Your homeschooling journey

[Aspasia]

Where have you been on it? In my search for a homeschooling identity (which I thought I had found, but I'm beginning to believe might be a constantly evolving, living thing), I've seen a few people mention that they have tried several different philosophies/approaches before they finally figured themselves out. Also, in searching through old threads, I find people discussing say, Waldorf :tongue_smilie: , a couple years ago, but the curriculum listed in their current signatures is completely different!

 

So where have you been? What have you tried? What made you stop and hang out in CM-ville (or Waldorftown, or Unschoolersburg), and what made you move on?

[Belacqua]

We moved into Art of Problem Solvingtropolis years ago, and we have no plans to leave. We like our neighbors there. :)

[PeterPan]

Well we finally got settled when I stopped thinking about what *I* wanted to do and *my* preferences and looking at the reality of the dc in front of me. You go into homeschooling with a theory, but the dc is not just some blank slate you can write upon. Some are and can learn any which way, but many will blossom better when you think about what they need and what will make them blossom and balance it with what you need in order to be practical. It's kind of a dance.

 

It's the difference between teaching a theoretical child (the child you went into homeschooling thinking you had) and the real child.

[Aspasia]

Well we finally got settled when I stopped thinking about what *I* wanted to do and *my* preferences and looking at the reality of the dc in front of me. You go into homeschooling with a theory, but the dc is not just some blank slate you can write upon. Some are and can learn any which way, but many will blossom better when you think about what they need and what will make them blossom and balance it with what you need in order to be practical. It's kind of a dance.

 

It's the difference between teaching a theoretical child (the child you went into homeschooling thinking you had) and the real child.

 

 

This is exactly what has me opening up to all these other philosophies a lot more. And it's not necessarily that dd isn't learning the way I "want" her to. I think she could be fine with my original plan. But just "fine". Some of these other options are calling to me because of what I'm learning about dd and what I think might really awaken her gifts and enthusiasm.

 

And I'm sure that as I get to know her even more, my philosophy and game plan will evolve that much more.

[Stellalarella]

We've been using several scripted curriculums (WWE, AAS, FLL, WWS), a handwriting curriculum with almost scripted instruction (HWoT) and math problems that teach conceptually (MUS with dollops of Singapore Math and MM), the result of which is that I am a much more knowledgable and effective teacher of reading, spelling, writing, grammar, handwriting and mathematics. I already had a degree and certification in Elementary and Middle School Education, but it has been my foray into solid homeschooling curriculums that has given me the best training. No Joke.

 

GIven my personality bent to create my own stuff, I find it surprising that scripted curriculums have been such a good fit for me and the kiddos. But that is our Journey.

 

The other area of our journey has been regarding ideas.

 

I am no longer a person with a YE perspective. I"ve been doing science reading, and I have felt very challenged in my world view. It has been painful, exhilarating, and fun to examine new ideas of all kinds.

 

I received a typical 1980s and 1990s American-centered history education. With completing the 4th year in our history cycle, I have a wider world view. I understand so many more historical/cultural references as I read.

 

My homeschooling journey has been deeply impacted by many serious thinkers and teachers on this forum. My journey is what it is because of people here on the boards.

[PachiSusan]

My journey has been to discover that I started out with MY ideas and what *I* wanted to do without really looking deeply at what Melissa needed or wanted. I chose certain things and certain ways of doing things because *I* thought it would be best for her or because *I* needed it. My change has been in being willing to make myself come out of my comfort zone and do/choose things that are better for her, or better to reach her.

 

I had some pretty lofty ideals. Now I just want to make sure we both survive the school day intact. :)

[freeindeed]

I am at a place where I've learned to mesh things together in a way that works for us. We have influences from Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, and unit studies. Different things work for us during different seasons of life.

 

ETA: This is a great thread topic. :)

[briansmama]

For us it's definitely been a case of looking at my children, especially my oldest. After using a Waldorf curriculum for the early grades, I realized that it was so teacher-intensive and ds needed more than the daily main lesson to stay challenged. He loved the stories though, I just think he needed more in addition to them.

 

We now use more CM methods, in addition to our daily Waldorf elements. And, I try to give them plenty of afternoon time, space, and materials for projects they're interested in as well.

[sewingmama]

Well my DS will do well whatever method I use...he is that type of kid.

 

My DD is the one who needs to find a suitable method....so far I've tried a few things and keep coming back to lap books and unit studies. It seems to be what works best for her retention wise. She is very visual and loves cutting and pasting.

 

My DD would also do well with elements of CM and Waldorf so I try to incorporate those methods I to the unit studies which is easy to do.

 

Unfortunately my DD just does not do well with the classical method ...she refuses all school done this way. She needs pictures, pictures and more pictures. So right now we are doing homeschool share units and it is going very well.

[claluck]

I started by just pulling my kids from frustrations but being unsure I was capable. I was kind of chicken and browsed a bit at all the styles but was afraid to try anything outside of the box so to say. So the first half of year (3rd and 4th graders) I just basically public schooled at home following closely what the public school was teaching and going from there. In December my DH wanted me to test the kids again and I wasn't happy with the results and revamped everything. Then I realized here I was trying to teach to the test and my kids and I were hating it (that is some of our curriculum choices) but we were loving many other aspects of homeschooling. I decided I liked it well enough I was sticking with it unless we had an utter failure somewhere with something. I went full force into a program I had been looking at (similar to ambleside). I had heard of classical education a few years back and liked it but as I looked more at the CM stuff I liked it. I pretty much figured out I liked a good blend of the two in different ways. Maybe I'm doing it all "wrong" but I like where we are now.

 

Funny thing though I see things changing in the future. I mean there are so many things that would work well for my kids but I have alot of kids and they are all different. I think where we are now is a good meeting ground for my older two. If they were on their own with me things might go/be different. I think my 6 year olds will respond well to our current methods as well. But my almost 5 year old is a totally different creature. I can see homeschooling looking very different for her. Who knows about my 3 year old... but I actually think she will fit our current style.

 

I think changes in our kids maturity. Changes in life circumstances. This things all steer us different directions. I am sure we will get there regardless. I love looking at the different theories though and meshing them with what I want for my kids and what I feel about education in general.

 

I also think sometimes I am a total chicken about having the faith something will work out. I would love to have the CM theory of writing work out for my kids but am TOTALLY chicken to try it.. And I think some of that is because we didnt start with the CM methods years ago. Sometimes I am afraid my poor kids are guinea pigs to my experiments and I am hoping I dont ruin them. I want more for them than I had but don't want to snatch childhood away from them either.

Christina

[Koerarmoca]

I just try to meet my kids right where they are at. This usually means I'm not going to find any of that in a book or box. I take a very mom scripted approach. Very hands on, our path is not a strait line, many many curves.

[birchbark]

I started out as a typical idealistic mom of the firstborn. I had my first DS reading and writing at the preschool age. A friend recommended the WTM to me and we began the early grades in the WTM-style of classical. We quickly drifted into Charlotte Mason. Now as my DS is in the middle grades, we have gotten classical again, but more Circe style. I have some experience to glean from, as well as a good deal of reading and research the past years. I enjoy feeling a bit more relaxed and confident than when I started out.

 

Ruth Beechick and Waldorf schooling have also heavily influenced me. Our school has become more minimalistic, slower, richer, and focused on basic skills with time for beauty and handwork. My second-born is getting a relaxed intro to school, with more time for stories and crafts.

 

I agree with the others, that we must adapt to our children as we get to know their needs. But finding a style that works for me also keeps me pressing forward.

[CyndiLJ]

I started totally lost, worrying about meeting "standards", asking myself how in the world it would be possible to cover everything I felt was important in the time we had left (we started at 5th grade with our oldest). I always gravitated toward eclectic, and it has remained our main course as it has worked extremely well for us.

 

What has changed is my expectation of what "good" looks like, in terms of vigor, and recognizing that often vigor seems to be an idol that many homeschoolers worship. It may seem odd for me to say that, as actually I expect an awful lot out of our kids, and we take our education quite seriously, but my own ideas about what is important to cover and at what depth are constantly evolving.

 

Probably the biggest thing I have learned thus far is that a curriculum had better work for the way I teach, for that is as important as looking for something that works with the way our kids learn. If I find it confusing, difficult, etc. to work with, it won't get taught or will be halfhearted. So these days I always look for something that is enjoyable to teach for me.

 

I also discovered, much to my surprise, that workbooks work great for some subjects, but over time I found that for social studies and science topics I am a total natural at Socratic style education, and prefer that we keep workbooks to a minimum for more rote type subjects. We have the BEST time in group discussions, and it is our favorite part of learning.

 

I also went from feeling I could leave reading just free and easy with no structure, to recognizing I really needed textbook/anthology to feel "safe" thatw e had covered certain things. I still value free reading more than just about any other method of educating any human being, so we do a lot of it and mix in sometextbooky stuff without pressuring ourselves to finish it each year, but to make sure we cover a broad range across the topics presented. That way I feel good about relaxing in one area of literature so it isn't all so structured, and yet keeping somewhat with a textbook part time gives me the confidence I need.

 

So much has changed for us, I guess, and yet the core really hasn't.

[Hunter]

I had to learn more about myself, and focus LESS on the student. Before I started my PTSD recovery, I wasn't a person and was just an evolving adapter. I know this is the opposite of others here talking about learning to adapt to their students. I guess it's finding the middle ground if we start off too far at one end of the spectrum.

 

I also had to stop being afraid and ashamed, and PLAN to teach less/different than others that have more/different resources than I do. Now I plan less rather than fail at more, and triage wisely and compassionately. And I teach with what I personally have HERE with my personal STRENGTHS.

 

One of the few constants in my life has been the need to retreat into minimalism. I read widely, but now know that anything that isn't minimalistic isn't for me and therefore not for my students either.

 

I also had to learn that I am just ONE person in the lives of my students. There are other teachers past, present and future. I don't have to do it all, even if it is presently going undone.

[AngelaNYC]

We began homeschooling with an intent to be very structured and rigid. During the several-month deschooling process, dd (then 8 y/o) was doing so much on her own that we became unschoolers for several years. It was wonderful and very effective. The kids (then dd12 and ds7) then asked for a daily schedule from me (they had been making their own schedules). We discussed what kinds of activities they loved and wanted to incorporate and we started following the Charlotte Mason method. They loved it (the living books, the narrating, the copywork, the nature study, the dictation exercises, the short lessons, the book of centuries, etc). We chose Ambleside Online as something with more of a schedule to it. Dd tried it, but ended up preferring her own CM schedule (which she did fine with until starting public high school), but ds continued with AO for 4 years. Last year ds wanted to try some different things, so we scrapped AO and bought various workbooks and programs one at a time. I consider us relaxed-eclectic now but we still include lots of unschooling and CM methods/ideals in our lives.

[Sahamamama]

We're not that far into it, really. In some ways, we've thought of ourselves as homeschoolers since oldest was around three years old -- because everyone around us put their two or three year olds into preschool ASAP. We were already weird and different. :tongue_smilie:

 

Still, the girls are now only 6, 6, and 8. So young. I've seen their need for certain things that, IMO, can best be met at home. Rest. Exercise. Play time. Nurture, hugs, kisses, snuggles. Laughter. A mother who listens. Friendship with grandparents and each other. Time with their hard-working, traveling father. Spiritual and moral teaching (e.g., This is kindness, this is not). Daily chores. Naps. Freedom to read. Music. Beauty. Glue, glitter, scissors, paper, and tape. ;)

 

I love how having them home allows us to provide well for these needs. Compared to the "early days," I feel less pressure to teach every known fact in all the history of mankind and the entire universe to all my children. We are providing a great environment, one that aims to bless and grow the whole child.

 

When we started out (with WTM), I thought that the four-year cycle would define our journey. It does not. I feel free to chart our own course, with History and with every other subject. We are not History-centered (at this point). We are not even STEM-centered, though I could see at least two of my children going that way in a few years. For now, we are English-centered. ;) We like English. We aim to be strong in English, Latin, French, and the accompanying language skills.

 

When we started out, I thought a "school year" had to fit into a prescribed length of time. Now I feel free to define it. I think a large part of that freedom stems from living in, of all places, New Jersey. Our laws give us a powerful autonomy in homeschooling, which allows me to adjust our course continually. This works out better than cookie-cutter schooling.

 

When we started out, I thought homeschooling needed to look more "like school" and less "like play." I have grown in my appreciation of play -- it isn't just something to do when the "real work" is done. We're not unschoolers, but I'm glad my eyes were opened to how good play times can grow strong, bright, balanced children.

 

I feel that as we journey onward, we are finding a good balance between the work and play aspects of our lives. "Leisure" comes from the Old French word "leisir," which means "to be permitted" or "freedom from the demands of work or duty." I want our children to have the benefits of true freedom. "Work" means "a physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something." I also want our children to have the benefits of hard work and meaningful achievement. With homeschooling, we can be (and are) oriented towards both goals.

[Ellie]

Where have you been on it? In my search for a homeschooling identity (which I thought I had found, but I'm beginning to believe might be a constantly evolving, living thing), I've seen a few people mention that they have tried several different philosophies/approaches before they finally figured themselves out. Also, in searching through old threads, I find people discussing say, Waldorf :tongue_smilie: , a couple years ago, but the curriculum listed in their current signatures is completely different!

 

So where have you been? What have you tried? What made you stop and hang out in CM-ville (or Waldorftown, or Unschoolersburg), and what made you move on?

 

 

We were instant homeschoolers: I withdrew my dd from a private Christian school during Easter vacation of her first grade year, after two weeks of researching. I was convinced that she was burned out (it was a school that used all ABeka, and it was very rigid on behavior requirements and, well, everything. Dd was an A student, BTW.), and since in 1982 the only books published about homeschooling were by John Holt, I unschooled. I still believe she was burned out and that unschooling was the right thing to do. :-)

 

We moved from one end of California to the other five years later during the summer, and apparently I left my brain in San Diego, because in the fall we did school every.single.day, five days a week, with a book/workbook for every.single.subject. We were fried by Thanksgiving. I put all the books away, which was normal for us (even though we hadn't used *many* books before then); sometime around March, dds began looking at me out the corners of their eyes, and finally one of them asked if we were going to do school; I said no, and she heaved a sigh of relief. :lol: That summer, older dd, who was 13 in May, began taking a Latin class with Mary Harrington, and the following January enrolled in the community college. And younger dd, who in March was 9½ and not reading at her age level, seemed to just zoom off with reading.

 

That fall (the fall after I lost my mind) we did KONOS, Vol. 2. We did it the next year, too, and started Easy Grammar with younger dd.

 

Older dd continued taking c.c. classes. When younger dd was 14, I started a small school at my church, and younger dd went with me. I had "skipped" her a grade when she was 11, so even though she would have been a freshman if she'd been in school all along, she started as a sophomore. At the end of the year I pondered which standardized test to give her and decided that since she was a 10th grader on paper, she should take the 10th grade test. She scored *at least* grade level in everything, including math (even though we had never finished a math book). She started taking a dance class at the c.c. that year (or maybe the next...I forget); the following year at my little school, she tested post high school in all subject areas. By the time she was 16 she was almost full-time at the c.c.

 

Charlotte Mason might have appealed to me, over unschooling, when we first started out in 1982, but CM hadn't yet been rediscovered. :-) WTM would not have worked for us under the circumstances, but maybe if I'd always planned to homeschool instead of starting the private school route, it would have. IDK. Who can say? :-) Waldorf is interesting, but...no, not for me. I still think unschooling is a valid educational/life philosophy (as long as it isn't also un-parenting. :glare: ).

[momto2Cs]

Where have you been on it? In my search for a homeschooling identity (which I thought I had found, but I'm beginning to believe might be a constantly evolving, living thing), I've seen a few people mention that they have tried several different philosophies/approaches before they finally figured themselves out. Also, in searching through old threads, I find people discussing say, Waldorf :tongue_smilie: , a couple years ago, but the curriculum listed in their current signatures is completely different!

 

So where have you been? What have you tried? What made you stop and hang out in CM-ville (or Waldorftown, or Unschoolersburg), and what made you move on?

 

 

Our journey thus far has led us from one end of the homeschooling spectrum to the other. We started out using a charter school, mainly to appease the family, and did primarily the basics alongside unit studies that first year. Then we moved into Classical for about a year and a half, but at that time, while Classical worked for ds, it did not work for dd. We experimented, with some Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, and unschooling, mainly the latter. We left the charter school and formed our own private school after 4 years.

 

We have now come nearly full circle. Our path is leading us into Classical schooling again, but more along the lines of the Circe discussions than strictly WTM, and there are definitely shades of Charlotte Mason in our approach. We are heavily into reading good books, and are slowly making our way through a chronological study of history, though history is not the center of our homeschooling--instead, that center is literature. We try to bring art and music into our lives on a regular basis. I purposefully keep our hour count on the lower side each day so that my children have time to explore what interests them in addition to what I feel is necessary for a good education, and this is one of our most heavily CM-influenced areas... time management.

 

Now as my DS is in the middle grades, we have gotten classical again, but more Circe style. I have some experience to glean from, as well as a good deal of reading and research the past years. I enjoy feeling a bit more relaxed and confident than when I started out.

 

Ruth Beechick and Waldorf schooling have also heavily influenced me. Our school has become more minimalistic, slower, richer, and focused on basic skills with time for beauty and handwork. My second-born is getting a relaxed intro to school, with more time for stories and crafts.

 

I agree with the others, that we must adapt to our children as we get to know their needs. But finding a style that works for me also keeps me pressing forward.

 

 

Yes, to this, especially the bolded bits!

[Walking-Iris]

Well we have been living in eclecticville for many years, with no plans to move.

 

I started out just interested in the idea of parenting and educating in a completely different way. The ideas of unschooling really made sense to me when my oldest was a toddler/preschooler. And I agree with ellie, I think it's a great idea. I just feel that not all children are suited to it completely. My ds (and my other children seem the same) want structure and guidance and some sort of plan. As my oldest grew and I started planning things for him and giving more structure and routine I found myself separating from unschooling. Radical unschooling was getting a lot of attention at that time, and I found no kindred souls in talking about curriculum or educational ideas. Not to mention parenting.

 

I have always really loved the Montessori ideas. Hard to recreate perfectly in a homeschool environment, but I keep trying. I like waldorf to a certain degree. The emphasis on nature and arts reminds me of CM. But Waldorf is just not a very good fit for my family.

 

I followed Ambleside to a tee one year. Following a set schedule and plan is not for me, I like ideas, but then prefer to chart our own course. I really feel nicely settled in some WTM and CM ideas. Montessori is looming big in my thoughts again. It resembles unschooling in that children have a big say in their education, but they also have responsibility and so does the teacher/parent to get certain things done in a certain order. I've always felt comfortable with Montessori for the early years, but I'm really thinking about those ideas for older children. Those three (CM/WTM/Montessori) tend to be the main focus of my homeschooling thoughts.

[Tracy]

I am ashamed to say that when we started, we were living in Public Schooleville, and we didn't even know it! I can't believe I am admitting that I didn't even know where I lived. :blushing:

 

Well, once I realized what a terrible neighborhood that was, I started researching other communities. I found out that I like so many, so I invested in homes for a number of communities. For history and composition, I live in SWB Town. Then on our way to the Village of Nebel for science, we make a quick stop in Orton Gillinghamburg for spelling. Right now, I looking into a house in MCT City for grammar.