Contributed by Trishy

Reason 3

You will see and enjoy how real learning takes place in your own home.

These two words are tied together – “enjoyment” and “learning.” Does that mean that kids who complain about school because there is nothing to enjoy are not learning? Well, they may be memorizing or “mastering” facts and procedures. That is not the same as real learning.

In the education institution system (remember, my phrase for “school”) opportunities are very few for children to explore and delve deeply into what they truly love. Instead, subjects are chopped up into about six or seven short segments of the day and presented in a boring, uniform fashion. Don’t believe me?

Do you remember when you were in school? Good, now tell me the title of your favorite textbook that you and everyone else in your grade were required to have for that particular class. No, do not tell me your favorite subject in school. Name your favorite textbook. I have asked this question dozens and dozens of times and no one can ever give me a complete answer. That is o.k. I can’t give any titles to textbooks either. I’m convinced that textbooks by themselves do not unlock the door to real learning. They are only one type of tool.

By educating your children at home, they get to explore different topics and subjects when you both feel ready and in a way that they enjoy. Your children, when given the opportunity to explore at their own pace, will also dive deeper and longer into what they desire to learn.

Let me just sum up this point by asking you to consider the following scenario: Pretend you have never seen a marigold. I give you a chapter from a book that I’ve had copied. I give a thirty-minute lecture on what we will be doing in the class regarding marigolds. This chapter has questions at the end of it. I assign you and twenty other acquaintances your age the task of reading that chapter over the next two days from 10:00 a.m. to 10:54 a.m. That’s just what you are supposed to learn at your age, so, no arguments. On the third day, there will be a test over the chapter you’ve read at approximately 10:00 a.m. You pass the test and now your new task is to grow marigolds for others. Aren’t you excited? You’ve “mastered” the subject by reading the chapter and passing the test.

Did you get to read other books about marigolds? Did you get to see marigolds grown from seed? Did you get the opportunity to try to grow marigolds? Were you given choices of other subjects such as oil painting, violin lessons, or house framing instead of reading about growing marigolds? Were you not ready to read about growing marigolds and just needed to wait?

I know this seems like an extreme situation. Yet, everyday in institutional education systems across America, students walk into classrooms expected to master subjects at a certain age they may not be ready for developmentally, nor have developed an interest.

Current proponents of state and national “learning” standards spend much time and money training schools to make parents and students alike feel that “mastering,” “memorizing,” and “learning” are equivalent. Once you’ve completed the assignment and passed the standardized exam, you were finished learning the material. Yet, great American thinkers like Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Madison felt that true learning took place over a lifetime.

Contributed by Trishy

Reason 2

You have the opportunity to provide learning truly tailor made to your child.

Do we all wear the same styles of clothes, have the same tastes in music, eat the same favorite foods, or drive the same cars? Of course not! When our children were infants, did they learn to smile on the same day; walk in the same way within the same week; or say the same first word at the same time? Why do we believe that education means mastering and memorizing facts learned in a specific style and on a certain time-table at an unwavering age in life?

Both public and private schools must provide structured learning for the class as a whole to meet standardized criteria. Most of their time is spent in classroom control. They cannot provide individualized learning using techniques and styles that cater your child’s specific set of interest and skills.

Did you know your child has a learning style unique to him or her? Did you know you have a unique learning style and it may be different from your child’s style?

What is a learning style? When you watch your child, do they love to pull things apart to find out how they work? Do they have to touch things to learn about them? Do they bounce around in their seat and have finger and foot movements going on when they are trying to concentrate? This is a learning style most commonly referred to as “kinesthetic.” Other styles include visual and auditory and combinations of all three.

Visual learners have to “see it to get it.” They usually love to look at art and are book people. They may exhibit interest in patterns and spacial organization.

Auditory learners will read aloud or sing while doing other things. When they hear music, they may not be able to focus on tasks that require concentration. The music takes over. They learn by hearing.

There are scores of books on learning styles and tests you can give to find out which one (or combination) your child has. In addition, there are wonderful educational materials and curriculum programs that compliment certain learning styles and behaviors. This is your opportunity to explore an area that involuntary learning institutions (my phrase for “school systems”) cannot. Then, you can cater to their learning style by using materials and ideas they will actually enjoy instead of dread.

Busy, busy here.  I’ve been looking into the different methods of homeschooling, and I have discovered something that maybe people haven’t realized much in the past.  There are methods of homeschooling, and then there are approaches to teaching that method.  It has confused me somewhat, so I questioned it on our forum.  I found some good answers, which of course lead to other questions.  So please join our discussion there.  And here in the comments, please tell me what approaches seem to stem from which methods, based on your experiences or observations.

Homeschoolers all have their own viewpoints and ways of doing things.  The school year is no exception.  For our family personally, we school year-round, but have a lighter schedule in the summer (Bible, Math, English, Science).  Others take off completely for the summer, just like traditional schools.  Some work 3 months on, 3 months off.  Or 3 months on, 1 month off.  And there are so many other combinations, as many as there are families.  So what does your family do?  How do you make it work, and if you’ve changed it throughout the years, why did you?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Contributed by Trishy

Reason 1

You have the highest stake in your child’s learning. Most parents have the deepest attachment for their child’s well-being.  You would not be reading this report if you did not care passionately about your child’s well-being.  It is popular to believe that the government cares more about your child’s education than you do.  We hear endless speeches about how the government needs to do more and be more to provide education for your child.  It is a very hot political topic.  Both sides in an election will always use the mantra “more funding for education” in their political rhetoric.  They would seem uncaring and pompous to use a political slogan for education that said, “Hey, maybe the federal education system doesn’t need more money.  Maybe you parents can do a better job of it at home.”

You simply will not hear those words.  Yet, who better to offer your child the chance to love to learn than you, the parent?  I taught in private schools for 5 years.  Trust me.  No amount of sincerity from a person whom your child will spend only 9 months with can compare with the passion a parent has for his or her own child.

Six years inside the classroom gave me insight when I questioned whether home schooling was valid for our family.  Did I love some of my students?  Of course, but not all!  Did I go the extra mile for my students?  Sometimes, but not often.  You see, I also had my own young family to care for after school hours.  It may seem when you read those things that other teachers aren’t like that and care more and invest themselves on a larger level.  Perhaps, this is true, but when I look back as a parent with two young children in the school system, I can honestly say, I believe it is the norm.

You will want to know if you are qualified to teach your child at home.  This issue of “qualified to teach” doesn’t end once you bring your child home – others will be asking you the same question.  Yet, if you can remember back to when you first held your dear child in your arms, you immediately became his or her first teacher.  Your child knows you are qualified and here is how they know:  Did your child learn to drink from a cup, crawl, walk and talk if he or she was physically capable?  Great!  You’re qualified.

Our last article gave a brief overview of the various homeschool methods families employ.  This week we will look more in-depth at the first method: traditional “school-at-home.”

Many families feel they don’t have the skills to create their own curriculum, or they don’t have the time.  Or perhaps they are just starting out and feel the need to copy a traditional school setting to “get in the groove” of homeschooling.  Still others like having everything spelled out for them so all they need to do is open the book and go.  Some families just couldn’t find another method that worked well for their family.  And, for some families, this is just one method they use, perhaps for just one or two of their children, while using another method for another child.  Some families even use a box curriculum for one or two subjects and use other methods for the rest.  It is completely up to you and your family, based on what works best for you.

So what is this “out-of-a-box” method?  Simply put, the traditional method uses pre-assembled curricula components from one or several publishers to create a program of schooling, much like the traditional brick-and-mortar schools in which the vast majority of us grew up.  There are hundreds of publishers out there.  Some are bigger than others.  Some are Christian; some are not.  Some have entire curricula put together for each grade level; some have just bits and pieces that parents put together with other bits and pieces.  Some are better for certain types of learners than others.  Some are easier to obtain than others.  Some are very expensive, and others are very inexpensive.  Other homeschool parents created many of them; perhaps they never found a pre-written curriculum that suited their particular style, so they came up with one that would work and then published it.

One favorite publisher is Saxon Publishing.  They have math and language arts programs.  Their math program is especially popular among homeschoolers.  They use a spiral approach to their program, which means they introduce a concept and practice it; then introduce another concept, practice it and review the other concepts; and continue this pattern throughout the school year.

Another favorite publisher is Bob Jones University, or BJU.  BJU carries all subjects and all grade levels.  Their math program is a mastery approach.  They practice the same concept, adding in difficulty, in each chapter, with a few review problems mixed in.  Their Bible curriculum is extensive, covering all grade levels, plus “Flex-Levels” for in-depth study of certain subjects.  BJU also carries electives, such as Health and Music.

Five in a Row is a favorite publisher to help children learn to read and love learning, using it from preschool on up past junior high.  Another favorite book to help children learn to read is “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, and Elaine Bruner.  “McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers” are the original series used between 1879 and the 1920s and beyond in schoolrooms throughout the country, and are popular with some homeschoolers.

There are even online & computer-based curricula, such as Switched-On Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega Publications.  They offer a complete Bible-based curriculum for grades 3 and up, completely on the computer.

As you can see, there is a wide range of styles of curricula out there, and various publishers to satisfy most homeschoolers’ needs.  For reviews of curriculum, Cathy Duffy Reviews is very popular.  To look for curriculum to purchase, our favorite sites are Christian Book Distributors, Rainbow Resource Catalog, and HomeschoolClassifieds.com for buying used.  Amazon.com is also a major source for us here at Homeschoolers 4 Christ.

Hopefully this describes the boxed curriculum method well enough for you to be on your way choosing what works best for your family.  Next time we will look at the trivium, or classical, approach.  Happy learning!

Most homeschoolers have finished up their school years by now, or at least advanced their children to the next grade level if they school year-round.  Some are just getting started, and some have finished their homeschooling journeys.  Do you have a graduating teen?  If so, how long did you homeschool him or her, and what was your experience like through the years?  Curious minds want to know, so please tell us about your homeschool years!

So you want to homeschool.  That’s great!  For us at Homeschoolers for Christ, God has called us to teach our children at home rather than sending them to a traditional school, either public or private.  We prayed, sometimes we cried, we studied God’s Word, and ultimately, He led us all to the same decision: “Train your children yourself, at home, and lean on Me for all things.”

“Okay,” you said, “I’ll do it.”  Then you started researching curriculum and laws for your state, right?  And you saw all this stuff, and you thought, “Lord, what in the world do you want me to do?  I am so confused!”  Been there, done that!  All of us have gone through it at some point or another, some of us several times!  I sheepishly raise my hand to that one.

Take a step back, and take a deep breath.  You can do this!  We will help you wade through the craziness that is homeschooling in today’s world.  In the first of several articles, I hope to acquaint you with the different styles of homeschooling families today, and in so doing, equip you to make the best decision for your family.  So, what are the basic styles of homeschooling?

The easiest to explain, and the one that you probably thought about doing at first, is the traditional, “school at home” method.  This is almost self-explanatory.  You buy the textbooks, workbooks, and other goodies, and you do what they say when they say it.  It’s literally, school at home.  You operate in much the same way as a traditional brick-and-mortar school – only instead of 15 or 30 kids in your class, you teach one (or several, if God has blessed you with more than one child).

Another popular method of homeschooling is called the trivium, or classical, approach.  Three stages constitute children’s learning: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.  As the children progress through the stages, children focus on systematic learning, logical reasoning, and persuasion.  The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer offers a concise step-by-step guide to teaching your children classically.

A style of homeschooling that wins reviews time and time again is the unit study approach.  Children learn all subjects of school focusing on one unit at a time, for example, space.  So math would be counting planets, history would be the discovery of the planets, science would involve books and experiments about space, even the music would be “out of this world.”  When that unit is finished, choose another, perhaps the American Revolution.  Again, as the children learn about the American Revolution, all subjects revolve around that topic.

A style that is growing in popularity is the Charlotte Mason approach.  Charlotte Mason was a teacher who lived at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries.  She advocated an education based almost entirely on great literature and hands-on learning, with nature studies, Shakespeare education, and even art and handicrafts.  Hers is a very untraditional approach, yet it is incredibly effective.

Maybe several of these styles appeal to you.  Homeschoolers call this eclectic homeschooling, a mix of different styles and resources.  Some subjects would use traditional textbooks, perhaps, and others would be more literature-based.  Still other subjects may be hands-on, while others are more of a unit-study type approach.  There are many definitions of eclectic homeschooling, as well, because of the varying degrees of using each style, resource, and for which subjects.

Unschooling is a very different approach to the education of children.  In this style, the children lead their learning process.  If they develop an interest in cars, they exhaust resources related to cars, digging in as deep as they care to go.  If they suddenly switch gears and find horses interesting, they again go digging, looking for as much information as they can find about horses until they develop yet another interest.  Parents usually do not use a set curriculum in an unschooling setting.

So there you have it – a very quick and broad view of the various styles of homeschooling.  In our following articles, we will look at the different styles above more in-depth to help you understand the world of homeschooling and the various methods you can employ to help your children learn to love learning.