Monday, February 21, 2011

Home Schooling-Why?


I come from the era of one-size-fits-all education. I remember being a child and never feeling like I fit in when the group teaching style was going on in the class room. It was not a social misfit of not fitting in, it was a learning misfit. I don't want my child or children to EVER feel that way.

There was also a time when putting my step children through the public school system and sitting down and talking with my oldest step child's teachers and being told, your step son is very bright, brighter then most in his class, however I am sorry but I just don't have the time to teach at the higher level he needs. So please have him bring an extra book in so he can entertain himself while the others finish their work.

Please know I do not fault any of these educators. From my past or my step children's experience. I remember doing my student teaching for special needs students and staying up for hours writing a lesson plan for each of them and then writing one for the entire class of main stream students as well that I was teaching. I thought to myself, this was nuts how much time it consumed and I could not understand how my co-workers who had children and families managed to stay on top of this as well.

I don't want this for my children. I want them to get individualized personal educations. I want them to be part of a co-op once a week or more where they get to socialize while learning on a group lesson for a short amount of time and then getting that one-on-one attention from me the rest of the week, where we can soar with that lesson to where ever their very intelligent minds want to go. Or if they are struggling know I am there to help them through it and not feel rushed.

Don't get my wrong, my children will be involved with scouts, sports, church youth, dance, music lessons and so much more. In these activities they will get to meet friends and socialize where it belongs. Not in their personal learning space 5 days a week. They will have their co-op to experience group learning once a week and benefit from that greatly.

 I struggled and watched my peers, family and friends struggle as well with this one-size-fits-all education. Even in college I broke off into small groups from large lectures, where the ones that learned the same way seemed to be drawn towards each other and I benefited so much from that.

I also have greatly benefited from the continuation of my online education as well, with my own paced learning.

Now as an adult I have learned my strengths and weaknesses. However, if I had been taught that as a child I know I would be more confident in the game of life now. And had fewer set backs, where they were not necessary.

So this is my quest of home school learning. No, I am not anti-public school, I am just anti-one-size-fits-all learning.

I hope this reaches out to you home educating parents as you walk through your road of teaching, or trying to make that hard decision of home schooling. Know that there are many of us out there and yes, it will be okay in the end. You just need to answer your own question of why, like I have. It may not be the same answer in the end after having the experience, however, we all have to start somewhere!!

God Bless you on this road to educating your children.
Cynthia

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