Day Nineteen: Don't Make Me Do Workbooks!

The speaker's message resounded in me like a pounding drum and I was nearly taken with the simplicity and seeming authenticity of it all. However, what I know to be true of my children  also pounded in my heart--a competing beat vying for a place alongside this "new" philosophy. Near the end of the year, the homeschool convention is more than just an avenue for purchasing next year's curriculum; it's where parents can be redeemed from curricula that proved less than successful and they are encouraged in various seminars that there is more than one way to educate our children. So there I sat, with a couple of "unbudgeables" that have always worked for us but also some questions that just weren't going away. Was I reaching my children through each of their learning styles? Was I adding too many subjects? Not enough subjects? Since we have freedom as homeschoolers to choose our own educational materials, the task can be liberating and overwhelming at the same time. The message that blared charismatically from the podium seemed intriguing. It subtracted much parental work and focused on the main three areas of study for every child: writing, reading and math. I began to mull it all over as I drove home barely in time for supper.

spotting owls--our fave!

Later that week, however, somewhere between church and home, Oliver called out from the backseat, "Mommy, please don't make me do anymore workbooks. They don't teach me anything." The girls piped in with their agreement of his statement and for a minute, I sat silently rolling between the white and yellow lines, trying to steady my thoughts and my vehicle. Where did this come from and what exactly was he saying? Suddenly, I found myself in a curriculum debate with my children and although I defended their workbooks and tried to justify their value, I was amused by my kids' passion. Workbooks and textbooks have their place in our homeschool for two reasons: first, to cover all of our bases (details that might be missed in a unit study), and second, to maintain the flow of education during a lull in our thematic studies or a season when important things in life cause us to stop the afore mentioned studies. While they are essential for some families, for us, they are an "easy" fix for an educational blockage or deliberate break from the style we prefer.

Nine years of home educating, has taught me that as different as each of my children are from each other, they also change from year to year in their abilities and desires for how to learn. Although, I am ultimately in charge of their learning, I revisit our materials at the end of spring to see if anything should be changed up. This particular trip in the truck taught me that my kids actually care about the methodology. Oliver's realization that workbooks weren't working for him was a surprise to me and I am taking him seriously. He's not one to flounder or complain about a book simply because he is not in the mood for it. My heart drummed again with the same knowledge that beats rhythmically year after year: my children thrive under thematic learning. Once again, I was driven to plan and prepare an exciting curriculum not based on advice from keynote speakers or philosophical readings for home educators, but by my children's straightforward requests. 

Day Twenty-Seven: Homeschooling Highschoolers

I sat shoulder to shoulder with other eager parents as the keynote speaker for Homeschool Legal Defense contended for carrying our children through their highschool years at home. I'll never forget how he challenged us to think about why we would place our child into the school system just because they enter grade nine. Who made that grade disassociated from grade eight and what makes us suddenly abide by a standard we've been ignoring up to this point? What makes those children abruptly profit less from home education? Learning is still learning and how you arrive at the knowledge and skills your child needs is a decision each family makes. Whatever level that child is at is the level you continue to teach, regardless of the credit system being something the general population adheres to. I wrestled in my mind as to whether or not I could handle teaching highschool. Then I realized I had already trained my girl to become an independent learner and she has been mostly working on her own for about three years.

My Homie

 

I slipped off my shoes when I walked through my front door and mulled over what I had learned. I began boiling a pot for the potatoes when my husband entered the house. I shared all the nuggets of wisdom I'd gained that day and he agreed there was no other way for our family but to simply continue what we were doing with our oldest. "Highschool" would just be the name of the next step, not a daunting idea or an overwhelming change, but just another grade.

Plastering Daddy with a concocted yogurt facial while he's watching the game?--priceless :)

 

However, fear did begin to grip me as I later rifled through websites looking for answers for curriculum choices and advice. The more I read, the more I became confused. When we sat down with our daughter and told her we felt she should stay home the following September, she was quiet. She shared that she had been hoping to attend the Christian highschool where her cousins went but only part-time. She still wanted to be at home but take a course or two there. We thought about the possibility and concluded that schooling the other kids and running her back and forth for classes in another city wouldn't be feasible. She responded well. I asked her what her desire was for curriculum, promised her a laptop for grade eight graduation, and planned what we'd be involved in for her grade nine year so she could look forward to it.

 

Now second semester is quickly approaching and Meghan is tracking her hours and credits. She strongly desires to have everything she does quantified and so we looked up the Ontario requirements and do our best to stay close to them. Our friends and family have opted to use highschool resources that do not require tests and exams and will decide what to do about transcripts at the end of grade eleven. Since many homeschooled kids have entered university by being placed in school in their senior year or by taking correspondence or online courses for their transcript, it is a viable choice. Thankfully, in Canada, homeschooling is legal in every province. But each family and student must make their own decisions based on how it works best for them.

selfie

 

As we journey, I'll be better able to give wisdom on the subject of homeschooling through highschool but at this point, we know that our daughter enjoys the extra time for her competitive dance and to connect with her friends and family and we love having her around! The more families we encounter who homeschool through highschool, the more kids we see who are simultaneously planning their futures while using their schoolwork to achieve an early acquisition of this objective . Some of them already have small businesses! Many are aware of what career path they want to take and are streamlining their subjects toward that goal and even taking university courses concurrently with highschool. The possibilities are wide open for these kids. Our daughter has known for a long time that she would like to open her own Christian dance studio with nutrition and wellness as a large component. You go, Girl!

 

For more information and support, you can click here for the Home Scholar and here  for the Homeschool Mom and here for Homeschool Legal Defense and here  for Ontario Homeschool.

 

If you're planning on joining us in the journey of highschool at home, may God bless you as you do!

Day Fifteen: Teach With Learning Styles In Mind

Another puddle of syrup seeps into her pancakes and she swirls her fork around like she's creating a Picasso. I tell her to stop playing and eat them and for goodness sake, food is not art. She pops her baby blues up at me and quips, "Mommy, all of life is art to me!"

 

She knows exactly how she wants to be educated as well. She frequently asks to paint her spelling words or, "Can't we just make a clay sculpture to go with this history lesson?"

 

Conversely, my oldest and I were perusing curricula in the summertime for her and she repeatedly reminded me she needs quantifiable work. She must have an organized program, a detailed schedule, take tests, have marks and know right where she stands in the grand scheme of all educated kids her age around the world.

 

Now, I could write about all the research concerning learning styles and how our kids' education must suit their leaning but I think you probably have a sense of how true this is. In her book, The Way They Learn, Cynthia Tobias shares more on this topic. Children are so vastly different from one another, even in the same family. So, how do you teach your children, whether you have one or ten, to their learning style or interests? You add and subtract from the curriculum you have or you design your own. 

 

I'm so grateful for the myriads of hands-on ideas on the web for curricula that requires much seat work, such as a boxed curriculum. Alternatively, there are days when we've been with our school groups and been busy with field trips and art projects and we all need a day of workbook learning as a break! As you begin to become acutely aware of your children's needs, you simply find the resources that pull in some of the things that work for them. We might sit around our table and be sharing the same subject but all four kids are doing various activities for it. For example, if apples is our theme in the fall, Meghan might write an essay comparing apple orchards that use pesticides versus organic farms. Molly might read a book about Johnny Appleseed and make a pastel drawing of how light hits an apple. Emily and Oliver will also do the art but Emily might write a book report and her brother, a few sentences in his journal (while juggling apples, lol, since he leans toward the kinesthetic side).

 

At first, I thought it was easier for me to teach a room full of kids at school than to figure out what my four needed to excel, but once I realized out that we didn't have to do every page in a workbook or complete all the lessons in a program, I was free to add fun and artsy activities for my visual girl and to streamline a subject to be more succinct for my more analytical, logical kiddos.

 

Just a couple of things we've been up to...

 Shakespeare lessons with our friends and cousins

 Everyone colours Shakespearean pictures while Miss Candace reads parts from Twelfth Night, explaining in a humorous way as she goes.

 A book for the Littles that begins with mapping their bedroom, street, town and state, all the way to their country, continent and then planet.

activities for a difficult concept

held together with a brass fastener

 

Does this mean I don't require any work that is unappealing to my kids? No, they still must complete their lessons, but how much more lasting in their minds are the lessons if they include elements that are in line with their learning style? In an article called, Learning Styles of Children, D.H. Sailor writes:

 

Currently, most learning style theorists believe that individuals become more flexible in the ways they approach learning as they gain knowledge and experience. Eventually most individuals will have a favored learning style but will use other learning styles when necessary. Teachers can help children develop a profile of their preferred learning style but should also encourage them to utilize other ways to process information. This will give them more options in the future.

 

This idea may seem overwhelming when you're beginning and all you can think about is surviving. I assure you, it will become easier and you'll settle into a routine that allows you to keep an eye on each child's learning style. I'll bet they'll be sure to let you know how they enjoy learning as my children did :)