How do you define your educational philosophy/set educational goals?

[Enough]

Pardon me for what is surely a(nother) stupid question from a HSing newbie. :)

 

I have read so many posts here from longtime HSers about keeping "the end" in sight- staying focused on the education goals you've set for your children, not getting distracted by new/popular curricula (if what you're using is working), not doing so much that none of it is done well.

 

My stupid question is- HOW do you decide what those goals will be? How do you decide what you will do and won't do? How do you decide what is important to YOU and your child(ren)? And how do your educational goals weave into your parenting goals/vision (or do they)?

 

I'm thinking about this for my own journey. I don't have "official" educational goals or a philosophy- we started HSing kind of spur-of-the-moment a few months ago and haven't really done too much deep thinking yet. :tongue_smilie:

 

Is "getting into college" an educational goal? Can "being well-read/reading the Great Books" be an educational goal? What are examples of educational goals? I THINK I have them- I'm just not sure how to pull all those thoughts out of my head. :lol:

 

Additionally, I have many goals for my children that are separate from educational goals- and possibly will compete for time. For example- volunteer work is incredibly important to us as a family. We spend at least one morning (4 hours) a week in direct service helping to feed the hungry. I bring my kids; they help prepare and distribute food. I don't think there is anything wrong with "skipping school" to do this work and I will probably seek out more opportunities like this- but I realize that choosing this means I am choosing to NOT devote that time to educational pursuits and perhaps preventing my children from "getting ahead" or having better transcripts. :tongue_smilie:At the same time- I want a rigorous, classical education for my kids. Can I have both (the service work and the rigorous academics)? Have other people dealt with this issue? How do you separate/weave together/choose between these types of activities?

 

(I put philosophy and goals as the same, but it occurs to me that maybe they aren't. Feel free to comment on that as well.)

 

:bigear:

[Random]

 

My stupid question is- HOW do you decide what those goals will be? How do you decide what you will do and won't do? How do you decide what is important to YOU and your child(ren)? And how do your educational goals weave into your parenting goals/vision (or do they)?

 

I think this is different for different people. Many people chose to have nonacademic priorities, but many do chose academic priorities. For instance, my primary goal in homeschooling is to raise kids that love God and love His word. Secondarily, I want my children to be absolutely brilliant. I keep #1 and #1, and #2 as #2, if they ever conflict. An example would be they are not proving themselves trustworthy, and so are not allowed to participate in some 'extra' academic activity. That's a silly example, but I hope you understand my point.

 

Is "getting into college" an educational goal? Can "being well-read/reading the Great Books" be an educational goal? What are examples of educational goals? I THINK I have them- I'm just not sure how to pull all those thoughts out of my head. :lol:

Yes, college can be a goal. A particular college's acceptance can be a goal. An educational goal could be long term, short term, general or specific.

 

Additionally, I have many goals for my children that are separate from educational goals- and possibly will compete for time. For example- volunteer work is incredibly important to us as a family. We spend at least one morning (4 hours) a week in direct service helping to feed the hungry. I bring my kids; they help prepare and distribute food. I don't think there is anything wrong with "skipping school" to do this work and I will probably seek out more opportunities like this- but I realize that choosing this means I am choosing to NOT devote that time to educational pursuits and perhaps preventing my children from "getting ahead" or having better transcripts. :tongue_smilie:At the same time- I want a rigorous, classical education for my kids. Can I have both (the service work and the rigorous academics)? Have other people dealt with this issue? How do you separate/weave together/choose between these types of activities?

 

 

I think this is where the concept of priorities comes into play. No one can do everything they want to do. And, this gets much easier as years pass by. Goals and priorities change year by year as needs arise, strengths and weaknesses are made clear. I would love for my kids to be involved with every sport, every musical class, every volunteer opportunity, and still read all the classics, understand higher math, be accomplished artists and brilliant scientists. I seriously doubt this will happen. ;) We've only been schooling a few years at home, but I can already see certain strengths emerging, and I plan to capitalize on those, while still exposing every kid to as many different 'things' as possible.

 

I hope I'm not being too general!

[Guest momk2000]

We don't have an educational philosophy, we just do what works. I do look ahead and try to plan for the future though. What we do now is pretty much based on what I would like them to be doing later when they reach middle/high school and beyond.

[Ginevra]

Pardon me for what is surely a(nother) stupid question from a HSing newbie. :)

 

I have read so many posts here from longtime HSers about keeping "the end" in sight- staying focused on the education goals you've set for your children, not getting distracted by new/popular curricula (if what you're using is working), not doing so much that none of it is done well.

 

My stupid question is- HOW do you decide what those goals will be? How do you decide what you will do and won't do? How do you decide what is important to YOU and your child(ren)? And how do your educational goals weave into your parenting goals/vision (or do they)?

 

I'm thinking about this for my own journey. I don't have "official" educational goals or a philosophy- we started HSing kind of spur-of-the-moment a few months ago and haven't really done too much deep thinking yet. :tongue_smilie:

 

Is "getting into college" an educational goal? Can "being well-read/reading the Great Books" be an educational goal? What are examples of educational goals? I THINK I have them- I'm just not sure how to pull all those thoughts out of my head. :lol:

 

Additionally, I have many goals for my children that are separate from educational goals- and possibly will compete for time. For example- volunteer work is incredibly important to us as a family. We spend at least one morning (4 hours) a week in direct service helping to feed the hungry. I bring my kids; they help prepare and distribute food. I don't think there is anything wrong with "skipping school" to do this work and I will probably seek out more opportunities like this- but I realize that choosing this means I am choosing to NOT devote that time to educational pursuits and perhaps preventing my children from "getting ahead" or having better transcripts. :tongue_smilie:At the same time- I want a rigorous, classical education for my kids. Can I have both (the service work and the rigorous academics)? Have other people dealt with this issue? How do you separate/weave together/choose between these types of activities?

 

(I put philosophy and goals as the same, but it occurs to me that maybe they aren't. Feel free to comment on that as well.)

 

:bigear:

 

I think for most homeschoolers, it evolves over time. Your philosophy and your goals will both evolve. I think what shaped a lot of mine (both goals and philosophy) was observing other homeschoolers whom I admire. For example, did I admire Family A, whose children are all brilliant and doing brilliant things on a national level? Did I admire Family B, whose children are creative and free from societal constraints? If someone's child understands Latin, do I think, "Wow! How impressive!" or "What a waste of time!!" ;)

 

Those observations are mostly what shaped my goals and philosophy. I don't expect it to change a lot now. (I'm in my 9th year.)

[myfunnybunch]

It's a great question. I asked myself the same thing when I started. I know that by the time they reach college age, I'd like my boys to be able to do all of these things (and how they translate into yearly practice):

 

Speak a second language well enough that they could travel in a country in which that language is spoken and converse with the people who live there. (We plan to hire a tutor; we host students who speak the language the boys want to learn; we use a variety of language materials to begin to learn the language until they're old enough for classes in the community.)

 

Have a well-rounded education in science, mathematics and engineering. (Which means that each year, we choose a quality math program and supplemental materials, focus on science exploration, do a weekly building and engineering unit.)

 

Be fluent writers and articulate speakers who can think critically to form their own ideas and express them well. (Choose rigorous grammar and writing curricula; study history and culture; discuss, discuss, discuss.)

 

Be familiar with great works of art, literature and music, both from our culture and others. (We do a weekly art and music study; copy and/or memorize poetry and literature passages; read, read, read and discuss some more.)

 

Be musically fluent on an instrument. (Weekly music lessons and daily practice.)

 

Have healthy minds and bodies. (Swimming, karate, hiking; gardening and cooking; more discussion.)

 

Have a connection with the natural world around us. (Weekly nature days.)

 

Be creative, joyful, well-adjusted, well-educated honorable young men with a sense of responsibility to their community. (We help the neighbor, we will volunteer when they're old enough, we play with friends and spend time hanging out together. I have a version of this on my refrigerator to remind myself daily. Really, it is just parenting, but as homeschoolers, their education is a big part of this.)

 

All of that really translates into...Where do we spend our time and resources? My kids would love to do soccer and drawing class and go to both homeschool park days and be in every musical theater production that comes along, but we can't do everything. I sat down and wrote down my goals (above) and then asked myself: How do we meet these goals this year? This month? Today? When I break it down like that, it makes more sense. Ok, we'll do an art lesson today. Or, I'll play a math game with my kinder to reinforce his number sense. Or, I really like how this science unit is set up because it reinforces scientific thinking, so let's use it.

 

Cat

[*Lulu*]

Back when our oldest was 3 years of age we finalized our decision to homeschool. DH and I sat down and made a list of what sort of adult we wanted to send forth from our home 15 years in the future. (We have repeated this for each child.) We included character, social skills, academics, and practical knowledge in our list and I have used this ever since as way to remind myself of what the big picture is for each child. When I set our yearly goals I am able to keep my craziest ambitions in check by looking at the long term goals.

 

As far as philosophy goes, that is a work in progress. Each year I find it becoming more finely honed. At this rate I'll have it perfected about the time I graduate my youngest! :tongue_smilie:

[LaxMom]

I want my children to to be well equipped to excel in whatever adult path they choose. That means (to me) they will be well read, able to express themselves eloquently, and have the basis to pursue knowledge in whatever discipline hey choose.

 

To break it down further, then, we vet curricula and activities as to how each will help further specific goals in relation to each child's strengths, weaknesses, personality, etc.

 

Character plays a part in finding opportunities, as well, and we include volunteering, service to others and positive character traits in their education as our children, though not as a formal part of schooling.

 

Oh, and to answer your question, we subscribe to a classical philosophy as the most well rounded approach, with a little more emphasis on math and science.

[angela in ohio]

Read, read, read. I read widely about homeschooling, education, classical education, etc. That helped dh and I to define our goals. They weren't really set until we were a few years in, as it took time to gather information.

 

We mix our academic and non-academic goals into one list. They all sort of run together here.

 

Volunteer work can be an important part of an education. My girls have a rigorous classical education schedule, yet they are able to work 4-5 hours a week volunteering (more in the summers.)

[Enough]

So much good food for thought here- THANK YOU all for your responses!

 

 

 

 

It's a great question. I asked myself the same thing when I started. I know that by the time they reach college age, I'd like my boys to be able to do all of these things (and how they translate into yearly practice):

 

Speak a second language well enough that they could travel in a country in which that language is spoken and converse with the people who live there. (We plan to hire a tutor; we host students who speak the language the boys want to learn; we use a variety of language materials to begin to learn the language until they're old enough for classes in the community.)

 

Have a well-rounded education in science, mathematics and engineering. (Which means that each year, we choose a quality math program and supplemental materials, focus on science exploration, do a weekly building and engineering unit.)

 

Be fluent writers and articulate speakers who can think critically to form their own ideas and express them well. (Choose rigorous grammar and writing curricula; study history and culture; discuss, discuss, discuss.)

 

Be familiar with great works of art, literature and music, both from our culture and others. (We do a weekly art and music study; copy and/or memorize poetry and literature passages; read, read, read and discuss some more.)

 

Be musically fluent on an instrument. (Weekly music lessons and daily practice.)

 

Have healthy minds and bodies. (Swimming, karate, hiking; gardening and cooking; more discussion.)

 

Have a connection with the natural world around us. (Weekly nature days.)

 

Be creative, joyful, well-adjusted, well-educated honorable young men with a sense of responsibility to their community. (We help the neighbor, we will volunteer when they're old enough, we play with friends and spend time hanging out together. I have a version of this on my refrigerator to remind myself daily. Really, it is just parenting, but as homeschoolers, their education is a big part of this.)

 

All of that really translates into...Where do we spend our time and resources? My kids would love to do soccer and drawing class and go to both homeschool park days and be in every musical theater production that comes along, but we can't do everything. I sat down and wrote down my goals (above) and then asked myself: How do we meet these goals this year? This month? Today? When I break it down like that, it makes more sense. Ok, we'll do an art lesson today. Or, I'll play a math game with my kinder to reinforce his number sense. Or, I really like how this science unit is set up because it reinforces scientific thinking, so let's use it.

 

Cat

Thank you so much for all the detail here. Your goals are so well-rounded and much of what you wrote really resonated with me. I love how you have a general/intangible goal on one side, and then the tangible way you want to get there.

 

We included character, social skills, academics, and practical knowledge in our list and I have used this ever since as way to remind myself of what the big picture is for each child. When I set our yearly goals I am able to keep my craziest ambitions in check by looking at the long term goals.

Yes! This is partly why I want to set some goals... I am easily distracted and could easily be a curriculum addict/bandwagon jump on- and off-er. I don't want to go there. :) I want to have long term goals and keep our schooling fairly simple.

 

Read, read, read. I read widely about homeschooling, education, classical education, etc. That helped dh and I to define our goals. They weren't really set until we were a few years in, as it took time to gather information.

 

We mix our academic and non-academic goals into one list. They all sort of run together here.

 

Volunteer work can be an important part of an education. My girls have a rigorous classical education schedule, yet they are able to work 4-5 hours a week volunteering (more in the summers.)

 

Ok, your post gives me hope! :lol: Both about the time it will take to answer this question, and about the volunteer work.

[veggiegal]

My own educational goals (and philosophy) come from lots of reading on the subject, my own years of school/university, and life experience. Simply stated, my main goal is to raise children who maintain a desire and curiosity for life long learning--an open mind to new experiences and ideas. I do not want children who ask "Do we have to know this for the test?" :tongue_smilie:

 

My province provides a one-page guideline of the outcomes homeschoolers who do not follow the program of studies (curriculum used in schools) are to aim for. I have found this a helpful list in many ways--hope you do too. (Substitute your country of residence for 'Canada', as appropriate).

 

1 A basic education must provide students with a solid core program including language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

 

2 Students are expected to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will prepare them for life after high school. A basic education will allow students to

 

(a) read for information, understanding and enjoyment,

(b) write and speak clearly, accurately and appropriately for the context,

© use mathematics to solve problems in business, science and daily life situations,

(d) understand the physical world, ecology and the diversity of life,

(e) understand the scientific method, the nature of science and technology and their application to daily life,

(f) know the history and geography of Canada and have a general understanding of world history and geography,

(g) understand Canada’s political, social and economic systems within a global context,

(h) respect the cultural diversity, the religious diversity and the common values of Canada,

(i) demonstrate desirable personal characteristics such as respect, responsibility, fairness, honesty, caring, loyalty and commitment to democratic ideals,

(j) recognize the importance of personal well-being and appreciate how family and others contribute to that well-being,

(k) know the basic requirements of an active, healthful lifestyle,

(l) understand and appreciate literature, the arts and the creative process,

(m) research an issue thoroughly and evaluate the credibility and reliability of information sources,

(n) demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills in problem solving and decision making,

(o) demonstrate competence in using information technologies,

(p) know how to work independently and as part of a team,

(q) manage time and other resources needed to complete a task,

® demonstrate initiative, leadership, flexibility and persistence,

(s) evaluate their own endeavours and continually strive to improve, and

(t) have the desire and realize the need for life-long learning.

[Enough]

Read, read, read. I read widely about homeschooling, education, classical education, etc.

 

I forgot to ask this earlier- what books do you recommend? Besides TWTM, of course. ;)

 

My own educational goals (and philosophy) come from lots of reading on the subject, my own years of school/university, and life experience. Simply stated, my main goal is to raise children who maintain a desire and curiosity for life long learning--an open mind to new experiences and ideas. I do not want children who ask "Do we have to know this for the test?" :tongue_smilie:

 

My province provides a one-page guideline of the outcomes homeschoolers who do not follow the program of studies (curriculum used in schools) are to aim for. I have found this a helpful list in many ways--hope you do too. (Substitute your country of residence for 'Canada', as appropriate).

 

1 A basic education must provide students with a solid core program including language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

 

2 Students are expected to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will prepare them for life after high school. A basic education will allow students to

 

(a) read for information, understanding and enjoyment,

(b) write and speak clearly, accurately and appropriately for the context,

© use mathematics to solve problems in business, science and daily life situations,

(d) understand the physical world, ecology and the diversity of life,

(e) understand the scientific method, the nature of science and technology and their application to daily life,

(f) know the history and geography of Canada and have a general understanding of world history and geography,

(g) understand Canada’s political, social and economic systems within a global context,

(h) respect the cultural diversity, the religious diversity and the common values of Canada,

(i) demonstrate desirable personal characteristics such as respect, responsibility, fairness, honesty, caring, loyalty and commitment to democratic ideals,

(j) recognize the importance of personal well-being and appreciate how family and others contribute to that well-being,

(k) know the basic requirements of an active, healthful lifestyle,

(l) understand and appreciate literature, the arts and the creative process,

(m) research an issue thoroughly and evaluate the credibility and reliability of information sources,

(n) demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills in problem solving and decision making,

(o) demonstrate competence in using information technologies,

(p) know how to work independently and as part of a team,

(q) manage time and other resources needed to complete a task,

® demonstrate initiative, leadership, flexibility and persistence,

(s) evaluate their own endeavours and continually strive to improve, and

(t) have the desire and realize the need for life-long learning.

 

Very helpful! I love looking at ed standards, Core etc. Some of it I know we won't do, or won't focus much time on it, but there's lots of good stuff in there, too.

[Rosie_0801]

When I started reading these boards, I drew up a table on a word document with grade level down one side and subjects across the top, and set about filling it in. I have revised it about a dozen times and my kids aren't even school age yet. It feels a bit ridiculous, but the process has helped me define my goals.

 

There are a few posters on here in particular who have helped expand my imagination. I can only aim as high as I can imagine, kwim? I'm quite sure I'm not capable of educating my kids as well as I can imagine, but I'm going to pretend otherwise and act as though I can! If I keep my eyes looking north, we can keep plodding towards the horizon. There are another bunch of posters on here who are doing rather innovative "out of the box" things with their kids, and they are wonderful for reminding me that there is a horizon to the east, west and south too.

 

:)

Rosie

[Enough]

There are a few posters on here in particular who have helped expand my imagination. I can only aim as high as I can imagine, kwim? I'm quite sure I'm not capable of educating my kids as well as I can imagine, but I'm going to pretend otherwise and act as though I can! If I keep my eyes looking north, we can keep plodding towards the horizon. There are another bunch of posters on here who are doing rather innovative "out of the box" things with their kids, and they are wonderful for reminding me that there is a horizon to the east, west and south too.

 

:)

Rosie

 

:iagree:

This is partly why I asked the question- I am in awe of so many of the veteran HSers here and am particularly inspired by people who have been HSing for decades, have graduated kids/sent them off to college or into the world. Not only do I want "role models" but I also want people with PERSPECTIVE!- people who can tell me to :chillpill: and stay the course.

[veggiegal]

Some of the books that have influenced my thinking about education and learning have been TWTM (obviously), John Holt's Teach Your Own, Learning All the Time and a few other titles (he's considered the father of unschooling), Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion, various writings by Maria Montessori during my B.Ed.---basically I looked into the different styles of homeschooling to get a basic feel for the tenets of each, and tried to read some original material where possible. I also read material from folks who homeschooled successfully, like the Colfax's Homeschooling for Excellence, and David Albert's And the Skylark Sings with Me. FWIW, I don't follow any one philosophy of education, but take the bits that resonate with me from each style. Each offers things of value, and each has aspects I strongly disagree with! :tongue_smilie:

 

Some other books that have influenced my thinking--and probably made the biggest impression on my because they have really challenged the way I thought about learning--are: John Gatto's Dumbing Us Down (and other titles); Alfie Kohn's Punished By Rewards (and others) and Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. I did my first project during my B.Ed on Postman's Teaching as a Subversive Activity, which emphasized inquiry-based learning and the teacher's role as a Socratic questioner...I think it was about this time I started to realize that working in a mainstream school board was not the life for me. :D

 

I also really like the 10-ish minute video RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms. You can find it on youtube.

 

Hope that helps get you started on sorting out your own philosophy of education and goals. I am a secular homeschooler and have not read much religious material; if that is of interest to you, perhaps others here can chime in with books / articles that resonated with them.

[veggiegal]

Oh, I should also have added that there are some fantastic blogs out there that give glimpses into various families' homeschool lives. I tend to prefer the blogs where I see pics of messy kitchens and piles of laundry awaiting folding in the background--you know, REAL people living REAL lives and not all staged for perfect pics. Your mileage may vary. :tongue_smilie:

[mama2cntrykids]

That's not a stupid question. I've asked myself the same thing. I will be watching this thread, as I'd like to know too.

[Aubrey]

Let's see...I want my kids to be able to get full scholarships into good colleges of their choice. To that end, I know that they need a rigorous, well-rounded education plus lots of extra-curricular & volunteer experience and a clear focus for their career path.

 

I want to give them a liberal education in high school so they don't feel like they *have* to have that in college--iow, they can pursue practical paths such as engineering, medicine, etc.

 

There are other things, including excellent writing skills, creativity, passion for learning, divergent thinking, problem-solving, compassion. I try to keep my academic goals academic, though. I think it can be confusing to look at religious and academic goals together & wonder if they're competing with each other.

 

I also think goals and things will become more focused as the kids get older because their career/life goals will be clearer. Ds is very interested in engineering. I know he will need a strong math background and that medieval lit will be less important. I read the entrance requirements to top engineering schools to ensure that we're meeting those goals, so that when the time comes, his options will be as wide as possible.

 

My *philosophy* is hard to put into words--it has something to do with practical, hands-on, real-life, problem-based learning. Applying geography and math and science to a history/social science problem. Giving kids a REASON to learn and seek information, whether the reason is a current event or just a game. Those cross-curricular connections do more to weave a whole brain, imo, than a lot of other curricular-focused things.

[Jayne J]

I'd also like to recommend "Climbing Parnassus", "The Latin Centered Curriculum" (known as LCC here on the boards) and "Norms and Nobility."

These three books, along with TWTM have helped me form a picture of where I want to go and the best ways to get there. (Obviously we may disagree about goals, so YMMV...:D)

[angela in ohio]

I forgot to ask this earlier- what books do you recommend? Besides TWTM, of course. ;)

 

Definitely do a search on these boards for posts on books. The older the better, as there have been a glut of books recently, and as usual the oldies are the goodies. :001_smile:

 

My short list:

 

If you haven't read Dorothy Sayers' essay The Lost Tools of Learning, do so. It is free online at many sites. Then read Doug Wilson's Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning AND Classical Education and the Homeschool. Then I recommend The Seven Laws of Teaching. There are some great articles in Teaching the Trivium (the Bluedorns,) but don't try to read the whole thing through, just the bits on what to do at all the different ages, as well as their application of other homeschooling methods to the classical model.

 

After that, you can take a break and listen to some great talks from ACCS, CIRCE, and the old VP teacher conferences. Look for James Taylor, Doug Wilson, Andrew Pudewa, Martin Cothran.... James Taylor has a talk on preparing to teach the Great Books (I think the title is Good to Great, and it is through CIRCE) that will change your world (he recommends staring at the stars frequently and playing with frogs. :001_smile:)

 

Then you can get into specific subject areas: I like You Can Teach Your Child Successfully (reading and math,) The Trivium (logicv and rhetoric,) Emily Fisher's talks on how to teach literature (from the VP teacher conferences,) Andrew Pudewa on communication and writing, and so on...

 

Eventually, you can read Climbing Parnassus, The Devil Knows Latin, Norms and Nobility, etc. But all of those go a bit better when you have a bit more of a knowledge base and bit more experience, so I save those for later.