Coffee with Titaw

Tag: teaching

  • Does Homeschooling “Work”

    I don’t know. Yes.  Maybe.  Wait!  What?  Define Work?

    I have heard this before,  “I see what you are saying, but does homeschooling really work?”  My head replays the response from above.  Total confusion.

    What we need to define is what do you mean by “work”?

    Will your child turn out perfect and your relationship intact?  Maybe — maybe not.

    Will your child far outshine all the public school counterparts?  Maybe — maybe not.

    Will your child avoid all the sinful habits in the world and come through their teenage years unscathed?  I would guess not, but I guess there is a maybe there.

    My point here is nothing “works” in the sense of outcome.  Insert public school — Does public school really work?  How about private school — does private school work?  All of the models work sometimes.  Great kids come out of all of these models.  Dismal failures come out of all of these models.

    It all goes back to your goal.  Most would agree that what we are trying to do is educate our children. Let’s define “educate”. I used an old dictionary and a modern dictionary:

    Webster’s 1828:

    To bring up, as a child; to instruct; to inform and enlighten the understanding; to instill into the mind principles of arts, science, morals, religion and behavior. To educate children well is one of the most important duties of parents and guardians.

    Merriam Webster’s

    1a: to provide schooling for

    b: to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession

    2a: to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction

    b: to provide with information : INFORM

    3: to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way

    Both of these sources indicate that to educate is to in some way pass on a program of instruction. Merriam Webster’s defines this as “schooling” or a “trade”.  Webster’s 1828 talks about principles.

    From these two sources we see a system presented of training, skills and information that a child will need for their next phase of life.  Since we are homeschooling kids high school age or younger, this ought to be a decently broad list of topics to give our children a well rounded view of the world.  We would agree I am sure that children should minimally learn to read, write and do basic math.  However, I would argue that we should be including sciences, arts, etc.  — what some would define as a liberal education.

    Both definitions have an element of morality indicated — even behavior.  Instructing our children in morals, courtesy and manners is also part of their education.  Our family is decidedly Christian, so these flow from our study and understanding of the Bible. We then teach our children that all people are made in the image of God and should be treated as such.  That means we are polite – look someone in the eye when you are talking with them, learn to shake hands, address others with respect, etc. We taught them about Jesus Christ and his saving grace poured out for all mankind, they were instructed in the creation account found in Genesis.  Morality, religion, behavior were all a part of our system of instruction.

    We didn’t just sit at a table and teach phonics and math.  We went to art museums and live plays. Music in the park or a full presentation of Handel’s Messiah.  They took music lessons and we listened to music – we learned about different instruments and composers.  We looked at art and talked about artists and painting styles.  We did crafts and learned to make things.  Some of my boys even learned to put up drywall and frame out a room.

    We followed what we believed to be important skills as well as a liberal introduction to the arts.  Some kids loved some things and some kids really didn’t. That is perfectly acceptable, we weren’t waiting for their approval; we were whetting their appetites. Just as some children develop a taste for avocados and some don’t, some loved classical music and some did not.  However, they all had at least tasted it.

    So, back to the original question: “Does homeschooling work?”  Yes, most parents are endeavoring to provide a system of instruction to their children — to educate them.  In the same way, most schools, public or otherwise, are providing a system of instruction to a class of students.  However, if you are defining “work” as an outcome of every child.  No one, not even a tradtional school can promise that. All people are born with a free will and there are choices made.  We have all heard of someone like George Washington Carver, who did not receive any real form of education who loved to learn and went about teaching himself all that he could. I am sure most of us know someone who seemed to have the necessary things provided and turned their back on all of it.

    You can provide a good, dare I say, even a great education to your child at home.  Yes, it works.  No one can ever promise you the outcome.  However, being together with your child everyday, teaching from a place of relationship and love, I believe gives you a greater chance at  helping a person grow into their purpose.

  • The Why

    In my last post on curriculum, I alluded to this idea of finding your “why”.  I had asked what you wanted your homeschool day to look like.  However, there is a deeper question, “Why do you want to homeschool?”

    Some circles will encourage you to find your educational philosophy. That would be very helpful and keep you focused on a direction.  However, to begin, find your why.  Are you thinking of engaging in this endeavor, because it looks like your friend is having a good time and her kids are cute and fun?  Do you want to have the smartest kid on the block and you want to make sure they can get into an Ivy League school?  Do you want more family time?  Are you fearful of what you see happening in the local public schools? All of these are valid in their way, but lacking in depth and are based in fear. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18 …fear hath torment.  If you are afraid that your child will not get into the best schools, or will be harmed in the local school.  That may be a place to start, but fear will always haunt you through your homeschooling days.  Am I protecting them enough?  Am I getting the right information into them for that desired school?  Likewise, it may look like someone else is having a grand time, but every homeschooler has hard days, and if that is your motivation you will falter in those tough times. What are some solid reasons for homeschooling that would give you a foundation and a place to cling to when the days are hard?

    Consider homeschooling to give your kids a strong foundation in the Bible and to know Jesus.  Homeschooling affords time, and that time could well be used to disciple your kids in the faith as you walk along the way.  Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up.”  I suspect, most of you have heard this verse quoted when talking about homeschooling.  However, it is very valid.  How can you teach the Lord’s principles to your children diligently as you sit in your house and when you rise up and when you walk throughout the day?  I would say, it woud be mighty hard if you weren’t with them at those particular hours of the day.  One of the things that you can cling to is that you are teaching your kids to look to Jesus and walk with him, even on days when it feels hard.

    In fact how we handle the hard moments in life, is the greatest teaching tool we have.  A whole lot of homeschooling is problem solving.  Why is my child struggling in reading or math?  How can I help them?  That begins the research and the trial and error of different methods (not always different curriculum).  Maybe it’s time of day, noise in the room, adding modalities, etc.  The point is, you and your children work to solve this problem, so they can have forward momentum.  My husband worked 2nd shift all through our homeschooling days.  That meant our main family meal was lunch, which we had at noon.  I had to figure out how to schedule my cooking meal prep time so that school was still happening and lunch was on the table for that all important family meal.  On and on you will go throughout your homeschooling resolving one issue after another as they crop up.  You may be teaching math or history, but what else has your child learned.  How to solve problems, how to be flexible, how to research, how to use trial and error, how to work as part of a team, how to encourage the discouraged, and the list could continue.

    Solving these problems with prayer and looking to Jesus teaches them more than problem solving, it teaches them to lean on the Lord and look to his ways.  I had a child once that was mad at me and told me, “I am so tired of hearing you say, ‘the Bible says.’”  I know this one was angry, but in a calmer moment I explained that I really had nothing else on which to base my decisions.  My answers, my ways, my walk need to line up with the Scripture and the Lord that I trust with all my being.  The reason, I explained with “the Bible says”, was partly for me.  Am I walking out my faith in line with what I say I believe?  I hope so.  I had another child who challenged us on Halloween celebrations and whether that was in line with Bible teachings.  We were a young family then, and I was just doing things the way I grew up.  We asked him to research it, and he did.  In the end, we changed our ways because of the challenge from one of our children. These are two great wins in our time with our children.  Pointing them to Jesus and allowing them to research their answers.

    The Why of our homeschool held us together on those days when everything else fell apart.  We were still “Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2

  • Curriculum

    As a homeschooler the first question that I typically receive is, “What curriculum do you use?” It sounds simple enough, but I find it to be a difficult question.  I didn’t use ONE curriculum.  After years of trial and error, we had different things for different subjects.  I used different things for different kids.  I used different things for different seasons.  I used a lot of different things.

    I did a quick google search of my state to see what curriculum they use.  The state has learning standards and local school districts each select their own textbooks or methods for reaching those.  I tried searching my local school district and their textbooks are not publically listed.  Basically, not even the public schools in our country use one type of curriculum.

    It is safe to say that the curriculum market is wide open.  If you have ever been to a homeschooling convention you will know this to be true when you step into the vendor hall.  It is overwhelming and the choices are endless.  I understand why homeschool moms ask about curriculum, I did too. However, I think there are more important first questions that need to be considered.

    What do you want your homeschooling days to look like?  Children watching their videos for the day and completing workbook assignments?  Desks in a room with books and workbooks to be completed?  Reading living books with narrations? A mix of all of these?   Do you want a tradtional school that looks a lot like a public school? 

    There are many different styles of homeschooling and philosophies of education.  I suggest that you do some reading and researching on the different ways and thoughts on education.  Also, do ask that older homeschooling Mom.  However, I suggest you ask questions along the lines of  how.  As in, “How do you teach math?  How do you approach language arts?”

    These questions and thoughts will begin to inform your curriculum decisions.  Your curriculum is the tool that you will use  as a means to provide the education you wish your child to receive.  Whether that includes a package of workbooks, a streaming video provider, something you develop on your own or a mix of all of the above.

    Perhaps you decide that you love the idea of a classical education with Charlotte Mason ideas and want to use living books and narrations.  You will need to look at curriculum sellers that have this as their philisopy of producing materials.  In some cases, you may not need to actually purchase a curriculum.  You may be able to follow a living books list or develop one of your own.  Use a free curriculum guide like Ambleside Online.

    You may decide to be quite eclectic with developing your curriculum.  You may use a living books approach with history and a textbook/workbook approach for science.  Maybe you find that for this season, you need a box of workbooks that can be graded and checked off.

    The point is, there is no one way to homeschool.  You need to evaluate the season of life you in and the goals you have for educating your children. Then follow those to find resources that will support your vision.