 Home Education Basics by HBLN member Michelle Bentley Home based learning occurs within the home and the wider community in a relevant and timely manner. Many families learning at home prefer the term "home learning" since they do not replicate school at home. There is no need to! You do not need any teacher training to be qualified to teach your children. Classroom methods of instruction were designed to handle large groups of students. The term "school" indicates learning is something that only occurs in large groups under the guidance of a teacher, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday to Friday for 200 days of the year. Home educated children on the other hand can be self-directed and self-motivated. Children learn 365 days a year, any time, any place there is something that sparks their interest. Homeschooling can be seen as a lifestyle choice. There may not be a “typical day” since homeschooling can be flexible and take advantage of teachable moments. The most important things involved are a positive attitude, a willingness to learn yourself, and an educated decision as to why you want to homeschool. You can commit yourself to only one semester or year at a time, and one child at a time (families may have one child at home and another at school, and who is doing what varies from year to year). It is important to make a decision based on your child’s needs and your own concerns, but you do not need to have all of the answers before you start. How much time homeschooling takes depends on many factors, including ages of children and methods of teaching. Since instruction is individualized and one-on-one families doing structured schoolwork often finds this takes about one third of the time it would at school (about two hours a day). Materials and activities available vary widely in how much (or if any) preparation time is needed. Some families use an approach known as unschooling, which allows the child to explore his or her own interests. The parents’ role in this process is more of being a facilitator than a teacher. Each family will find the balance between structured and unstructured activities that works for them; this will take some experimenting, and can be different from child to child and from month to month or year to year. In the beginning some families find it best to concentrate on the basics and limit activities and all those neat sounding projects (unless these bring enjoyment instead of stress); others will use hands-on or self-directed activities as their whole curriculum (especially with young children). Home based education is about individual children, not a "school system." You can use a commercially prepared curriculum or find your own sources, or use a combination of both. You develop a program that is best suited for you, your child, and your personal family situation. Materials, including Canadian-based resources, are available at libraries, bookstores, teacher stores, or by mail or Internet. Parents are often concerned with how to teach different ages of children at the same time. Children can be taught the same subject together by reading aloud to the group and then discussing the material at their own levels, with extra explanations given when they are needed. It is helpful to teach our children to learn to play alone at times, to respect a parent needing to work quietly with another child or even to have private time, and to give them the tools and skills to work independently. Encourage older children to help the younger ones with their questions and projects. They can also help with the housework to free up parent time for homeschooling and family activities! Families often worry about socializing. Homeschooled children develop strong socialization skills. Positive social skills such as co-operation, justice, respect, and tolerance are more easily modeled and taught in the home, where there is much closer supervision, than in the school yard. Home schoolers are often more confident in socializing with all age groups, including adults, not just with their "class age." As with school children, they play with friends after school and are active in community teams and clubs. Home schooled children are also encouraged to get together with each other in areas of common interest. They might work on a special project together or take part in group lessons in science, languages, chess, dance, art, music or sports (locally this includes fencing, swimming, hockey, soccer, archery, and gymnastics). In addition many support groups organize sports teams, science fairs, and picnics and offer interesting field trips to museums, art galleries, historical sites, and conservation areas. There is no lack of social opportunities for your child or you! Canadian and U.S. studies show that home schoolers academically do well regardless of cultural or social factors, have fewer behavioral problems than schooled children, and that home education is far superior for students with special needs. Classroom teachers asked what they need to make teaching basic skills easier will ask for smaller class sizes and more parental involvement, and this combination is what makes homeschooling so successful. Reflections by HBLN Member Linda Boissinot I thought I’d write down my reflections on homeschooling as I prepare for my 13th, and likely final, year of “official” homeschooling (I know, I know….my children were learning at home from birth and I continue to be an influence beyond the school-age years, so really home-based education has no boundaries … but this will be the 13th year that I replace public education.) First Contact The first homeschooler I ever met was the midwife for my first son’s birth in 1986. She had brought her 4 children with her to a home visit and while they played at the local park, she patiently answered my amazed questions: Can you do that legally? Where do you get the books and supplies? What about the stuff you don’t know, like music or math? Don’t they miss playing with friends? I was stunned and remember feeling that she was depriving her children of an education. I had loved school and couldn’t believe that someone would actually choose to not send their children there. Oh well, live and let live… About a year later, I met a wonderful woman who helped support me in my decision to breastfeed, who helped me make sense of some parenting issues and who helped guide me in my personal development. I admired her greatly and was surprised to learn that she too homeschooled. Maybe there was something to this homeschooling if such an intelligent and dedicated mother had chosen this course for her family. Of course we weren’t going to need to homeschool because with proper preparation my sons (I had two by then) would transition well from home to school. Boy was I in for a learning experience! The Decision Our oldest son did not adjust well at all to junior kindergarten. Despite having been to playgroups, he found the chaos of school overwhelming. The teacher was unsupportive and I was unsure what to do. One thing I knew for sure, my son was regressing… he was crying more often, wetting the bed again, refusing to do basic tasks and generally becoming an unhappy little boy. We tried a temporary break but the return to school a few weeks later was just as difficult. An injury in late winter gave us another reason to keep him home. By the end of that school year, I had attended my first homeschooling conference and was willing to give this a try temporarily. Besides, the teacher didn’t know what to recommend for placement the following year – she wanted him held back a year while I knew he was capable of printing his name, counting to 100, sorting objects etc (all skills he refused to demonstrate at school.) So for one temporary year, and let me stress temporary, we were going to provide education at home. Surely, after a year of maturing, he would be ready for grade one. Instead we found we had a little boy suffering from anxiety – he was more clingy, his sleep was affected and he now refused to participate in many of the situations he’d encountered at school – like taking a bus, speaking French, playing in groups of children. We spent a full year just getting to know each other again. Since he was born in December, he legally wasn’t required to attend school for another year, so again we decided to keep him home temporarily. He started blossoming and I was becoming more confident with this “alternative” lifestyle. I attended conferences, read books and made connections. Maybe we could give this a try…on a year-to-year basis of course! Day to Day Life Everything is better with a plan, so every summer I design a plan/curriculum/schedule for the year. We gradually get into a routine in the fall but by October modifications are already creeping in. Christmas preparations always disrupt our schedule but we try something new in January. We’ve usually had to deal with colds and sometimes the flu over the winter so our routine isn’t very structured then. By spring we need a break and by the May long weekend, we’ve pretty much ended our formal schooling. That’s not to say that we don’t accomplish a lot over the year but our days rarely resemble a school timetable! We have our good days and bad days. In my opinion, anyone who says homeschooling is perfect just hasn’t done it long enough yet. We’ve dealt with tantrums, injuries, various conflicts, sibling rivalry and unmet expectations. But we’ve also been able to get up in the morning when we’ve all had enough sleep; we’ve eaten when we were hungry, worn whatever clothes we wanted, had picnic lunches with Dad, stayed up later to have more family time, had more opportunities to interact with extended family and enjoyed traveling at off-peak times. Most importantly for me, we’ve had the time to spend building relationships. We read everyday, we played everyday, we persisted with the 3 R’s in various ways and we expanded our horizons. Replacing Schools Schools were made available to complement or replace parental instruction but the reality in our society is that homeschooling replaces what the schools provide. From my perspective, schools provide three services: 1. Academic education 2. Socialization 3. Babysitting Academics: Although I doubted my ability to provide strong academics at home, in hindsight we did just fine. There is a wide spectrum of ways to teach children – from structured programmes that excel beyond what the best schools provide to “unschooling” where children are provided with an enriching environment and encouraged to follow their hearts. My boys felt we were too structured and I felt we were too unschooling! I guess what we had was a shifting balance somewhere in between. Socialization: This generated the most questions from friends, family and strangers. I feel the need to differentiate between two definitions of socialization. The first is the opportunity for children to play with peers. Home schooling, which is rarely done only at home, offers lots of chances for children to interact with other children, but in better-supervised settings than schoolyards. They also played with their schooled friends in the neighbourhood and participated in many “after-school” activities. An advantage to homeschooling socialization is that my children were exposed to children (and adults!) of various ages. My opinion: if Mother Nature had intended for children to be raised in same-aged groups, women would have litters! If socialization refers to learning the rules and expected behaviours for our society then I think homeschooling, again, comes out heads above the artificial settings provided in schools. We’ve had so many opportunities for our children to be out in the real world, interacting with real people. They learned the realities of our society as well as my expectations (and those of others) for behaving in this society. Babysitting: Who are we kidding? Schools make it easier to pursue personal goals like holding a job, doing volunteer work, taking up hobbies, engaging in physical activities etc. It can take some creativity but homeschooling parents do find ways of doing some (or even all!) of these endeavors. I believe it was part of my children’s life education to see their parents being active in the community or finding ways of staying physically active. When I made time to read, I wasn’t being selfish. I was modeling! It’s vitally important for me as a person, to make the commitment to recharge my batteries. When planning academic work and/or other activities for the children, I’ve had to consciously consider my own needs too. This might be a good time to mention housework. I’m generally an advocate of putting people before things, and was never one to make housework a top priority. I was surprised, however, at how well lived-in our home became! (If you’re thinking, “Great opportunity for the children to learn life skills,” then you’re ready to home school!) I occasionally envied our neighbours, whose children went to day care at 6 am, then to school and then back to day care until suppertime. They ate supper, played outside a bit and were in bed long before my children. Their house never had a chance to get dirty! Mine, on the other hand, has become one large learning centre: science experiments and electronic projects in the basement, books everywhere, paperwork on the dining room table, seeds growing in the kitchen, various animals throughout the house, computers in what ‘should” be the living room and posters on any free walls. We don’t spend all our days at home (I’ve often joked that we car school!) but our house is well used. No regrets but a reality. The Present So where are we today? Our oldest child requested to go to public high school, and did his transition year last year. He’s a typical, mainstream teenager, less interested in his school work (but doing well all the same) than in his social world. He’s active in Air Cadets, plays basketball, has a girlfriend and is learning to drive a stick-shift. He took a few months to fully adjust to the school routine but is generally happy to be part of the “normal” world. Our second son is beginning his last year of homeschooling (although I hate to write anything in stone!) He’s bright and creative so I hope school isn’t too boring for him. Why are we sending him? Because despite the alternatives, it’s the easiest way to get a high school diploma. My children have always preferred having “school work” taught to them (instead of exploring on their own) and this is becoming increasingly challenging to do at this stage. Also, the homeschooling social circle has diminished as he’s gotten older. There are so many activities and programmes for younger homeschoolers, but many children enter school at this age, so the number of potential friends has decreased. Knowing what I know now, would I do it again? Absolutely! No hesitation. But I would do it differently. I wouldn’t worry so much about keeping up with peers or the expectations of the school system. I would let the children lead a bit more in their own education. And I would add even more fun activities and play time. Home School Kit Besides a willing spirit, here are some items that I think are essential to home schooling: 1. A library card – so many resources all under one roof! Books for parents to read to children and books for them to read themselves. Magazines, newspapers, internet access, books-on-tape (makes car schooling an easier ride!) and even videos & DVD’s. 2. Legal advice – I found the resources at the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents to be very reassuring. 3. A book list on home schooling – even if you never read them all, it’s nice to know there’s support. Besides, when someone questions your decision, you can always say, “You seem genuinely concerned! So and So addresses that beautifully in his/her book… Would you like me to get you a copy?” 4. At least one supportive friend – when you have a rough day (either because the children are being typical kids or because your expectations aren’t realistic) it’s nice to have someone with whom you can commiserate without them assuming that your problems are because you home school. Parents of schooled children have rough days too! 5. Paper – lots and lots of paper. For creative play, for practicing skills, for making signs throughout the house, for folding and making airplanes! 6. Water – lots and lots of water. For creative play, for practicing skills, for putting out fires, for relaxing in the tub. Optional 1. Patience: if you wait to become a saint before starting, your children will never be homeschooled. While schools have Professional Development Days (PD Days), we had PMS Days. My boys have learned some valuable life skills by spending so much time with a real person. 2. Lots of money: Home schooling can cost a small fortune or it can be done on a shoestring. We saved on “good” clothes, school supplies and field trips. We spent the most on museum memberships (discounts available to home school groups) and family trips. I do highly recommend a large change bucket. Coins are great for sorting, for use as counters when adding, subtracting etc, for counting by 5’s and 10’s, and for seeing that 4 quarters make a whole & 2 quarters make a half. We even used them for doing decimal-fraction conversions: ½ dollar = 0.50, ¼= 0.25 Conclusion Should you home school? I don’t know you or your family situation, so it would be pretty brazen of me to offer my opinion. What I know for sure is that a lot of the barriers I imagined, didn’t really exist. And it doesn’t need to be done perfectly to be better than what the schools are offering. They’re not doing it perfectly either! Besides, home schooling doesn’t need to be an all or nothing decision. If it doesn’t work out for your family, you can always have your children rejoin the school system. |