On Homeschooling

Here is a picture of my Boys conquering the world. Legos, dinosaurs and an imagination is all they needed.

Baby is "napping". She is clearly exhausted.

M says she isn't sure if she wants to be the "stay at home" parent. She might be a vet, and have her husband stay home with the kids. She is sure, however, that she will nearly always wear high heeled shoes when she is a grown-up. She's practicing now.

My good friend, Anne, gave me an article entitled, "Should homeschooling be Illegal?" Her son goes to a great charter school, and Anne knows she's not planning on homeschooling. EVER. She gave me this article in fun because she knew it would get my hackles up.

So, Anne, right back at you, babe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ogCc8ObiwQ

Keep reading... I promise to come circle; I'm just taking the scenic route.

This YouTube is an interview of John Taylor Gatto, a former New York Public School teacher, and a 3 time winner of the Teacher of the Year Award. After 30 years in the schools he became an outspoken advocate for the abollishment of compulsory school. He's not exactly mainstream. His research and knowledge of the "system" are, however, outstanding. He's worth listening to, and considering, though even I acknowledge some of the conclusions he draws are a bit extreme.

Ironically, I have been considering lately why I do this homeschooling thing. It's a lot of work. I have other choices. Why this? There are public schools that bus - and frankly it sounds mighty nice.

And so I'm back to the pictures.

Most of the reasons I feel strongly about homeschooling now are not the reasons I started homeschooling.

For instance: play. My kids are great friends; they play all sorts of creative pretend games for hours. They don't care that it's not "cool" for an 8 year old to play with a 4 year old. And they are better for having to learn how to include children of different abilities and skills. They have learned compassion, and you should see their tender care for their baby sister. Homeschooling allows my kids more down time, sometimes big chunks of time. They pretend, and build, and imagine. And, personally, I think E, M and Bub are smarter, and more innovative, and better problem solvers because of it. I firmly believe that more hours on prescribed tasks do not make for more intelligent children. Play is a child's work.

In moderation.

Another unforeseen blessing of homeschooling is the independence my kids have. My kids do their own laundry (okay, not baby, she's only 1). They unload the dishwasher. The clean bathrooms. They dust and vacuum. And the older two do a pretty reasonable job cooking. Bringing Baby home meant that I needed my kids help. Really needed it. And they learned to contribute, and are necessary members of our family. I've noticed that this is not unique to my kids. Homeschooled kids are expected to do more to contribute in their families, and they do it very well.

Also, my kid have been exposed to more great literature in their few years of school than I was be until I graduated from college. Great literature inspires. It teaches and compels in a way that text books cannot. Jesus taught from stories, and he was the best. Stories last; facts slip through the cracks. Stories require something from us; acquiring facts can be done without engaging ones conscience.

I love teaching my kids through literature, and schools don't do that.

There are lots of reasons I chose to homeschool, but I wasted enough time, and probably bored many of you. Sometime, I'll get back to it.