| | Sharing my response from a local mom's group when asked about homeschooling....
We homeschool for many reasons....my husband was initially reluctant (okay, appalled!) when I approached him about it. He is a retired, tenured, award-winning public school teacher, my MIL is a public school teacher and librarian, and my FIL is an elementary principal and retired teacher. Institutionalized learning is practically in their blood!
I knew when my son was just a baby that I wanted to homeschool...it didn't even feel like an option not to, tho I did explore local Montessori schools at one point. (I create a Montessori home environment for toddler/early preschool learning, btw). I prayed that God would work on my husband's heart the way He'd worked on mine, and that I would be able to present my desires for home-learning in a way my husband would be able to relate to, understand, and agree with. I braced myself for major resistance, and instead ended up with an amazing teaching partner at home.  So don't give up!
Just like sending a child to school, homeschooling is not always for everyone. You must enjoy being around your child(ren) all day and night, because you definitely spent great amounts of time together. You must enjoy learning *with and from* children, and if you want to be successful, able to keep a joyful mindset of the wonders of discovery through a child's eyes so you can appropriately convey excitement when presenting a learning opportunity or exploring something new with your child.
I love being the one who gets to see the spark of the "aha moment" in my child's eyes...I love being able to curl up on our comfy sofa under a soft blanket with kitties at our toes anytime we feel like it, to read books together, talk about whatever is on his mind, play a game, or just relax and cuddle if one of us needs a break. I love being able to watch my child for the sparkle of interest and intrigue, then figuratively grab his hand and take off in flight of new adventurous learning around that interest...we may land at a library, museum, bookstore, farm, business, government office, computer, charity organization, forest, planetarium, or other wonderous place in our community. We may explore one subject and nothing else for days or weeks or even months at a time - however long the natural desire remains.
I homeschool because I do not want anyone teaching my child that the sun must be yellow and the grass must be green, that he has to ask permission and perhaps wait to use the bathroom when his body needs to go, that he must tolerate injustice and cruelty from other children, that he must learn what someone else is ready to teach him regardless of whether he is interested in it at that moment. I work hard to preserve the natural wonder and awe that children are born with, and that so few of us have the opportunity to really keep alive into adulthood. I want him to live his entire life with zealous joy and enthusiasm for learning and never, ever feel that it is a task or chore or burden to expand his mind and use his brain, but that it is a delightful gift instead. 
My personal belief is that learning in an institutionalized setting, according to someone else's schedule, interests, beliefs, and profit-based margin (because school is a business, ultimately), eventually and almost always destroys our natural wonder and passion for learning by the time we reach young adulthood, often earlier. 
I want my child to enjoy and live his life in a highly creative state, so that he never settles for a job just for money's sake, so that he chooses a career or perhaps many careers, based on his dreams and not financial or obligatory considerations. I want him to feel comfortable with and confident enough in his unique spirit and abilities that he maintains a lifelong freedom of expression and creativity and joy in living and continuous learning. I want him to never be conformed to this world, but instead live by his beautiful heart and the justice and joy in it. 
That being said, it makes more sense when I say that we are homeschoolers, yet we do not "do school" at home. We have a special room devoted to learning fun, with centers for different areas of interest. I have a closetful of curricula, supplies, and resources. Do we use these things? Yes, but not on a schedule, not on a regular basis, and not unless we have a desire to use them at a given time.
Learning happens everywhere and all the time. We embrace this as part of our everyday adventure, and supplement (when we feel like it) with "educational" resources.
You often hear that children learn best through play, and I believe adults do, too! Our brains absorb and truly retain new information when we are *engaged*. I don't know about you, but my brain is not activated by (mostly) sitting at desks doing what someone else tells me to for five+ hours a day, as well as it is when I am taking a nature walk, volunteering in my community with people of all ages, creating a wild science experiment in the kitchen, sitting on my grandmother's quilt under an old tree while reading, strolling through the latest exhibit at the art or science museum, or enjoying a gentle breeze with a paintbrush in my hand at our backporch easel. 
Children learn and soar naturally, if you just give them freedom, encouragement, and time. It is an amazing feeling when my child enthusiastically asks for a math worksheet (his current faves are from www.math-drills.com/ ), if he can read to me from our latest chapter book, spends hours of his own accord intensely researching a personal interest (the latest was favorite foods of US presidents - a great way to unintentionally learn much more than just their fave foods!), or responds with sheer delight and genuine interest when we embark upon our latest learning adventure.
Oh my, how do my posts about this subject always get way too long? :\ Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for listening!  |
