, those teachers are severely handicapped by the system in which they have to work. Ask any one of them!
Although as you say there are newer concept schools out there that have paid a great deal of attention to the logic of preparing our children. Sadly they are still few and far between. If you have one near you - and it meets your child's and your needs, then support it! That is a far easier thing to do than to commit your family to home schooling.
Now, let’s move on to the other points:
“Hi there, one BIG thought - mothers protect their children! “
I wish that were universally true. It immediately brings to mind all the children who are assaulted and bullied. Did you know that 1 in 4 children is assaulted so severely in his or her childhood that the case is recorded by the police!!? Now, I will instantly grant you that some of those assaults are the parents and some are strangers, but some are their schoolmates. That doesn’t sound like efficient and universal protection to me.
On the subject of parents who assault their children - there are, sadly, some people who are totally unequipped to even have children, but do anyway. There is an element of that in every society. They would be equally ill-equipped to school their children (although technically they would have been doing so for the first 4 years anyway).
Happily sending your child to school for someone else to educate is far, far, easier than keeping them home and taking the responsibility yourself. While this is not a guarantee, obviously, it does, on the whole, mean that the homeschooler parents are willing to go the extra mile for their children and would be more than up to the job. Thankfully.
“In no way or manner can you get your child to realise that he has to fight for himself to attain what HE/SHE believes they want to make out of life. “
I am guessing you don’t have a teenager or even a two year old in your life!
The whole of the growing up process in one of separating yourself from your parents and family and finding your own values and abilities. Schooled or home schooled that process goes on, regardless of whether we approve of it or even enjoy it!
“In no way can you teach your child to cut off the rest of the noise and to concentrate and listen so he gets the results he deserves in the test.”
I wish you could see my eldest daughter who has just discovered all the wonders of novels, completely tune out her siblings clamouring, the music, the pets, the telephone, the gorgeous day outside and most of my suggestions that it is now time for doing something else. She deserves a medal for concentration!
ooo - don’t get me started on the subject of tests!
If you helped your child learn something - then you know whether or not they know it. They demonstrate their learning in their conversation and activities. Thereby, they reinforce their learnings and prove to themselves that they have useful information and abilities.
Now, of course, if you had just taught 30 calm and attentive :) kids something - you would have no idea of who had understood you and who was lost. Then you may want to test them to see where they were.
Of course, once you start in on that, it is no longer just a let’s-find-out-where-you- are-at exercise - it becomes a who-is-the-best-at-this-test-taking-skill exercise.
Once this is part of the system, then the teachers’ salaries and promotions are judged on their students scores and you get the unimaginable situation where teachers ask “certain” children to stay home on the day ot the test! Documented.
You even get teachers “teaching to the test” and some will go so far as to help their students cheat. Few and far between, I trust. Still, sad but very true.
Also on the subject of tests and social skills. One of the most valuable skills anyone can develop is that of co-operation. I have this skill, you have that knowledge - together let us create this great thing.
Last time I checked that was called cheating on the test!
“In no way can you teach your child to be the odd one out for what he believes when the rest has a different opinion and are adamant to change his views.”
Again I suspect that you don’t spend much time with a teen. They generally delight in having opposing views and in parading them up and down in front of anyone who will stand still.
Beside that, my children are very aware of being different in our small community. They are generally the only home schooled kids in many of their classes and in my observation, cope just fine with it, even when the other kids make fun of it.
I can only speak about my children here. Many of their preferences are different than their playmates and having had the leisure to genuinely think through their choices and discuss them with caring adults, they are more able to defend them and maintain their position than many other children. They almost always have a well thought out reason for their choices.
That is one of the most vital aspects of our homeschool.
“In no way can you teach your child how to argue without getting personal and physical if he does not know/experience the consequence of that.”
Wow - on the contrary - you have to live with the person you just hurt - you can’t just leave home in the afternoon or get yourself another sister.
Besides arguing skills are mostly learned by experiencing the parents’ arguing styles. Arguing is also a social skill that they learn from being with people.
In schools their age peers display a huge variety of arguing styles that include yelling, punching, hair pulling, bullying and condescension. They probably also get to see really good debating skills and caring correction.
My belief is that adults probably have better skills than children and that I would prefer that my child learn from adults or a variety of age groups then exclusively from their age peers.
“In no way can you teach them to be part of a school play and to have landed the role, whichever it is, because he had to decide for himself how much he would like to be involved and to what extend he is going to promote himself to get there - above the same efforts of how many like him.”
It sounds like you are assuming that home schooled children are not part of any outside activities. Quite the contrary - they are part of many.
They can avail themselves of college classes that schooled students can’t go to. They can do late night theatre productions because they can sleep in the next day. They can go to the museum when it is quiet and get the full attention of the guide. They can group together and script, choreograph and produce their own production - they have the time.
In fact, our smallish homeschool group was lucky enough to secure the help of a professional theatre production company and we have publicly produced and sold tickets to 2 very professional and enjoyable theatre productions over the last 3 years.
“I do not need to write a book - I have seen this many a time over - and it is not in the play group where you learn any of this - because that is always fun - it is in the majority of the day where you have to compete and learn and survive. All of the above is extremely important social and emotional skills which have to complement the knowledge and technical savvy they gain and in turn will be their saving grace when they have to face the BIG BAD world. Not all systems work perfectly, but those who know how to survive in the emotional and social wars are the ones that can add knowledge and become successful.”
I would say that that statement is born out of the old economy where the prevailing belief was one of lack and limited resources. This is still a true picture in the school situation.
In the real world, with our modern economy we have the privilege of technical savvy and have realised that this is a world of abundance, not limit. The most important skills are co-operation as opposed to competition, learning motivated by passion and not by rote, and flourishing not mere survival.
There are useful skills that can be learned in a play group, but there are far more useful skills that can be learned from genuinely interacting with the real world.
Spending time with people of all ages and beliefs, visiting seniors’ homes, volunteering, running a flea market stand, chatting on the internet, apprenticing with real working people, being part of a national scientific study, travelling the real world and learning to speak real languages with real people, butterfly hunting, photography expeditions, theatre productions :), being part of the museum exhibit creation team, submitting your writing to real world newspapers and magazines for publication, actually building a house! or catering a gourmet dinner party and so much more.
Social skills are learned best in a social setting. Not in age limited groups in a confined and unrealistic situation, where authority is the enemy. In real life our children will need to be able to converse appropriately with anyone, not just their “mates”, they will have to take orders from people of wildly different ages and abilities and unless they land in jail they will never again have to publicly ask to go to the bathroom.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Deciding about home schooling....
I was delighted to receive a question asking what should someone sitting on the fence about homeschooling could do?
This was my reply.
I think that the next step is lots and lots of reading (hs for Dummies, and any books in that shelf!) and researching, until you are familiar with all the options.
Also it is a remarkably enabling thing to do - to go and find the local homeschool group and go to one of their play dates or group meetings and watch the children interact with each other and with their parents and talk to some of them.
That was for me, the most reassuring thing I could do.
My experience was that these children were boistrous, happy, sociable creatures who took a genuine delight in being with all the other kids without being conscious of any age/ race / abilities differences. They were polite, articulate and friendly.
I fell in love with the whole lot of them and as you know I am not much of a one for other people's kids.
I believe that in the bigger cities there are hundreds of groups and you are more than likely to find one that will suit your child's and your own needs. In the smaller towns you may find that you will have to travel to explorre the options. Later you can create your own group (if that is what you choose :))
Of course - you can join and keep reading my blog and I will eventually cover a lot of the usual questions.:)
****** !!*** I think perhaps the most important question to consider is what do you want for your child's education to do...equip him to be successfull, obviously. So what exactly is success? What does it take to be successful? What skills does he really need? What is the best way for him to get them?
How you answer these questions determines your method of education.
I was delighted to receive a question asking what should someone sitting on the fence about homeschooling could do?
This was my reply.
I think that the next step is lots and lots of reading (hs for Dummies, and any books in that shelf!) and researching, until you are familiar with all the options.
Also it is a remarkably enabling thing to do - to go and find the local homeschool group and go to one of their play dates or group meetings and watch the children interact with each other and with their parents and talk to some of them.
That was for me, the most reassuring thing I could do.
My experience was that these children were boistrous, happy, sociable creatures who took a genuine delight in being with all the other kids without being conscious of any age/ race / abilities differences. They were polite, articulate and friendly.
I fell in love with the whole lot of them and as you know I am not much of a one for other people's kids.
I believe that in the bigger cities there are hundreds of groups and you are more than likely to find one that will suit your child's and your own needs. In the smaller towns you may find that you will have to travel to explorre the options. Later you can create your own group (if that is what you choose :))
Of course - you can join and keep reading my blog and I will eventually cover a lot of the usual questions.:)
****** !!*** I think perhaps the most important question to consider is what do you want for your child's education to do...equip him to be successfull, obviously. So what exactly is success? What does it take to be successful? What skills does he really need? What is the best way for him to get them?
How you answer these questions determines your method of education.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Rise and Fall of the School System
It is useful to look at the history and development of the school system.
It the old old days - about 200 years ago - you got your education by living on the farm or working the street with your parent or apprentice master.
The elite had tutors. They also had "The Tour" where young people were sent to travel all of Fashionable Europe with their tutor or companion to broaden ther minds. That sounds like a realy good idea!!
Then came the industrial revolution and the big companies needed workers. Everyone assumed that since the conveyor belt concept worked so well for making cars and cigarettes - it would work just as well for educating kids en masse. The purpose was for everyone to finish school to become employed by one of the huge corporations. We were creating workers.
This was a significant change in philosophy - until then people were being trained to carry on the family business, or start their own small business - in essence become entrepreneurs. This involved the basic work skill of blacksmithing or farming and thinking skills and people skills.
In the new school concept they were producing workers who could fit into the system, do as instructed, follow the rules and who were inured to boredom. Imagine standing at the machine for 8 hours a day checking to see it if the bolt passing by was defective. All day. Then the next day too. And the one after that!
The factories required basic literacy and numeracy - so that was covered in the school systems too.
All was progressing according to plan, when we had the information age burst upon us. Now, whole assembly lines were replaced by a single computer. Thousands and thousands of workers found themselves uneccesary in this new age. Companies with a conscience spent fortunes in retraining their workers in new more marketable skills.
Today, the companies are screaming for a different kind of worker - now they want someone who is literate and numerate and tech savvy. And they only want to hire them for a temp job with no security or benefits.
Now the future lies in creating your own security. Our children need to regard themsleves as a personal business. The market is hugely competitive and cut-throught and they need to have flexibility, adaptibility, technical savvy, people skills, analytical skills and marketing skills. And that is just to get a temp job...
Their best future lies in becoming their own boss. Contracting, Joint Venture-ing, creating a network of supportive people and companies and becoming expert at communicating as well as their core skill (which needless to say needs to be constantly updated!).
This sounds a lot like what the ancients were doing in the first place!
The school system is doing exactly what it was created to do - sadly times have changed and we now expect more and different results, but that is like asking an orange tree to produce bananas. Not gonna happen!
We need to move back to a more individually designed and appropriate education for each child. We need to be sure they learn analytical skills, that they have a dream to power them through the learning processes, they need great personal and social skills, and they truly need solid values.
Is this something the schools can deliver?
I believe the answer is obvious.
Equally obvious is that we are the ony people who care enough about our children to make the effort to facilitate their education in a way that is specifically designed for each one of them. We know their strengths and their passions. We know how to make them even stronger.
Why does Tiger Woods not practice tennis?
Save your child from being a lemming!
Coming in next posts....
Have a day filled with learning!
Karen
It is useful to look at the history and development of the school system.
It the old old days - about 200 years ago - you got your education by living on the farm or working the street with your parent or apprentice master.
The elite had tutors. They also had "The Tour" where young people were sent to travel all of Fashionable Europe with their tutor or companion to broaden ther minds. That sounds like a realy good idea!!
Then came the industrial revolution and the big companies needed workers. Everyone assumed that since the conveyor belt concept worked so well for making cars and cigarettes - it would work just as well for educating kids en masse. The purpose was for everyone to finish school to become employed by one of the huge corporations. We were creating workers.
This was a significant change in philosophy - until then people were being trained to carry on the family business, or start their own small business - in essence become entrepreneurs. This involved the basic work skill of blacksmithing or farming and thinking skills and people skills.
In the new school concept they were producing workers who could fit into the system, do as instructed, follow the rules and who were inured to boredom. Imagine standing at the machine for 8 hours a day checking to see it if the bolt passing by was defective. All day. Then the next day too. And the one after that!
The factories required basic literacy and numeracy - so that was covered in the school systems too.
All was progressing according to plan, when we had the information age burst upon us. Now, whole assembly lines were replaced by a single computer. Thousands and thousands of workers found themselves uneccesary in this new age. Companies with a conscience spent fortunes in retraining their workers in new more marketable skills.
Today, the companies are screaming for a different kind of worker - now they want someone who is literate and numerate and tech savvy. And they only want to hire them for a temp job with no security or benefits.
Now the future lies in creating your own security. Our children need to regard themsleves as a personal business. The market is hugely competitive and cut-throught and they need to have flexibility, adaptibility, technical savvy, people skills, analytical skills and marketing skills. And that is just to get a temp job...
Their best future lies in becoming their own boss. Contracting, Joint Venture-ing, creating a network of supportive people and companies and becoming expert at communicating as well as their core skill (which needless to say needs to be constantly updated!).
This sounds a lot like what the ancients were doing in the first place!
The school system is doing exactly what it was created to do - sadly times have changed and we now expect more and different results, but that is like asking an orange tree to produce bananas. Not gonna happen!
We need to move back to a more individually designed and appropriate education for each child. We need to be sure they learn analytical skills, that they have a dream to power them through the learning processes, they need great personal and social skills, and they truly need solid values.
Is this something the schools can deliver?
I believe the answer is obvious.
Equally obvious is that we are the ony people who care enough about our children to make the effort to facilitate their education in a way that is specifically designed for each one of them. We know their strengths and their passions. We know how to make them even stronger.
Why does Tiger Woods not practice tennis?
Save your child from being a lemming!
Coming in next posts....
Have a day filled with learning!
Karen
Sunday, October 16, 2005
5 Worst Mistakes parents make about children's education:
1. The very worst is not questioning -
simply sending your child to school 'cos that's what everyone does next.
2. Assuming that someone
somewhere
actually knows what your child should know today and that
they are RIGHT.
3. That "the authorities/government" is correct in its approach,
that they know what education is,
how to facilitate it and
what sorts of education will prepare your child for "success".
4. Allowing someone else to be responsible for your child's learning.
5. Assuming that learning is hard.
The really vital things to know, understand and experience is that learning is a natural impulse for all humans.
We are good at it.
We are all as curious as cats - unless that natural impulse is interfered with.
Then it is worth considering the options available to you in facilitating your child's learning -
there is you, your family and the environment you provide
there is society at large - the postmaster, fireman, nurse and doctor
there is the school system - public and private
there are resources - museums, libraries, the internet, the local college, tutors, gymnastic classes and swimming teams and so very many more.
In fact our world is just teeming with ways to learn about it and experience it. With that in mind - why would the best way be to sit in a class of 20 or 30 age peers and be told about it?
Our world is changing so fast that there is very little data that is not already out of date by the time it reaches a published text book - remember the carburetor - there is a whole industry that just disappeared in a few years, never mind out of date!
Learning vast tracts of data seems pointless.
Learning to ask valid and useful questions
Learning to search for answers
Learning to cooperate with others in the search
Learning to evaluate those answers
Learning in short to think....
Now that is a USEFUL education.
When was the last time you manually worked out a cosign or tangent? When was the last time you had to remember the date of a battle in the 1st world war? What? It wasn't written down in a book somewhere?
Data changes and while general knowledge is a very useful thing, it is also a natural thing that comes from living in an alert and interested way.
Analytical skills are always useful.
Spiritual certainties are even more so. And we don't even need to get into that discussion - even the most absent minded parent is aware that that is not a subject covered in schools today. On the contrary!
Nor is character.
Nor is social cooperation and tolerance.
Nor is compassion.
Sadly.
Our world is rushing ahead and we are like sprinters with our laces tied, relying on the school systems to prepare our children for the race.
"Ain't gonna happen."
Next time we will cover the rise and fall of the school system and why that peer system is dangerous!
Chat soon!
Karen
1. The very worst is not questioning -
simply sending your child to school 'cos that's what everyone does next.
2. Assuming that someone
somewhere
actually knows what your child should know today and that
they are RIGHT.
3. That "the authorities/government" is correct in its approach,
that they know what education is,
how to facilitate it and
what sorts of education will prepare your child for "success".
4. Allowing someone else to be responsible for your child's learning.
5. Assuming that learning is hard.
The really vital things to know, understand and experience is that learning is a natural impulse for all humans.
We are good at it.
We are all as curious as cats - unless that natural impulse is interfered with.
Then it is worth considering the options available to you in facilitating your child's learning -
there is you, your family and the environment you provide
there is society at large - the postmaster, fireman, nurse and doctor
there is the school system - public and private
there are resources - museums, libraries, the internet, the local college, tutors, gymnastic classes and swimming teams and so very many more.
In fact our world is just teeming with ways to learn about it and experience it. With that in mind - why would the best way be to sit in a class of 20 or 30 age peers and be told about it?
Our world is changing so fast that there is very little data that is not already out of date by the time it reaches a published text book - remember the carburetor - there is a whole industry that just disappeared in a few years, never mind out of date!
Learning vast tracts of data seems pointless.
Learning to ask valid and useful questions
Learning to search for answers
Learning to cooperate with others in the search
Learning to evaluate those answers
Learning in short to think....
Now that is a USEFUL education.
When was the last time you manually worked out a cosign or tangent? When was the last time you had to remember the date of a battle in the 1st world war? What? It wasn't written down in a book somewhere?
Data changes and while general knowledge is a very useful thing, it is also a natural thing that comes from living in an alert and interested way.
Analytical skills are always useful.
Spiritual certainties are even more so. And we don't even need to get into that discussion - even the most absent minded parent is aware that that is not a subject covered in schools today. On the contrary!
Nor is character.
Nor is social cooperation and tolerance.
Nor is compassion.
Sadly.
Our world is rushing ahead and we are like sprinters with our laces tied, relying on the school systems to prepare our children for the race.
"Ain't gonna happen."
Next time we will cover the rise and fall of the school system and why that peer system is dangerous!
Chat soon!
Karen
Home School Skills and FAQs
Oooh - I get to blog! What fun!
Here is where I can jump up and down on my soapbox as much as I like! Whee!
My soapbox is almost always homeschooling.
I thought it was a good idea, but it looked really hard when I first met it. I figured I had just moved the entire family to a bigger town and I could now choose a "good" school for my babies. Thus I was serene that I would not need to homeschool.
Ha!
After 2 months of dragging my weeping baby girl to Junior K (at the "good" school with fabulous teachers) and then dragging my weeping self home everyday, I realised that this was not going to work. (Ok - sometimes it takes me a while...)
My daughter was delighted to never see the school again, and even now, 4 years later, when asked, she shudders and makes me promise again never to send her to school.
Everyone questioned my plans. The teacher was very concerned, the principal disapproving and my darling husband confused. I just knew that if there were other ways of educating her without the agony she felt, then I would see if I could do that for her.
Now, I am an academic. That means, as Bill Cosby puts it - we go and study things that people do naturally everywhere else in the world. So I set out on my adventure to discover how to educate my children. I read everything I could lay my hands on - I still do. I talked to everyone - pro, against or just confused - I still do. I researched this choice closely.
It turns out that I discovered so much more than how to teach my child to read and add.
I discovered that:
* children have a natural curiosity for their world and
* love to learn
* I love to be with my children
(this is the one truly vital element in homeschooling of any kind!)
Truly! If you don't like your children - dont homeschool them.
I also discovered that many of my other skills suddenly became really useful
* public speaking
* sales and marketing
* personality profiling
* copywriting, editing
* emotional state management
* learning preference choices
* computer skills
* research skills
* even singing!
Many of the business books I read apply directly to our homeschool:
The ABC's of building a successfull team - Blair Singer
The Alladdin factor - Canfield and Hansen
Rich Dad - Poor Dad - Kyosaki
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Ecker
and so many more!
Some of the really important books were also:
His needs her needs
5 Love languages
Feel the Fear and do it anyway
(sadly all authors who currently escape me)
I have now met a really wonderful and generous group of homeschoolers who support each other and pass on great ideas and have broad shoulders.
I have noticed though, that many of them have never come acroos many of the skills that has smoothed this adventure for me. I gently pass some info along whenever it seems appropriate, but I realised that these are essentials.
It is vital that the people teaching our children have as many tools to use as possible.
That is why this blog.
I plan to share ideas and concepts and resources as I find them.
I also plan to celebrate homeschooling of every stripe and shape possible.
This will be as inclusive as possible.
I believe that homeschooling is a state of mind where we the parents take active responsibility for our childrens' education.
We have a gazillion resources to choose from to get that done - including using the official school system where it is appropriate for our child.
Let's empower each other and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts!
If you have questions or opinions (and I have never met a homeschooler who doesn't have at least three opinions on any single topic!) I would love to hear them! Bring it on!
Next time I will discuss the 5 worst mistakes I see parents making.... hold your breath!
Chat soon
:)
Karen
Oooh - I get to blog! What fun!
Here is where I can jump up and down on my soapbox as much as I like! Whee!
My soapbox is almost always homeschooling.
I thought it was a good idea, but it looked really hard when I first met it. I figured I had just moved the entire family to a bigger town and I could now choose a "good" school for my babies. Thus I was serene that I would not need to homeschool.
Ha!
After 2 months of dragging my weeping baby girl to Junior K (at the "good" school with fabulous teachers) and then dragging my weeping self home everyday, I realised that this was not going to work. (Ok - sometimes it takes me a while...)
My daughter was delighted to never see the school again, and even now, 4 years later, when asked, she shudders and makes me promise again never to send her to school.
Everyone questioned my plans. The teacher was very concerned, the principal disapproving and my darling husband confused. I just knew that if there were other ways of educating her without the agony she felt, then I would see if I could do that for her.
Now, I am an academic. That means, as Bill Cosby puts it - we go and study things that people do naturally everywhere else in the world. So I set out on my adventure to discover how to educate my children. I read everything I could lay my hands on - I still do. I talked to everyone - pro, against or just confused - I still do. I researched this choice closely.
It turns out that I discovered so much more than how to teach my child to read and add.
I discovered that:
* children have a natural curiosity for their world and
* love to learn
* I love to be with my children
(this is the one truly vital element in homeschooling of any kind!)
Truly! If you don't like your children - dont homeschool them.
I also discovered that many of my other skills suddenly became really useful
* public speaking
* sales and marketing
* personality profiling
* copywriting, editing
* emotional state management
* learning preference choices
* computer skills
* research skills
* even singing!
Many of the business books I read apply directly to our homeschool:
The ABC's of building a successfull team - Blair Singer
The Alladdin factor - Canfield and Hansen
Rich Dad - Poor Dad - Kyosaki
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Ecker
and so many more!
Some of the really important books were also:
His needs her needs
5 Love languages
Feel the Fear and do it anyway
(sadly all authors who currently escape me)
I have now met a really wonderful and generous group of homeschoolers who support each other and pass on great ideas and have broad shoulders.
I have noticed though, that many of them have never come acroos many of the skills that has smoothed this adventure for me. I gently pass some info along whenever it seems appropriate, but I realised that these are essentials.
It is vital that the people teaching our children have as many tools to use as possible.
That is why this blog.
I plan to share ideas and concepts and resources as I find them.
I also plan to celebrate homeschooling of every stripe and shape possible.
This will be as inclusive as possible.
I believe that homeschooling is a state of mind where we the parents take active responsibility for our childrens' education.
We have a gazillion resources to choose from to get that done - including using the official school system where it is appropriate for our child.
Let's empower each other and make the whole greater than the sum of its parts!
If you have questions or opinions (and I have never met a homeschooler who doesn't have at least three opinions on any single topic!) I would love to hear them! Bring it on!
Next time I will discuss the 5 worst mistakes I see parents making.... hold your breath!
Chat soon
:)
Karen
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