Posts from — February 2009

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.