Okay yes, I did already make the decision to homeschool. The great decision I am talking about is method and curriculum. That seems to be the next step after deciding to teach your child at home. What curriculum or homeschooling method will best suit your family and your child?
All this summer I have been doing unschooling while I researched many different homeschooling approaches and compared curriculum. I wanted to go into this with as much knowledge as possible. I think anyone who knows me will tell you that when I decide to do something it has to be perfect…it has to be an Oscar worthy performance. I have very high standards for myself and yes it does get tiresome. I think I went through the usual self doubt that many homeschooling parents go through…can I do this? Will I be a good teacher? Will I have sufficient time? Will I fall flat on my face and make my son pay for my mistakes?
Well, I have a lot of faith in unschooling and wanted to go that route but innevitably I gave in to my fears and also to well meaning family members who insisted that I was being way to casual with my son’s education. I also started to see some unfavorable attitudes develop with an unschooling approach…such as the day my son announced that he did not need to read to do mechanical/engine work (his ultimate goal) and therefore would not be reading or working on his reading anymore. This is one sure way to make my heart stop…reading is like oxygen to me.
So…I made the decision that feels like half and half to me. My son has been enrolled in an online school that uses the K12 curriculum. It is structured and there will be tests on core skills but it is also VERY flexible I found after numerous phone calls to their offices. There is no grading of assignments and homework, there is only testing of basic skills that they need to pass with an 80% or better. They have online tutorials and textbooks for the parents to use in their instruction but using them is really optional. You can teach any which way you want to as long as the basics are covered. So when my son has science this year and needs to learn about the planets we can read their textbooks together and do the suggested activities OR we could go to a planetarium, see a space IMAX movie, create a planet mobile, or watch cute little videos at BrainPop Jr. The journey is not as important as the end result which makes me VERY happy. He can also go at his own pace…he does not need to be at the same level for English and math…he can just work according to his own needs and skills. If need be he could be doing second grade math and science and first grade writing and spelling. This program is hugely flexible and still allows me to incorporate my own ideas and opportunities for LIFE learning. They provide us with a computer and all the required books. They even arrange field trips and parties with other homeschooled students.
In doing the initial placement tests I can see that my son is behind his peers in reading and writing… or so they say. I am not worried about it. Interestingly though he is advanced in his language skills. He is awesome at narration, picking out details in a story, identifying the overal theme or lesson, or picking the missing words that complete the sentences. He is also great with definitions. I think his language skills have a lot to do with the fact that his father and I have always talked to him like an adult. Even when our kids were babies we never used baby talk…we talked to them like we would talk to anyone else. We didn’t “dumb things down” so to speak. If they need clarification we were happy to offer it but otherwise we just talked to them without any special exceptions for their age. Instead of “Oh baby….does baby want some num nums and some baa baa with milkie?” We would ask: “Payton would you like something to eat? Would you like bananas? Here have some warm cereal with bananas and this cup with milk inside it. I will sit here next to you and read this newspaper.” Just more evidence that life teaches a great deal of the lessons they need to learn…sigh.
Both of my older children blow me away with their language skills although I have shared before that my 30 month old is almost completely non-verbal thus far..so we are scratching our heads over that one.
So…we will see how a more structured homeschool approach goes. I figure we can quit anytime right? We are actually considering moving to another city nearby this spring as well…and ahem…farther away from certain naysayers. But that’s not the reason for the move! We want to live in the big city again. We could downsize and simplify. If we do move it will be nice for my son to have some routine and familiarity.
Let the journey begin!
