Anyone care to share their Educational Philosophy and/or goals?

[Time for Chocolate]

I'm working on writing mine out to help me focus on the important goals I want to set for my kids. I'd like to map out a general plan for each of my older kids through High School. I tend to be a grass is always greener curriculum junkie and want/need to get a handle on that.

I'm wondering what some of your ed. philosophies include and how you set your goals for each child and subject. Another words do you come up with your goals by looking at SOL's, by looking at the textbooks you use or another way.

 

Thanks,

Judy

 

Boy-12

Girl-10

Girl-7

Girl-6

Girl-4

[PeterPan]

Goals: Love God, love others, and have the skills to use in their vocation.

Content: That depends on the child. I don't think you need to write out SOL's, if that's what you mean. That all falls into place as you realize you have to put in the time or cover the content (not necessarily both) to be able to create a transcript (for high school) that someone else can recognize and use to determine how to handle your application.

 

Have you started doing any reading on high school yet? Debra Bell has a book you might find helpful. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Homeschooling-Teens/dp/1932012990 She even bopped in and replied in a thread I had started on the hs board. This age (7th gr+) is a really good time to start mapping out WITH your dc, what they'd like to accomplish. Some things are going to be givens and some things will be options. It's something you can work through together. You might search the boards to find that post she made to me, as it was interesting in that vein.

[calandalsmom]

Goal: raise culturally literate, inquisitive people who will be life long learners and still like me when they are big.

 

I do not look at SOLs except in math. I hope to HS thru high school but if I do not I want to make sure my kids will be able to slot into the system. Math is the only subject I consider this to be an issue with.

[momto2Cs]

Here are mine off my blog...

 

We use an "eclectic" approach, picking and choosing, piecing it together, changing as needed. I pull from a range of education models, including Waldorf, Charlotte Mason's methods, classical education, and even a bit of unschooling! While our resources are fairly fluid at this point, I do have goals for my children....

 

Reading & Writing: I would love my kids to be comfortable with and to enjoy reading and writing. I would like them to appreciate a wide range of books, have exposure to great writers and classics, and to understand social references to such writers and their works. I would like them to feel comfortable writing as well - everything from a business letter to a creative piece. I want them to be able to express themselves in writing, easily and fluently.

 

Math: I want them to understand the why's and how's, not just use rote memorization. I'd like them to see the connections between the lessons they do and the real world. While we are very happy with our choice of math curricula, I am opening up more and more to adding in activities, like math games, real life math situations, and so forth, to help foster those connections.

 

Science: I love science, and I want them to love it too. I want them to have a solid foundation on which they can build in future years. I also want them to have fun with science, to explore and expand, which after all, is much of what science is all about. I would like too for them to be familiar with the natural world around them, to know the birds, trees, animals and plants that live in our corner of the world.

 

History: I'd like them to have a good understanding/familiarity with both the history of our own country and the world. While we aren't following a strict chronological flow at this point, I think over the years, they will build a sense of the tapestry of time. I want them to have some knowledge of great people and the events that shaped the world we live in. I want them to understand social references as I mentioned in Reading & Writing.

 

Art & Music: I want my children to be familiar with the works of great artists, musical and otherwise. Both my children are budding artists and both adore music, so this has never been a challenge for me. I want to help them build a sense of appreciation various approaches in art and music.

 

Other: I want above all to raise happy, inquisitive, curious and thinking children. I try to support them in their interests while exposing them to the topics above. I also think that the home arts are important - everything from sewing and cooking to changing a tire, planting a garden, pruning a tree, and more. Practical knowledge to balance out all the in-the-head work we cover. I want to raise lifelong learners, who seek new challenges and feel motivated to explore their interests.

[momma aimee]

ours is:

 

We the parents have the moral and legal obligation to craft, mold, and guide our children into adulthood as functional, ethical, moral and productive people ready and willing to serve God’s Glory and to be productive members of their community and good men / fathers and husbands. Trustworthy, successful, and competent. Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall diligently teach your children My words as you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.â€

We can, and should, use all resources available to us, such as the state school system, but the end result the responsibility is ours alone. The education of our children is our mandate from God who blessed us with the children, and to Him alone are we ultimately accountable, and to our grandchildren. This not a burden we can, or would choose to, hand off to any other individual or organization.

It is wise to remember that Modern institutional education began only in the last 100 years in American and that this great country was founded through the efforts of those who were schooled at home or in one-room schools; at the time the norm and the expectation for all education. It is also important to remember that Home-educated students typically score 15-30% points above public-schooled students on standardized academic achievement tests. Our intent is for our children to excel when considered with their peers and it is our duty as parents to give them every means necessary to do so.

While we are teaching our children to study, research, and write, we need to remember that they are establishing and perfecting tools that they will one day use to God’s glory. Both tools of knowledge and academic skill as well as tools of faith. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.â€

Socialization:

 

• Young children are impressionable; we the parents are morally obligated to ensure that the models the children are impressed upon by are worthy.
  
• Children should not be expected to exercise sound judgment regarding actions and associations independently until they are of an age to be able to make such moral decisions.
  
• The family must be the most important circle for children till they reach the age of accountability and can be a motivational force within their peer group.
  
• You cannot effectively compensate for 30+ hours/week of a humanist worldview with a few hours at home when the child is already tired or emotionally done. The influence of the school system on young children is a very serious thing.
  
• It is very difficult, even impossible, to tell a child the MUST listen to an adult (teach or other) then to tell them NOT to listen / believe certain things that person says, or not to trust that adult or believe him / her on certain issues. That is an unfair situation to place a child in; and will effect child ability to learn anything in that situation.
  

 

Goals of Education:

 

• <LI sizset="3" sizcache="10">Generally:
  
  • 
    
    • To facilitate an education developing the ability to locate, understand and utilize needed information. To be a fully functional productive member of society that is able to think for ones self and make sound choices and demonstrate the ablity to reason and evaluate data and arguments.
      

     

     

 

[*]Specifically

 

 

 

• To read well, critically, for comprehension and for joy. To be able to find and expertly use reading to gather needed information on any topic
  
• To learn to research and gather information and data confidently and quickly. While evaluating the gathered information for validity and relevance and “trustableâ€.
  
• To be a critical consumer of pop culture and the media. To evaluate bias and its effects data offered.
  
• Confidently express self well orally and in writing, present information clearly and persuasively when necessary
  
• Be able to successful use a variety of math skills in daily life and for complex reasoning.
  
• To be able to engage in complex reasoning and use advanced logic in life and professional / academic endeavors
  
• Enjoy Art and Music and Lit for its intrinsic beauty as well as understanding how it fits into history and expresses and reflects the time period of its creation, as well as how it makes God visible in our daily lives. To recognize and appreciate universal truths.
  
• Understand history and politics so as to be able to make critical choices and make sense of current events with the end of being a fully participatory member of the electorate and the body politic personally if necessary.
  
• To understand the scope of science to an extent that allows for an understanding of current event and the working of the world around us. Also to allow for recognition of and respect for God’s inherent design in all.
  
• To understand the human body, its form and functions and care. To make wise personal choices in lifestyle and personal behavior. To be an educated and wise consume of health care.
  
• To build a solid foundation in faith and the Word of God. Both as it speaks to our lives in matters of personal choice and faith, and also as Lit and History.
  
• To be aware of other world religions / schools of thought / faiths. To compare and contrast them with our faith, and with each other. With an eye towards being able to understand others, live tolerantly and to understand world history and politics and current events more completely.
  

 

Other:

 

• No fear of bullies on the playground or being disgraced in front of our social group (class) when you struggle with a subject
  
• No opportunity to fly under the radar and get by with out truly accomplishing a task or learning information or skill
  
• Expectations
  
  • 
    
    • Age / dev app – not sitting quiet all day at age 5
      
    • Achievement – higher personal goals, not dictated by the average of a class of 30 (or even 20)
      

     

     

   

   

 

http://scribinglife.wordpress.com/education/family-education-mission-statment/ is the blog link -- the formatting looks a lot better there. :D

[khall]

I really like this quote from Robert Heinlein.

 

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly."

 

So far we've mastered pitching manure and cooking! :lol:

 

For more specific grade level information I also look at the World Book scope and sequence. It gives the big picture of what is typically covered, and breaks it down by year.

[8filltheheart]

One thing I have learned over the last few yrs is that having preconceived ideas of what they should do when is actually a stumbling block for me. With my oldest I sort of went with where his skills were leading but it was tempered by my "typical sequence of study" school mindset.

 

My philosophy now is to help them work where they are wherever that "where" may be. Since allowing my children to embrace the freedom of functioning completely at their level with disregard for norms, I have been amazed at just how much they are capable of and how much insight they have about themselves.

 

I really only worry about what we are going to accomplish the current yr and the next yr. I do have a "minimum" standard of flow forward floating around in my head, but other than that, the next yr is pretty much as far as I focus.

 

I have also loosened up their high school courses. I pretty much controlled what my oldest studied (it was the avg normal path toward engineering high school stuff.) I am now relaxing and letting them take more unique courses that serve their interests and help them explore subjects that they otherwise might not until the college level.

 

My core philosophy ultimately remains the same though; nurture the whole person: soul, mind, and body.

Edited May 18, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart

[radiobrain]

I really like this quote from Robert Heinlein.

 

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly."

 

 

I love this. :D

[Capt_Uhura]

 

 

My core philosophy ultimately remains the same though; nurture the whole person: soul, mind, and body.

 

Very succinct!

[Time for Chocolate]

Thank you all so much for your posts! I really appreciate the help.

Momto2Cs and momma aimee - you both gave me alot to think about. Thank you!

I put the Debra Bell book into my amazon cart. I think it will help me get a clearer path of what is generally expected in middle and high school. Thanks OhElizabeth!

I also want to nurture the whole person: soul, mind, and body as 8FillTheHeart so wisely said. I guess I'm having trouble with the best way to do that sometimes. The difficulty for me is finding and evaluating all that great curricula out there in order to choose which one in each subject is the best for each child. :confused1:

 

Thanks Again Everyone,

Judy

[Mommybostic]

The most simple way for me to state my goal for my son is that I want him to be able to learn about whatever interests him. I want him to be able to self-educate about any topic that either interests him or becomes necessary in his life. I want him to have confidence, curiosity, and the ability to satisfy that curiosity. When he says, "I wonder why that is?" I want him to then go found out.

 

The ability and confidence to self-educate is at the heart of homeschooling, in my opinion. While I know you shouldn't curriculum jump constantly, and of course there will be subjects that aren't your child's favorite that they still have to learn, you must still strive to find the most effective and intersting way to present the material that you possibly can.

 

Good luck to you! On the heels of every failure there will be a success!

[NittanyJen]

http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/2011/03/hillandale-farm-school-philosophy.html'>http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/2011/03/hillandale-farm-school-philosophy.html'>http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/2011/03/hillandale-farm-school-philosophy.html'>http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/2011/03/hillandale-farm-school-philosophy.html

 

Near the top is a list of what we hope to accomplish by home schooling; at the bottom of this particular post is our philosophy statement.

 

In between is a description of how we arrived at both.

 

Soon (tonight? Next week?) I'll be posting our upcoming year's goals more specifically (ie our curriculum picks). My most recent post was what we accomplished for our fledgeling school year.

 

I love seeing what everyone else is doing-- although I always feel confident about where we are heading (I don't like curriculum hopping; we change when something is broken) I try to keep an open mind when I see a good idea from someone else, and there are always the uncharted waters ahead to look forward to!

 

Jen

http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/

[Wee Pip]

Over the past two years, I've become more and more disenchanted with curriculum. I sort of hit a bad homeschool rut this year because I knew what I didn't want hs to be, but didn't know what I wanted it to be (or at least HOW to make what I wanted to happen). I realized that I had been using curriculum that was focusing on pure content, not really developing skills. We were spending so much time filling-in-the-blanks on content, that I glossed over writing assignments because our hands were tired, and we were having meltdowns over writing, anyway. But then I realized - why are we spending every.single.year learning what a declarative sentence is and filling in those blanks but NOT actually writing? Sure, my kids need to write declarative sentences, but was learning in this way actually productive and getting us where we need to be??? I decided it wasn't. I'll pull in curric here and there when it serves a purpose, but I'm challenging myself to go outside of curric to teach my real children, real skills. We'll see how the Grand Experiment goes, lol! My goals:

 

• Able to think thru and apply basic math, able to think of numbers and problems in different ways (i.e., 2 triangles is 1 square, 10 is 5 & 5, etc.)
  
• Able to read and comprehend a variety of material (sci, history, literature, news, poetry, etc.)
  
• Able to write as a form of communication. Prep for high school & college (right now, that means being able to read something and give a 1/2 page summary of what was read. Eventually, this will mean being able to read something & think critically about it, and then write about it in an organized, sequential, well researched, eloquent way)
  
• Memorize some basic science laws & principles: ability (eventually) to think critically about these things & apply them to real life.
  
• Memorize some basic historical events & dates: ability (eventually) to think critically about these things & discern why an event happened, or how one event is linked to another. Or how one event affects us today.
  
• Geography: have a basic understanding of where countries & cultures are on a map.
  
• Bible: memorize some key Scriptures. Ability (eventually) to think critically about doctrine & understand where certain beliefs come from (is it first mentioned in the Bible? Did the early church believe it? Did it come out of some movement later on?). Understand the basis behind the early councils of the early church (council of Nicaea, etc.) and how the meeting of these leaders affected the Christian faith. Have an understanding of their own faith & their own relationship with God. Have an educated idea of what they believe & why.
  
• Cultural references: understand common cultural references & where they came from. When someone says "there is method to my madness" or "to thine own self be true" - I'd love for my kids to know that came from Hamlet:)
  

So these are basically my goals and these are not things typically taught in a normal scope/sequenced curriculum.

[Karen in CO]

I really like this quote from Robert Heinlein.

 

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly."

 

......

.......

:iagree:

I love this. The next sentence from the passage is also terrific, "Specialization is for insects."

 

It goes well with the idea of educating the whole person. There is no way that I or my school teachers could have ever imagined the kinds of things that are now important for me to know. I could have also never dreamed of the type of job I am currently doing. I'm glad that I had a rich, liberal education.

[rafiki]

.

[angela in ohio]

Our goals aren't just academic. Dh and I sat down and came up with very general goals for what we thought a contributing, thinking adult should have/know.

 

The obvious ones are on there (love and know God, servants' hearts toward others) that really go without saying. :D Also, some specific things (play a musical instrument, speak well and easily in front of small and large groups of people, know and enjoy a sport that can be played for life for excercise, etc.)

 

Then, at 6th grade, I started to make our high school goals, so that I could see what we needed to do in 7th and 8th grade (the two toughest years academically in our home. :D) In 8th, I made our actual high school plan, checking against our overall goals and with our dds.

 

Having goals has really helped keep me from curriculum hopping and/or following the latest "hot trend." :001_smile: