Step One: You've Gotta Shake That Stale-Ass Perception You Have Of Homeschooling
The first bit of advice I have for anyone who is thinking about homeschooling (ever) is this: shake that stale ass perception you have of what homeschooling looks like. Its nothing like you’re probably imagining and I would be willing to bet that you’re going to shit when ya realize what you’ve been missing.
Key Points:
the first thing you need to do is understand that your vision of homeschooling is likely skewed
you’ve gotta read this book, even if you don’t have kids yet
you have to identify your “why" (aka the reason you want to homeschool
there are multiple styles of homeschooling; they are broken down below
every family is different and prioritizes different things so you cannot compare your style of homeschooling to others
you know your child better than any human on this planet.. period
The second thing you need to do is identify the real reason you want to homeschool your kid(s). This is your “why.”
For me, it was because I knew I would never, ever abuse my kid by forcing her to cover her face with a cloth just because some douche-bag politician with zero goodness in his heart said so.
I had no choice but to pull her from that system. (Man does God work in mysterious ways). That isn’t why I continued to homeschool. I’ll be deadass serious: after a few months of homeschooling, I was certain I would send her back to public schools. Certain. But, my “why” ended up evolving along with my beliefs and morals and homeschooling method!
Your why could be because you aren’t down with the government deciding what is best for your kids. Maybe its because you don’t want to to be forced to do something, showing up somewhere Monday through Friday for the next 13 years. Maybe you know you aren’t going to do it forever but just want to keep the kiddos home a little longer in their earlier years.You’re allowed to homeschool, for whatever reason. It is legal to homeschool your children in all fifty states. K? Promise.
Anyway, my point is this: stop thinking of homeschooling as “duplicating the public school system- at home.” If anything, you want to do the complete fucking opposite. Aside from that, know why you want to do it… and I promise… you’re going to be a-okay!
Like everything else in life: humans, personality traits, animals, music, religions… homeschooling has sub-categories and niches, if you will. Breeds. (The cool thing is, they can all be blended!)
Once you understand that homeschooling isn’t what you thought it was, you’ll be able to figure out which method would suit your lifestyle best.
Read through these key facts about each of the most common methods of homeschooling. I recommend that you further research each method. I just have ADHD and like shit broken down, simply, at first- ha!
Anyway, I betcha you’ll naturally gravitate towards one or two methods/approaches. When ya do, boom, start there!
You’ve got this shit.
Notes On: The Most Common Styles of Homeschooling
Traditional
Students move through grades
The teacher is the driving force and primary “controller” of the education received by child/student
This method looks more like a classroom, desk, and text books per subject covered
Classical
Systematic structure, more stringent, pretty rigorous
Believes children learn in 3-stages (trivium)
grammar: early grades; taught through memorization, songs, rhymes
logic: middle grade; taught to use logic in their writing, to know the why behind things, reasoning
rhetoric: higher grades; taught to use persuasive speech, to effectively communicate and express themselves
Children move through lessons based on their maturity and age rather than grades.
Uses history as a theme
Montessori
Believes children’s hands are the “chief teacher”
Independence is valued with this method
Freedom, order, beauty, nature, reality and the social and intellectual environment are all part of Montessori’s core principles
The classroom has no focal point
Everything is scaled to a child’s size
Think centers and spaces where the kid(s) can move freely at their own pace; cleaning up after themselves etc.
Focuses on mastery over memorization
Charlotte Mason
Based on three instruments:
Atmosphere: this is the vibe, intention behind everything in the space
Discipline: rhythms and habits that are taught; the purpose is to promote consistency to the days
Life: the books that fuel the mind
She believed that children are people and should be treated as such
Known for her metaphor “laying a feast” which basically means lay out the books and material and let their interests guide them
Books, literature; reading aloud and often is key here
Believes in short lessons because kids are not meant to sit still and be bored to death; recommends 15 minutes for elementary students, 30 minutes for middle grades and 45 minutes for higher grades (per subject/interest)
Believes handicrafts are a wonderful thing; they require learned skills and encourages kids to do their best work
Think sewing, scrap-booking, painting, woodworking, pottery, etc.
BIG into nature study; spending time outside
Waldorf
Mind, body, and spirit
Designed to be more holistic; mirroring natural stages of development from childhood to adulthood
Natural materials, child-led free play, music, movement, art, storytelling
BIG into nurturing the imagination; uncovering truth naturally; meditation, spirituality, nature etc.
Teaching through living life
The child is the curriculum
Reggio Emilia
The teacher takes on the role as a co-learner
The teacher basically plays lead student; documenting child’s interests, drawing out their ideas for them; repeating back to them their ideas or thoughts
Researching things that make them curious
This method is focused more on the journey not the destination
Designed for younger children, think pre-K and Kindergarten; but can be implemented throughout life
No planned curriculum
Unschooling
The term was coined by John Holt; an advocate of school reform
Defined as “learning and teaching that does not resemble school learning and teaching”
Unconventional, yes
Living is learning
Learning is happening all of the time and cannot be forced
Believes the key is to trust the child and their interests
The parents are simply there to support, guide and help them develop skills by providing the resources and materials needed
Believes learning should be fun, meaningful and interesting
The most hands-off approach
The hardest part of this method is convincing judgemental people who know nothing about homeschooling that this is, indeed, a method of learning
There ya have it! I seriously encourage you to further research these methods. Or don’t, maybe you know which one is right for you from the get-go. If you were wondering, my method of homeschooling is primarily unschooling with bits and pieces of Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Charlotte Mason. Just depends on the day, week, month, season, year, or phase of life we are in!
All of that being said, which method speaks to you the most? Comment below. Love you!
