What is Homeschooling?

Two years ago I didn't know a thing about homeschooling. I had no idea exactly how one went about homeschooling, where one obtained books and materials, or even that it is perfectly legal in all 50 states. Different states have different criteria to meet. I live in a state where it is very simple and easy to stay within legal boundaries, but even the most rigid states aren't that complicated. It is such a part of my life now, that I forget the "average" person doesn't know what it might entail. Recently, I was asked a question by someone, and this is the thought that popped into my head to write about this morning.

Everyone chooses to school their children in different ways. One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is that we parents have a HUGE variety of materials and curriculum to choose from. We can choose which math program works best for each individual child. We can choose whether to use textbooks or "living" books, or just life. We can choose secular or Christian content. We can choose whether to spend the next year concentrating more on grammar or more on writing depending upon each child's needs. In other words, we are free to choose what works best for each child, AND what works best for us, as teachers. Some mothers (I will use mothers as teachers, because they are most often the ones staying home and educating the children. I know of a few fathers who homeschool, but they are in the minority.) find a program they like that includes all the subjects, and stick with it for each and every one of their kids. Some mothers always second guess their choices, and try something for 6 weeks, only to drop it, and try another program. Some use textbooks only. Some are die-hard unschoolers, and never once do their children see a book or workbook. Virtually everyone begins the same way...reading a myriad of books written by homoeschoolers and researching the topic. Most of us nowadays find our way to a website or two devoted to homeschooling where we can "talk" to other homeschooling parents, and gain insight and knowledge from others' previous experiences.

I've been fairly blessed with my curriculum choices. Of course, I'm the type of woman who can't ever make a serious decision without researching it to death first, but I've only had one issue with one of my daughters. Everything else I've bought has worked well for the child I bought it for, and exceeded my expectations. With the exception of C's English last year, I've stuck to all of my original choices. I don't use one program for all subjects; I mix-and-match with whatever works for each child in each subject area.

More about curriculum choices in a later post....for now I'll get back on topic. Homeschooling is basically educating your children at home (or in the car, or out in the park, or waiting in a doctor's office...)in the way that works best for your particular family. For my family, this means I use textbooks for Math, English, and Science. My daughters are definitely allowed to state their likes/dislikes with each book, and they have input in decisions when choosing a textbook, but we DO use textbooks. I feel that not using a textbook in the basic subjects leaves a good chance for "gaps" in their education. On the other hand I detest textbooks for History and Geography. I don't remember one single thing I learned in 13 years of school, and 3 years of college that had to do with history. Do you? I learned more about the Civil War from trashy romance novels I read in high shcool, and anyone that knows me knows I have a fetish for anything related to WWII. I will read ANYthing having to do with the 1930's-40's. I have a series of books I use to keep myself going in the right direction, but mainly I use living books. Living books are just your normal book read for pleasure. Of course, I choose these books carefully, picking ones that have to do with the time frame in history we are studying. Last year, for US History I used a text for our spine to ensure I didn't skip any major historical events, but C was saturated with living books that she read to herself, or that I read aloud with her. I found the textbook was very boring, and very innaccurate, and left tons of history completely out. We read biographies of Helen Keller, Louis Braille, George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Edison. We read the entire "Little House on the Prairie" series aloud. We read books by Mark Twain. I almost ommitted the Mark Twain books, because I thought they were boring, but C adored them, and found them hilarious.We read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond", and we read others that I can't even recall now. C really enjoys biographies. (just like her mother LOL)

Not only did we read tons of enjoyable books having to do with our history, we utilized the TV. I hadn't even intended the story of our country and its' foundations to coincide with the presidential elections last year, but it did. C watched the national debates with me. She attentively listened to my opinions on Barack Obama and John McCain. She helped me research their respective voting records, and political history. We compared the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and The Articles of Confederation and what our founding fathers had in mind with the state of our union in current times. We watched the election and innauguration speech. Although I completely was against Obama (don't even start with me about him!) his election worked perfectly into not only our study of what our country was founded on, but also went along with slavery, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Enough said on that before I get myself in trouble with the blog police.....

Homeschooling just becomes a way of life. I probably annoy my children to no end. We frequently enjoy studying nature. Not for school, but just because nature is cool, and I enjoy being in solitude out in a forest or down by a lake than being around other people. Lately, though, my poor children can't find something neat in the woods without me researching it online or in books when we get home. Find a bone? Let's look it up and compare it to animals native to our area. Find a cool rock? Let's find out what kind it is, and how it was formed. Poor kids. Yesterday C and I had an hour-and-a-half long discussion about labor, delivery, and the female reproductive tract just because our cat is soon expecting kittens. Who needs a health book, when it worked so well into the natural conversation? (An added bonus that she loved...she learned all about her own personal labor/delivery story, and how pitocin works. LOL)Final exam will be watching (hopefully) the cat actually give birth. C loves animals, and has seen many surgeries and 1 birth (of a Panda) on TV. I know birth won't bother her a bit in person. E, on the other hand will probably gag, and go to a room as far away as possible. C even got to hear the stintilating stories of my high-school boyfriend who was a hog farmer, and the deliveries of piglets he and I assisted at many times. (Well, okay, not me. I just watched him assist. If you've ever seen someone have to assist a pig having trouble giving birth you will know what I'm talking about. It ain't pretty.)

Homeschooling takes more time than any full-time job. It takes time away from your housework (not neccessarily a bad thing), your husband, your friends, and your own personal time. Actually....I think I've forgotten what my own personal time is. I literally have both my daughters with me 24/7, but that's the way I like it. It makes it a little difficult to shop for birthday or Christmas gifts, but other than that I feel it's what I am meant to do, and SHOULD do. It's not something we do only from 9:00 to 3:00. We are learning all the time, and just because we complete assignments in school-books, we aren't done. I'm completely involved in all aspects of my daughters' lives. I never have to ask, "How was school today?" or "What have you learned in Math this week?" The worst problem my girls have with school is they do a lot more work than in public school, and they have one of those teachers that has a tendency to ramble on too long. : )