So, I may have some weird views on things(just look at all the heated convos that happen on FB! ha ha)...and by weird, I mean against the norm, or controversial or what not.
Homeschooling for me is just such an awesome thing, that I don't see how it could even be controversial anymore, and I think that a lot of people are going more that way, than ever before.
I've been wanting to write for a while now on why I decided to start homeschooling the boys...its just that I've been too busy actually homeschooling them to do it! ha ha.
I'm not quite sure how people keep up with awesome up-to-date homeschooling blogs, and still have time to do everything else...it seems impossible.
(p.s. I like this blog for its LDS pre-k curriculum)
Anyways...here are a few of the reasons why I decided to take the plunge into the fantastic world of homeschooling:
-Over in Finland (and maybe Sweden too?) they have an entirely different way of schooling. Kids don't start until they are 7 or 8....they never give out homework, or have unit exams. Its much more about learning in an individualized way, and suiting your learning to meet your inidvidual needs. They are never inside doing a project for more than 45 minutes...they have a LOT of active and creative time. It's pretty much the exact opposite of the way people are schooled in China, where te have intesnse homework and long hours.
And guess what, it works!! From all of the articles I've read they are actually beating the US and China at any comparisons in education that have been done.
-I've read a lot about the "Attachment Theory" by Gordon Neufeld ("Hold on to Your Kids")...its not what it sounds like (being attached at the hip to your cbild at all times). Its more about your children having a healthy bond with you, so they can function in the world properly. This way they won't be peer-oriented (having their primary attachment be their peers, in which they learn social cues and mirror their behavior after their friends instead of after reliable and responsible adults).
In this book he talks a lot about seperation and what not, and that until your child is around 7 or 8 that you need to be helping them not feel seperation anxiety when they are away from you. You do this through bridging, and helping them gain attachments with other cargeviers or teachers.
One way around this though, is just keeping them with you longer...he doesn't ever specifically give that as an option, as he presumes that children will all be away from their parents due to work outside of the home, or due to school. I think its a very viable option though, id you have the midspace, time and desire to homeschool...it just gives your children that extra few years to help strengthen their primary attachment with you.
-Another reason, is that I don't think 'A' is ready for all day school, nor should he be...I think kids are altogether too young to be leaving their parents for so long, with little to contact through the school day. I noticed that 'A' would get cranky often if he had been in 1/2 day classes for a while regularily...there were several days that he wanted to stay home just to hang out with Roo and I. I honestly can't imagine him being gone all day long everyday, I don't think that he, or I, would be ready for it at this stage.
-As most people know, I'm pretty religious, and I like bringing scripture stories into everyday learning, its great:)
-My kids love extra-curricular activities, and I love that they love them...so I always encourage their participation in things they really enjoy. I found, that even at this young age, that we were consistently busy in the evevning, running back and forth to activities and what not. I like having relaxing evenings, where we can spend more time together as a family, but I also love these activities. Through the set-up that I have with homeschool, I have my kids enrolled in activties throughout the day. There is only one activity per week that we couldn't plan during the day, but besides that we have all of our evenings free. I love it! By the time my hubby gets off of work, we can all have dinner and just relax for the evening. It has been one of the greatest changes that homeschool has brought.
-I want my kids to enjoy learning. I know that there are SUPER great teachers out there (as witnessed by A's kindergarten year, his teacher was my FAVE!! Like seriously, we love you Carly! ha ha).
I think that if our kids were always to have the oppurtunity to have fantastic teachers that love learning, and instill that in kids, that they would love learning. This probably won't always be the case, but I love that I can instill that in them for now.
-As far as negative social factors, as in,people thinking that homeschooled children may not get acquire proper social skills and behaviors...that's completey irrelevant. When people think of homeschooling they may think of familes that keep their children all at home, with little to no peer interaction, or think of strange kids they met that were homeschooled. well, for one, strange kids are everywhere, ha ha...and for two, going through the public school system does not guarantee that your child will learn proper socail skills.
I also don't think it is much of a factor for my kids (or others who homeschool in this type of way) due to the fact that we have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, church and activities that they socialize with, so I'm not worried about that. I'd prefer that my kids be god friends with eachother anyways, and spend more time increaisng their bond with eachother. during this time that they getthe oppurtunity to stay home.
-This is a great article about a lady discussing her reasons why she is choosing to homeschool, but it is a US article, so it is not as relevant, as our school system is quite a bit different as far as homework and what not goes.
-If you're interested, here is some exatr reading for you:
Specifcally the section under "research"...homeschooled children tend to do better on standardized tests than publicly schooled children.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling#Research
To those who wonder how long I'm planning on homeschooling for...I have no idea?! ha ha...if all goes well, and we all keep loving it as much as we do now, we may keep doing it...although my originaly plan was only to do it for a year or maybe two.
Hopefully I can keep up on posting things that we do, and ideas that we have, for others that are interested in homeschooling. Until then, if you ever have any questions, feel free to contact me! :)
