School Meets at the Kitchen Table

  Like many new ventures we take on, we find the most comfort in mimicking what we know and in my case, that was the public school system itself. As I got more comfortable and educated myself further, I adjusted the format to one that would work for us as a large family with younger siblings and also according to the needs and different learning styles of each child.

  A great source of guidance were the “What your child needs to know” books for each grade level. Additionally, I gave some thought to what I felt my children needed to learn to succeed in life and what concepts and information would help them to become well rounded. I wrote these thoughts down in a check list form which I added to and checked off year after year.

  As I gained more experience, I learned of different sources for workbooks and textbooks and began to design my own curriculum based still on the requisites but incorporating the publishing companies and writers I felt most comfortable with. The internet continues to be a great source of help for home teachers, offering sites with worksheets, lessons and practice interactions.

  Most importantly, I began to understand that not only do different children respond to different learning methods but also that life is one big classroom. Shopping can provide for example, price comparisons, math, the science of the product’s production, the geography of where it was produced and the business model of the company that sells it.

  Drawing on the Montessori concept, I began to understand that children learn best when they have a question or interest in something so I used their questions as my cue as well as the current events prevalent on the news, in the newspaper or on television. One subject can be extended through many subjects as in the shopping illustration above.

  Just as adults learn things through repetition, so do children and teens and so you will find in many textbooks that the subject is repeated year after year, just expounded upon according to the age of the student. This allows for a fresh lesson while reinforcing the information taught previously.

  Some homeschooling teachers find the consistent use of textbooks stifling but they do help to keep the student’s progress on track and give families some guidance. In addition, written work provides the sampling of student’s work and the diary of lessons many accountability organizations require to legitimize the homeschool.

  I have found the experience as a whole to be totally fulfilling though occasionally an effort.  The effort however has allowed me to present the world I see to my children along with my views on how to navigate its pitfalls; something I view as the responsibility of a caring parent over a sometimes necessary and overworked system.