Yesterday in my post about Apologia Physics I wrote the following statement:
My goal has never been to recreate high school at home.
As I typed that it seemed to empower me. It was a moment where things seemed to click into view a little more clearly. When I first started pulling high school together, I was worried and concerned at my ability to provide a good high school education for my boys. Two years later I am now feeling more confident in my ability not to teach them everything they need to know but rather to provide opportunities for learning, materials to fuel their individual learning fires, and the space and time to discover their talents and strengths.
It is not about books or curriculum.
There is a place for books and curriculum within our family's goals for high school but they are not really the focus any more.
Theresa posted a video yesterday on her blog at La Paz Learning that was thought provoking. I highly recommend that you take the seventeen minutes to watch and take in perhaps a new point of view. Here is the entry: That About Sums it Up.
Angie from Petra School wrote on her blog yesterday about homeschooling/unschooling/learning for life. This also fueled my thoughts about high school and methods of offering learning opportunities. Here is her entry: Why We Choose Not to Homeschool.
Summer always brings about a time of reflection for me. Planning a new year is exciting and breathtaking in its own way. Big decisions are difficult but I am trusting that my children will fill in the gaps if I miss something. Already we have seen Mr. A seek out and complete his private pilot ground school course. He has signed up and been accepted into an adult welding and fabrication course that will give him some additional skills he wants to acquire for future use. I can see him developing a desire for certain skills and then pursuing them outside of our homeschool day. I know this can be done from watching him. My role is shrinking and he is taking over the reins.
I would rather my children left our homeschool with a desire to learn more, an interest in learning about a variety things, a respect for life, a strong faith in God, good habits and character traits, and lots of memories of adventures we made as a family.
It is not vital that their transcripts look like they went to public school. Our learning is the best when it is not really something you can put down on paper.
Just another snapshot into my thinking as I finish up paperwork from last year and look forward with eager anticipation to another year of learning.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
12 comments:
With four kids at home, our first year homeschooling and already, my big girl thinking of going in highschool next year (still isn't decided yet), I'm woundering if I'm good enough to poursuis the adventure. This year has been so demanding regarding dicipline, arguing a lot about almost everything....thinking of teaching highschool is frightening me a little bit though attracting me also. Kinping my girl with me and tryng developping her passion (at least starting discovering them) would be a start. Finding our best way of life and our we to learn would be fun and great objective. We are still discussing about it, but I'm AGAIN, asking my self if it would be the best for her instead of going in that nice programm and maybe, learning a lot of things she, maybe, wouldn't at home....we'll see.
Gendri,
I know those feelings. I know the indecision. Staying home will give her opportunities to take a different course, one that fits her. The arguing and discipline are things best worked on at home, especially with a teenage girl.
Keep trying and pursue some options over the summer. Test out some different activities with her in a relaxed way and perhaps it will set the stage for your next year.
Thanks for the comment.
Barb
I very much enjoy these reflections of yours. Thanks again for the encouragement. You are saying what I'm thinking, but I just have no experience actually DOING it yet. :)
"It is not vital that their transcripts look like they went to public school. Our learning is the best when it is not really something you can put down on paper."
So, so true! I look forward to the posts you mention when I have more time--they sound like bloggers I would enjoy.
On a happier note, I'm developing an "intro to audio recording" elective for next year! Our forensic science semester has gone well--proving that he IS very capable when he's interested! Your robotics "course" has given me the inspiration to try to pull this together--and, yes, I will happily share anything good with anyone who may be interested.
This is wonderful! Thank you for your thoughts. My children are still years away from high school, but it's been a looming intimidation to me.
This may be my favorite part: "I would rather my children left our homeschool with a desire to learn more, an interest in learning about a variety things, a respect for life, a strong faith in God, good habits and character traits, and lots of memories of adventures we made as a family."
Well said!!
Great post... and thanks for the links, too. And, I love the quote that "Living Creatively" shared. Thanks again for always sharing your thoughts with us!
Thanks everyone for the comments today...it always feels good to type things out and be able to see your thoughts moving in a direction. Then when you read other blogs that fuel your thinking, it makes it easier to share the complete thought process.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Barb
'My goal has never been to recreate high school at home'.
I read your post and it was indeed this sentence that echoed in my mind. I know I often do and don't want to recreate middle school at home. I know it takes two things to let go of the fear of not reproducing school standards. It is about being brave and it is about calm thinking what you think is most important for your child on the long run. Often that is so much more than school. It is art, it is nature, it is spirituality/religion. It is in short about the parent taking time to prioritise. I think we all become wiser and braver over time. At least, I hope so!
Great post. I am going to go to all the links you provided. You said everything in your post that I have been thinking lately. Thanks for sharing the links.
Blessings
Diane
My son just returned from a gap year program this week. He was telling us last night how happy he was that he had been homeschooled, that he felt he was so much better prepared for the world than his public schooled peers with whom he spent the last 9 months. He said he recently heard a podcast, a TED talk by someone named Sir Ken Somebody and he was thrilled to feel that he had received the education Sir Ken was talking about. My heart skipped a few beats.
crossposted at La Paz
Always food for thought. thank you for another great post.
Amen. Amen. What goes on a high school transcript gives no indication of what kind of learning really went on in a homeschooled child's home. It would take hours upon days, upon weeks, to unravel the kind of learning that your children get in your home. That's never going to fit on a piece of paper! Just show them what they want to see on a transcript and we'll keep the secret of what learning really looks like to ourselves. : )
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