The 'story' below is from a fellow homeschooling mom. She posted this as a response to a post on a homeschooling Facebook page. She, herself, was homeschooled and is now homeschooling her children. She struggled with the choice to homeschool and shares her story: It's kind of long but well worth read.
"I was homeschooled from 7th grade through graduation. Prior to that, I attended public and then private school. I have younger siblings who have been homeschooled all the way through. I know that one intends to home educate her child in a few years. I home educate mine and have never placed them in school.
I did question homeschooling, but never questioned whether it would be the best decision I could make for them academically and socially. I questioned leaving behind my job and my paycheck to stay home with them (and with that, forfeiting more than half of our income at the time). I wondered whether my husband would ever embrace homeschooling wholeheartedly and be excited to support that choice and participate in it.
I did leave my job. And God has always been so astonishingly faithful to meet our needs in such beautiful ways. I'm so blessed to have trusted Him and had the opportunities to rely on His provision and see His goodness and care extended to us as we walked in obedience and faith. Have finances been tough at times? Yes! Yes, they sure have. But through that we have grown and I am thankful for it!
My husband's heart toward homeschooling has changed in wonderful ways. At first, he was supportive of me, and willing to "try it out". But now, years later, he has shared with me how thankful he is that we are doing this; how impressed he is with the education our children are getting at home; how glad he is that we do not have the children in public education right now. He wants to teach them too. He doesn't just support me in choosing it, he is choosing it along with me. If anyone reading this has a spouse who is unsure or hesitant, be encouraged. It may take years and the opportunity to see the value of homeschooling first hand, but there is hope that homeschooling may eventually win them over in the end!
I don't use the same curricula, or necessarily homeschool the same as my Mom did with me. But I have learned a LOT from having watched her as she educated myself and my siblings.
My main positive take-aways from my education are: Children WILL learn...one way or another, they learn. They are smart and they absorb the information around them. Learning happens everywhere and there is value to recognizing opportunities in everyday life. Also, learning is not just about academics. And it is a beautiful thing to allow a child to explore their natural interests and develop the skills they are gifted in; there is no need to cookie-cutter everyone, instead we would benefit to treasure the unique differences in individuals which make for a world that is diverse and interesting and colorful and creative.
Probably the one thing I want to do a little differently is to recognize that although there is absolutely significant value to flexibility and creativity in education, there is also value to academic discipline. A child may not enjoy reading, but it may be to that child's benefit to MAKE them do it anyways so they will be able to take advantage of the skill later on. There is value to some routine and structure. Now, the balance of it all is sometimes hard to find, but I do try to implement a little more discipline in our school work than I had - and I think that will continue to be significant as my children grow. For now, they are still young and play is learning and that's a good thing. But my children definitely have some academic expectations to do things they don't like or that are hard, not because it's their natural interest, but because it's an important skill for them to develop, whether or not they necessarily enjoy it.
Personally, the discipline in education was not such a struggle for me, having already been in structured institutional school settings and beginning my home education in Jr.High/High School. But it was something I saw as a struggle for my younger siblings as they grew...especially venturing into studies in college. They are smart and capable, but from my perspective, a lack of preparation (by practicing personal academic discipline early on) has been somewhat of a detriment, although certainly it has not hindered them from achieving success in the things they choose to pursue. But if I can help my children by providing some structure and expectations appropriate for their age so they can grow up establishing self-discipline in this area, I think it will be a good thing for them in the long run.
My favorite thing about homeschooling was the freedom I enjoyed to pursue my interests. I wrote music and played/sang in a band in high school (along with my brother, future husband, and several other friends) and home education enabled me to travel and perform and enjoy some really exciting and wonderful experiences.
Looking back on my homeschooling as an adult, I will say that one of the BEST things about homeschool was the kind of "de-toxing" that took place in the nurturing environment of my home. I spent years unlearning so much of the wrong-thinking that had been drilled into my young heart by ignorant peers. I had to relearn to love my siblings and value them, rather than view them as a nuisance to be avoided. I had to re-establish my perspective of myself, and re-learn how to identify what defined my worth and beauty. I wish I could have simply avoided all of those pervasive lies. I'm still un-learning them. But I am so deeply thankful that my parents stepped in to re-direct us when they did. I did great in school, I was well-liked and 'popular'. But in the end I didn't need top grades or popularity. I needed love. I needed to be truly loved and to learn what love truly is and how to extend it to others. My home education provided a healthy environment for me to grow in that, and specifically as a Christian, to immerse myself in God's Word and be guided not by majority influence, but by the truth during those significant years of my development into maturity.
Least favorite part of homeschooling (from my perspective as a student) was that so much of what we did was catered to the whole family. Overall, this was a good thing, BUT in my academic studies, it was frustrating when my Mom attempted to have me work together with my siblings on most projects. There is an 8 and an 11 year difference between myself and the youngest and while some of it was good (I learned patience and compassion and being thoughtful of the younger ones...character lessons like that), it was irritating to feel held back to keep us all working together. I think there is a difference between encouraging older students to teach and lead younger students, (which can be a great thing for several reasons) and catering learning for all ages to work together as a general rule. Ultimately, it can become too challenging for younger students, while too childish for older students, and really, no one has their needs sufficiently met. Like I said, some of it was good. But I do remember feeling frustrated with that aspect - especially in homeschool group settings.
(Another note on homeschool groups, just because it is a "homeschool" group...even a "Christian" homeschool group, does not mean that it is free of negative influence, bullying, cliques, etc. Don't be naive. Kids were still sexually active, experimenting with drugs, judgmental of fashion and physical appearances...etc. within the Christian homeschool group I attended...and it was a distraction as it was in public school. Be aware and be involved and don't make assumptions. )
What would I say to my parents who homeschooled me? Well, I would (and DO) say, "Thank you." Thank you so much for the sacrifices I know you made to invest in us the way you did. It was the BEST thing you did for us and I am truly, truly grateful."
No comments:
Post a Comment