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| Freedom in your
Homeschool |
 I
couldn’t leave it to a stranger to shape who my children become.
As a beginning homeschooler, twenty years ago, I felt a deep sense of
inadequacy. “How to do this and get it right?” I prayed lots and
commenced when my oldest was old enough for me to teach her to read.
Over the years, more children were added and at times I felt
overwhelmed.
In sympathy, a close relative said to me. “You should send your children
to school. Give yourself a break. Teachers are only child minders. Why
should you do everything?”
I believe there is a lot of truth in that. A lot of effort has gone into
producing an artificial environment to keep children occupied. This is
why I don't feel I have to imitate the school. Too often as home
educators we have thought we should. At home, education can and should
be relevant to life. We should be preparing our children for this life
and also the next.
Two things are of greatest value. The first of these is knowing God and
understanding His will. To achieve this, the Bible must have the highest
place. Teach your children to read the Bible and to live by it. As soon
as they can read, put a Bible in their hands. Oh, but don't wait until
they can read to teach appreciation for God's great book. I made it a
daily practice to read the Bible to my children before they could.
Two of my children learnt their sounds with a Bible. As I showed them a
‘d’ their job was to find as many as they could in the first page of
Genesis. It became the most natural thing for them to read it fully
after they had learnt to decode the words they saw. One of my girls read
Genesis all the way through before she turned 6. Establish the habit of
Bible reading early. My children do their personal Bible reading before
breakfast. I assign them one chapter as soon as they can read and as
ability increases, this is increased. Giant print is the edition of
choice for young children and I use the King James Version from the
earliest years. This is what I read to my littlies and this what they
read from the first. After a few simple explanations of the ‘thee’ and
‘thou’s and the odd archaic word, with regular usage, even a five year
old will enjoy the King James Version Bible. I know this for a fact!
The second in importance, is the teaching of relevant skills. Simply
acquiring information should not be the goal of education. Teach skills!
This is where literacy and numeracy and domestic skills are on equal
footing. Being able to keep house is just as important as reading and
you don't need a workbook to teach it!! In my list of relevant skills, I
include gardening, cooking, sewing for girls, mechanical know-how for
boys, basic music knowledge, simple natural health care skills etc. The
key thought is relevance!
Schools go to reasonable amount of expense to set up classrooms.
Homeschool families should similarly consider the homeschool
environment. A rural location is ideal for educational purposes. Why
study nature out of a book? Have a field trip everyday in the paddock
behind your house! I frequently assign my children to do a nature
drawing. This way they have to stop and really look!
Live out of town. Relocating from Sydney to a country location early in
our marriage, was a decision we have never regretted. We would have made
more money in Sydney but there are some things much more important than
money.
A simple lifestyle without artificial stimulation is most likely to
produce happy contented children.
Enjoy the homeschool season. Don't allow yourself to feel burdened. Your
children will quickly sense this and it will affect their attitudes.
Don't feel pressured to fit into a system of grades. Homeschool parents
have a nobler purpose than just filling in time. A favourite book of
mine, Education, defines education as “the harmonious development of the
physical, the mental and the spiritual powers.” Is that something that
can be measured by grades?
What your children become is not an accident. The character they develop
will be shaped by the education they receive. What their minds are fed
will determine who, in their innermost self, they will become. |
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