Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Letting Go of Preconceived Notions
It has been rather hard for me to wrap my mind around how to "do school" here at home when it seems so antethetical to being at home. The biggest issue is that I have a number of friends with kids in public school, and I always am comparing Parker's progress to theirs in my head. Fears of him "falling behind", especially when I know how bright he is, often haunt me, and I feel like I am constantly researching to see what to do that feels right.
The most recent concern of mine is that Parker doesn't write much at all, and it doesn't look at all like his public school counterparts' writing. We don't write daily, and he claims to not know how to spell. He has been reading since he was 4-1/2 and is able to navigate online, including doing Google searches for things like Star Wars, Age of Kings, and how to fly an airplane just today. So, I've been trying to think of how to get him to write more, though making us sit down for a set amount of time each day just seems so unlike the free flow of learning that we've been doing. Talk about a cross-roads! What I think will work seems wrong and what feels right is wrought with fears.
So then, thanks to a friend sharing the Brave Writer site, I read a really interesting article about the homeschooling equivalent of "Keeping Up with the Joneses", in which the author discusses this mindset of comparing a homeschooled child to a regimented-schooled child. It was very refreshing and actually confidence-building to know that this is not a struggle that I'm having alone. The author suggests developing your own personal family philosophy about homeschooling, and I think that will be next on our list of things to focus on. I believe having it written out in a form that we can reference will be very helpful -- or at least consoling!
Labels: homeschooling
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1 Cents Added:
Hey Kristin,
Thanks so much for sharing your sentiments. I plan to homeschool when I have children one day (hopefully that will happen eventually!), so I'm really glad to read about your fears and concerns.
Good for you for homeschooling! I really admire people who can find a way to make it work and feel that it's worth the sacrifice. :)
Take care,
Gen
