Homeschooling for everyone

What a shame that there is so much emphasis today on ensuring that all students can read. What am I saying? Have I lost my mind? Hardly.

School systems in the US are geared to the lowest level students, which is good on the one hand, but they do so at the expense of the other kids who are prevented from being exposed to other important subjects and activities. This problem stems from the fact that our schools use an industrial process to teach our children – a process that is only able to apply learning to the whole group, as opposed to allowing the lower level students in need of remediation to get what they need, without holding back the students that are able to move on to more advanced levels (and subjects).

It’s not only the process that defeats the achieving students; it is also the lack of time to allow those achieving students to do other things. They are forced to complete the same things that the underachievers are required to do. Case in point: high stakes tests that are forced on every student, regardless of level. Worse yet, the lesson plans teachers are forced to teach revolve around good performance on the high stakes test and usually leave little time to provide advanced materials and additional subjects to students who can benefit most.

Most private schools are better at providing a more individualized program for students, and they are definitely better at providing a full scope of subject matter and exposure. Homeschool parents should find it very rewarding and much more interesting to provide a wide scope of subjects and activities to motivate and engage students. Science and social studies can be fascinating, and when combined with the arts, students can be awakened to talents they didn’t know they had.

There is a very wonderful and complete book on homeschooling that I was exposed to years ago called The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It is a very comprehensive guide to homeschooling from preschool through high school and worth a review by any parent involved in homeschooling.

The beauty of this guide is that it covers so many subjects and activities. Of course, reading and fundamentals are emphasized in the elementary school years, but children are exposed to a wide variety of subjects and experiences. “Well-rained Minds” are well-rounded minds. Foreign languages, religion, philosophy, music history and appreciation, art history and appreciation are infused into the program and give children the opportunity to make life decisions with a great perspective.

“Well-rounded” also allows exposure to many possible endeavors and careers. It allows children to understand the possibilities open to them and it helps them gauge their likes and dislikes. I often counsel college graduates to determine two things when they select a career path. First, figure out what you like to do and identify careers that let you do what you like. The second is to figure out what you’re good at, even if it isn’t something that you are crazy about doing. Both of these can serve you well in a career and position you for future success. Among other advantages, having a well-rounded perspective will help determine these important choices much more precisely.

I was first introduced to the concept of homeschooling about 20 years ago when my sister announced her decision to home school her son Josh. At the time, Josh was 6 years old, the eldest of 3 children. I remember being surprised by her announcement as I knew of no other mothers who homeschooled their children. I also remember thinking what an ambitious undertaking it was. Little did I know that many years later I would be proud to say that my sister has successfully homeschooled 4 of her 6 children all the way through high school. The two eldest boys graduated from state universities and now have good-paying careers, one in IT and the other in business administration. The third and fourth eldest are presently at state universities. And my sister still has 2 more to go, a girl and boy, 13 and 11, one of which has learning disabilities.

I don’t think my sister planned to home school all the way through high school. I think she took one year at a time and made that decision year by year. Looking back I consider her a pioneer who persevered at a time when homeschooling was not accepted by the mainstream because she believed she was doing something extraordinary for her children: giving them a good education in a nurturing environment and instilling in them the love of learning.

One evening I walked into the den where my two boys have their desks and do their homework. My oldest wasn’t there but my son “Goosie,” age 9 at the time, was sitting there with his head down on the desk. I first thought that he may be sick and I went over and gently asked him if he was OK. This sad little face looked up at me and proclaimed, “This learning is killing me.”

Wow, what a statement. He’s only 9 and his school backpack weighs so much I can barely lift it for him to put it on. It’s a fact that America is falling behind other nations academically and that our culture puts more emphasis on celebrity, glamour and materialism than education, but let’s get real here. The mountains of homework that these kids get in elementary school is simply too much and in a lot of cases becomes counter-productive.

Let me pose some questions to think about…and respond to if you have a strong opinion either way:
1. Why do young children (at the tender age of 5 to 8 or 9) get hours and hours of homework every week?
2. If a child can answer 5 to 10 homework math problems correctly, why do teachers make them answer 30 or 40 of the same type of problems?
3. Is it right to give children hours of homework assignments over holidays and weekends?
4. Why don’t schools figure out a way to avoid having each teacher pile on big homework assignments to one child, especially when they have different teachers for each subject? Shouldn’t there be consideration for the fact that each teacher is assigning (lots of) homework to the poor kid?
5. Why are teachers allowed to assign more than one long-term assignment (project) each year?

I have a friend who has two of the most gifted girls I’ve seen. She is extremely focused on their education and has been since the day they were born. They have been homeschooled since birth. When the oldest girl turned 10 she told her mom that she wanted to go to a school. The mother decided to grant her daughter’s wish and researched all the schools in her area, both private and public. After much due diligence she decided on a public school that offered an outstanding “gifted program.”

After a month the poor girl was completely overwhelmed with homework and by the end of the first session her mother pulled her out because the she was exhausted and totally bummed out by the “busy work” that they piled on her. If the normal assignment was to read two chapters, they gave the gifted kids four chapters. Regular program students were asked to answer 20 questions while gifted kids had to answer 50. It was possible to do the work, but it left no time for anything else.

These girls are well-rounded and pursuing their favorite interests. They study languages and music, are enrolled in martial arts classes, and the younger one is playing tournament tennis. They could give all that up for meeting overbearing homework assignments, but what’s the point?

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

There are various reasons why more and more parents are making the decision to take their children out of public schools and teach them at home. Here are just a few:

• disillusionment with the overcrowded, underfunded public school system

• religious or philosophical beliefs

• the ability to better meet the special needs of a child with learning or physical disabilities

If you are thinking about homeschooling your child, here are some benefits to consider:

Parents can provide a more positive learning environment than traditional schools. Parents are the first teachers of their children and their most important role models. When children are homeschooled, they have closer family relationships.

• The school day can be organized according to what the child’s special needs are. For example, if a child is a good reader but struggles with math, extra quality time can be dedicated to math.

• The child can avoid the negative peer pressure – even bullying — that goes along with attending school, which can be very distracting and cause a lot of heartache.

• Since there are no fixed hours of learning per subject, children can learn at their own pace, and the curriculum can be tailored to fit their interests and career goals.

• Parents have the ability incorporate their religious beliefs into their child’s curriculum in whatever way they see fit.