Anita York
Do you know what these famous people have in common?
Alexander Graham Bell
George Patton
Albert Einstein
Benjamin Franklin
Winston Churchill
Agatha Christie
George Bernard Shaw
Will Rogers
If you guessed that they were all homeschoolers, you'd be correct.
This is a very short list of famous and successful people who
were educated at home. If you would like to expand this list,
do a search on the Internet for famous homeschoolers. There
are many websites that list these people and some provide detailed
biographies. There is even a book called, "Famous Homeschoolers"
by Nancy and Malcolm Plant. http://www.fun-books.com/specials.htm
The point here is to get into the mindset that people can be
educated and become successful adults without attending public
school. And because I can almost hear what you are thinking,
no, it is not necessary to have a high school diploma to go
to college.
So what is homeschooling? In the broadest sense, homeschooling
is educating your children at home. You, as parent, become teacher.
Parents homeschool for more reasons than you can imagine. Some
want to avoid having their children exposed to violence and
peer pressure. Some homeschool so that they can make sure their
children's education adheres to their religious beliefs. Some
live a different lifestyle. Perhaps they travel a lot and want
their children's schooling to be flexible enough to fit around
that life style. And some, like me, simply enjoy being with
their children. They don't want the public school to interrupt
and weaken the parent/child bond that they have been working
hard to create for the first five years of their child's life.
Just as there are many reasons to homeschool, there are many
methods of homeschooling. All the way from un-schooling (learning
by doing, learning from life, not using textbook type materials)
to school at home (using textbooks at desks set up in a schoolroom
at home) and everything in between. It's very easy to find hundreds
of homeschool websites by using a search engine, but just to
get you started, try:
Jon's Homeschool Resource Page
http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/
When I decided to write this article, I thought hard about
what I could offer that wasn't being displayed on thousands
of websites on the Internet. I realized that the only thing
I have to offer anyone interested in homeschooling is my experience.
So everything in the article below comes from my fifteen years
of experience homeschooling my four youngest children. I hope
it is of some use to you.
Deciding to homeschool your child may be one of the most important
decisions you ever make as a parent, and it will take a lot
of thought and soul searching. To the newcomer, it may seem
impossible, overwhelming and very, very lonely. But like most
huge obstacles, once it's broken down into smaller pieces, it
becomes manageable. We'll take it one step at a time, in small
enough chunks to get a hold of. So, if you're game, roll up
your sleeves and let's get to work figuring out if homeschooling
is for you and your child.
First things first. Organization is the key. Get a three-ring
binder (homeschooling parent's LOVE three-ring binders) and
put a label on the front. (If you've made the transition to
digital record keeping, you can just start a folder on the computer.
But it's not as much fun.) Label it something serious, like
"My Homeschooling Plans" or "Homeschooling Thoughts".
Put some paper in the binder, find a really comfortable ink
pen, and sit down somewhere quiet.
Ready? Good. Now, let's get started.
What are your reasons for considering homeschooling? Even if
you haven't actually made the decision to homeschool, the fact
that you are here reading this article says you are curious.
Perhaps you honestly don't know the answer yet and that's ok.
The remainder of this article is going to try to help you start
to find those answers.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but each state has
it's own set of laws that must be followed. Compulsory (how
I hate that word) education here in Washington state starts
at the age of 8. Even though I had been homeschooling him from
birth, to stay legal once my son reached 8-years old, I was
required to become"certified". That meant I either
had to have two years of college education, or take a certification
class, I met this requirement by taking an independent correspondence
class, during which I was asked to put on paper my goals, philosophies
and reasons for wanting to homeschool. I'd like to help you
do the same right now.
Start a page--either the tree kind or a file on the computer
and title it "My Educational Beliefs".
List what personal beliefs you have about education, especially
the education of your own children. Get as detailed as you can
here--the value is in the thinking process behind the list.
Take your time, I'm in no hurry.
As an example to get you started, I'm going to share with you
what I wrote on my list nine years ago.
My Educational Beliefs
1. I believe my child's attitude about learning should be:
One of continual curiosity and seeking of knowledge.
2. I believe my child's learning should lead towards a lifestyle
that is:
Rural, physically active, creative.
2. I believe these basic values should be part of my child's
learning:
Respect for others
Loyalty to family and friends
Honesty
Generosity
2. I believe children learn best:
Through hands-on learning experience, reading, workbooks.
2. I believe a teacher should:
Provide side-by-side assistance and direction.
Interact with the child.
Provide the structure within which the child may explore, experiment,
study and achieve.
Provide a good example of excitement in learning.
2. Other beliefs:
I believe my child should grow up to be self-reliant and occupationally
secure in a field of high interest to them.
Now, that wasn't too bad, was it? Don't give up on this until
you have at least something written down, but don't agonize
over it either. You can come back to it later if need be. Next,
start a paper or file titled "Life Goals For My Child".
I want you to write down what kind of person you envision your
child being as an adult. What are your hopes and dreams for
him/her? What educational gifts do you hope to be able to help
them find that will serve them their entire lives?
I'll share mine from 9 years ago, just to get you started.
"Life Goals for My Child"
1. Be literate.
2. Be self-reliant.
3. Compete well in their chosen field of occupation.
4. Appreciate art, music, and literature.
5. Be creative.
6. Be inventive and resourceful.
7. Be healthy, mentally and physically.
8. Co-operate with others.
9. Maintain a strong sense of self-worth.
10. Maintain a life-long curiosity, seeking knowledge as a way
of life.
11. Look to the future with a sense of excitement and adventure.
For the last exercise, start a third paper titled: Why We (I)
Am Going To Homeschool Our (My) Child? (Yes, single parents
can successfully homeschool their children.) You may not have
all the answers for this one yet either, but just get something
down. All of these ideas and beliefs can start getting mixed
in with other people's opinions once we start educating ourselves
in depth about homeschooling, and you'll be glad you have these
lists tucked away.
Okay, here's my old list:
Why We Are Going To Homeschool Our Children
Our family consists of myself, my husband, a 21-year-old daughter,
a 19-year-old daughter, an 8-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter,
a 4-½ year old daughter, and an unborn son due in 6 months.
My two oldest daughters (from my first marriage) were in the
public school system for the whole of their educational years.
It is largely a dissatisfaction with the public schools and
all it's attendant problems (academic, social, and moral) that
has caused us to make the decision to homeschool our youngest
children. We decided, even before our 8-year-old son (the oldest
of the younger set) was born, that somehow we would find an
alternative to the public schools.
We want to homeschool for some additional reasons. We want
added closeness with our children. We want more independence,
greater control over our family's moral and philosophical values,
and better awareness of our children's interests.
We dislike the thought of any government agency--no matter
how well meaning--directing the raising of our children.
We intend to homeschool because we do not want our children's
academic, social, and moral education taken out of our hands.
We believe these areas of a child's education are a parent's
responsibility, right, and pleasure.
I'd like you to spend some time going over these lists until
you feel they accurately reflect your feelings about homeschooling
your children. When I did these exercises, I had only a vague
idea about why I wanted to homeschool and what kind of education
I wanted to help my children acquire. These simple exercises
helped me to ?solidify? my ideas and provided the basis for
our future homeschooling methods. I hope they help you to do
the same. Keep these lists in a safe place and add to them as
you explore the possibility of homeschooling your child.
Anita York has been homeschooling her four youngest children
for the past 15 years. In addition, she teaches other homeschoolers
at two resource centers, and is a contracted Senior Editor,
Editor, Copyeditor and Manuscript Screener for three different
on-line publishers--one print.
Her book "You CAN Homeschool Your Child" is available
from One-At-A-Time Enterprises, the business she started with
her homeschoolers. Available at:
http://www.L7S.net/Item.php?ID=YC000.
Her home business, EagleMountain Reading, Writing, and Research
Services
http:// www.L7s.net/eaglemountain provides a variety of services
geared towards helping beginning as well as established authors
with various aspects of the writing process.
