 |
Product Search
|
 |
|
Article Search
|
|
|
Resources
| |
|
Home > Why I Homeschooled My Children
We Have Found 3 Products for your search of Why I Homeschooled My Children.
Displaying Items 1 - 3:
Why I Homeschooled My Children by Geneva Ingham
Homeschooling children is still considered abnormal in our society. It's just not done that way. Kids get up and go to school. Mind you there are reasons to be skeptical. Some parents have been known to use homeschooling as an excuse to get away with the neglect and abuse they give their children. But for the most part there are successful stories with homeschool children.
In my case, homeschooling was a step between schools. My three young daughters were in a Christian private school but because of lack of funds they had to leave. I was determined that they were not going to public school to get corrupted by the system. At the time I did not trust my children in the hands of people who did not uphold the morals of my family or religion.
Most of my friends and family tried to discourage me from teaching them at home. They said that I was not qualified; the government won't allow it and that I was depriving my children of social interaction with other children. I chose to ignore all the naysayers and looked to those who were doing it and doing it well.
It was not long before I received a letter from the Department of Education threatening me to put the girls in public school. I drafted a letter which I sent to them stating the reasons why I decided to homeschool my girls. I will state some of those reasons below:
First I let them know that they had some excellent teachers in the public schools and some good schools.
I told them that no one could possibly know my girls better than I did. I knew what they liked and disliked. I knew what subjects they were good in and what they were weakest.
I mentioned that one does not need a degree to teach. I had been teaching them from birth.
The curriculum that I was using was from a real school. In fact it was the same curriculum that they had in the private school. Everything was outlined with all the materials needed to teach them their subjects. We had a mentor to contact incase we had problems.
With studying at home, we could be more creative than a regular school teacher. We could learn about native flora just by taking a walk in our neighborhood. Fractions could be mastered by baking a cake in the kitchen.
It was a good way to bond with my girls.
I sent this letter along with a copy of our curriculum to the head of the Department of Education. They were impressed with my letter as well as the details of our schedule. I got their blessing and never heard from them again.
Before I actually got into teaching, I did my research at the library. I read magazines such as Homeschooling today. I also read John C. Holt's "Growing Without Schooling". Holt was an educator who became disillusioned with it. According to Wikipedia "He became convinced that reform of the school system was not possible because it was fundamentally flawed. Thus, he became an advocate of homeschooling." His book was helpful in making up my mind. The one thing that stood out in my mind was his belief that young children should not even be sitting at desks until at least age eleven. ("Growing Without Schooling")
The other thing that I did was to interrogate all my friends that were homeschooling their children. I noticed for the most part that the children knew their work and were talented either musically or artistically. I liked the relaxed atmosphere of the homes and how the children were independent learners. I was sold. I knew that I could do this.
So armed with the information that I needed, I ordered the supplies and waited in anticipation. My children on the other hand had mixed reactions. My oldest daughter was not happy at school so being at home did not seem like a bad idea. My middle daughter always wanted to be home with me so she was not unhappy. My youngest daughter , the social butterfly, of the family was not happy at all. She liked school and would miss all her friends, but I knew that she would adapt to the new system and she did.
During the three years that I homeschooled them we learned a lot about each other. I learned that no two children learn the same way and how to adapt my methods with each one. We went on a few memorial field trips including one which took us to Pennsylvania to Hershey Park and the Hershey Park Museum. In fact to this day they talk about how they learned to grind corn like the Native Americans at the museum.
After three years I was ready to let my girls enter public school. I was confident that I had equipped them with the materials to be independent learners. I also felt confident that they could think for themselves and not just accept what was taught them without researching the matter for themselves.
Now they are young ladies, the oldest in college and the two younger ones are parents. The homeschooling question has popped up again as my grandchildren are about to start elementary school this September. I do not know what their decisions will be, but whatever they do I will be there to help them out.
About the Author
Wikipedia online encyclopedia
|
