Before we began the homeschooling journey at the end of January 2013 (yes, it's only been a few months), I had no real concept of homeschool. I imagined children seated neatly around a table, grappling studiously with a curriculum as Mum juggled baby, baking and education. Maybe some homeschooling families look like that. Ours certainly doesn't!
No homeschooling family and their activities look the same. They're all individual, different and unique, which is part of the attraction. It's as much a lifestyle, as it is an 'education choice'.
This blog is about our homeschool family. It's intended for family, friends and those in the global community who may glean something of interest, or wish to contribute, or who just want to know "what do you do all day?".
I'm kicking off with condensed responses to three FAQs... to be followed with the FAQ everyone's really thinking: 'what do you do all day?' soon. Enjoy.
WHY? WHY? WHY?
I'm always a little bit hesitant in responding to the question: "Why are you homeschooling". Not because I don't know, but because I'm worried I'll offend someone. In addition, at the moment I am completely enamoured with this way of life that I'm almost evangelical about it, which is probably also slightly annoying! I also don't want to offend anyone. Some other time I'll get into the nitty-gritties of the thought processes that contributed to our decision, but for now, it's really important to indicate that it's a choice that works for us. It's not that there's anything wrong with other systems available here in Aotearoa (NZ). It's that they weren't right for us. We are blessed enough to make a choice about learning for our children, and I'm blessed enough to be supported by a man who thinks I make sense! He's my hero!
The MOTH (Man of the House) and I were both publically educated in New Zealand, and I guess, by most standards, we've both turned out all right. He's a creative dance/theatre genius and I've an academic geek with a PhD. BUT we thought long and hard, and really believe that homeschool is the right choice for our family.
Aren't the kids going to miss out on... (fill in a subject here)?
Anyone who knows me, anyone who knows the MOTH, knows we love our children and want what's best for them. There is no way we'd be homeschooling if we thought we were depriving them, or dumbing them down, or that their development was somehow going to be fundamentally thwarted by abstaining from school. Like all parents we want what's best for our kids, and for our family... and this, we're pretty certain, is it. By nature, I'm a researcher. I read, and continue to read loads. I've had to un-think some of my ways of thinking about education and school.
If you're following this blog, I hope that it will become apparent just how much our kids are not missing out on. Bear with us, this is a LONG journey. There will probably be some gaps, but hey, who doesn't have gaps in their supposed 'all round' education? And who decided what that 'all round education' would be anyway? (Just putting that out there!)
And what about SOCIALISATION?
I am grateful that every single homeschool book I've read talks about socialisation. If socialisation is learning how to socialise, integrate and communicate with others from all walks of life and age in our community, in a variety of social settings, then our children get plenty of socialisation. From visits to the library, going to the nature reserve, shopping, group gatherings, playdates, festival, dropping the car to the garage...our kids are socialising every day in varied and exciting ways!
MOTH and I are very social beings. It's hard to imagine us having 'unsocial' children!
The homeschool books also talk about the problematic notion that school is 'normal' socialisation (but that's another post).
So... what do you do all day?
I'll tell you tomorrow!
