What I've Learned So Far

WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

WHAT IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO

After researching many different curricula, resources, and methods (and changing my mind about which route to take several times), I've learned that what it all boils down to is: if you spend time with your kids, guiding them through this world, introducing them to new things, delving deeper into things that fascinate them - they will learn more than they ever will in a formal school setting. So! - love your kids, talk with them, show them, spend time teaching them ANYTHING and they will learn lots. It doesn't really matter if you unschool or traditional school, it doesn't matter if you use phonics or whole word, it doesn't matter if you spend lots of money or no money at all, there are success stories everywhere. Yes, different kids have different learning styles and respond better to different techniques. Yes, different philosophies about life and learning lead parents to use different methods. But what all of this diversity has in common is: caring, loving parents who spend time individually with their child to help them better understand this world that they are new to. It doesn't matter how you do it - just do it!

ANYONE AND EVERYONE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO HOMESCHOOL

I talk to every mother I meet about homeschooling and how great it has been for us. Frequently, the reaction I get is: "That is so great! It's amazing what you've done. I wish I could do it too. But I could never do that. I'm not like you." Everyone is scared in the beginning (and at moments along the way). Everyone doubts their ability to take on such an important task and to do it well. How do I teach algebra? Medieval history? What if I leave something out? How do I know what to teach and when? When you first sit down to think about how to start, how to be systematic, how to be thorough, it can seem very overwhelming. But from being full of fears and doubts, to researching it and trying it out, I am certain that every mother (even if they have not completed high school) can successfully homeschool their children through to university. Why do I think this? Because of the countless amazing stories I've read, because of how simple it really is once you start doing it and it doesn't look as daunting, because you know your child better than any teacher ever will, because you care about your child more than any teacher will, because your child loves you and respects you more than they will any other teacher.

WHERE TO START

"If a person be unlettered, and yet clothed with Divine excellence, and alive in the breaths of the Spirit, that individual will contribute to the welfare of society, and his inability to read and write will do him no harm. And if a person be versed in the arts and every branch of knowledge, and not live a religious life, and not take on the characteristics of God, and not be directed by a pure intent, and be engrossed in the life of the flesh- then he is harm personified, and nothing will come of all his learning and intellectual accomplishments but scandal and torment.
If, however, an individual hath spiritual characteristics, and virtues that shine out, and his his purpose in life be spiritual and his inclinations be directed toward God, and he also study other branches of knowledge - then we have light upon light: his outer being luminous, his private character radiant, his heart sound, his thought elevated, his understanding swift, his rank noble.
Blessed is he who attaineth this exalted station."
-`Abdu'l-Baha

Before building a house, we must start with a strong foundation. A child must first be given a strong moral and spiritual education. This training will set the highest standards of conduct and achievement within the child. When we aquire information, we judge its worth and accuracy based on our previous knowledge and experience - we filter new information through our current understanding to decide where to store it. We must begin by establishing a standard of excellence within the child (sanctity, cleanliness, obedience, discipline, wisdom, justice, kindliness, courteousness, etc.). Reading and writing can come later. From their earliest babyhood, children should be raised to be noble and sanctified, taught to love and obey God and their parents, to be gentle and well-mannered, clean and disciplined, hard-working and courteous.

TO TEACH OR NOT TO TEACH YOUR BABY TO READ

I have tried using The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential's (IAHP) method for teaching babies to read, do math, and acquire encyclopedic knowledge with both of my children and this is what I've learned from the experience:
I think that starting the program with my daughter at three months of age did help her understand this world better and be more curious to figure it out. I do think that it gave her advantages over my son who did not start it that early. BUT it is very time consuming both to create the materials and to teach the child using this method and I have to ask myself "does my baby really need to know how to read? Is it more for my ego (to brag about how smart my baby is or how great a teacher/parent I am) or does it really benefit my child in the long-run?". I do think that it is important to learn to read early, since this is the most common method used for acquiring information. But I'm not sure that the amount of time it takes to teach a baby to read compared to the amount of time it takes a 3-year-old to read is worth the trouble. I have also discovered that this method works very well for children between 1 and 2 years old, but I found phonics to be much better at teaching my 3 year old to read. The IAHP's method takes up so much time, I found that it really stressed me out and took the fun out of teaching for me. Be more concerned with whether you and your child are enjoying the process of learning to read together, rather than at what age. I'd rather play with my kids and read them lots of books (and have them learn to read when they're 4 or 5), than sweat over making hundreds of flash cards so that they can read at the age of 3. I like using phonics because it then helps the child with spelling. I like whole word prior to learning to speak because it might make speed reading an easier skill to master.

DO I NEED TO SPEND LOTS OF MONEY ON RESOURCES?

I think that I feel spending lots of money on things for my kids (especially educational materials) is a sign of how much I care about them, and that if I don't buy them "supplies" or resources I am being negligent as a parent. I use expensive resources as a security blanket. I could probably figure out how to teach my child to read on my own - they could probably learn how to read using only a free library card. But I feel confident that I have taught them all the rules and exceptions and not left anything out when I follow an expensive manual from beginning to end. I'm sure that I can find lots of free resources on a specific subject, but it saves me time and effort to buy a book that has already done it for me. I think that, as I gain confidence in my abilities to homeschool and as I learn more about where to find free resources, I will spend less money on expensive resources. But right now, I'm spending the $50-$200 per manual per subject to ensure that I am teaching my children everything I'm supposed to be for their current level.

WHAT METHOD OF HOMESCHOOLING AND WHY?

I can't tell anyone which method/curriculum to use or say that one is better than another, but I can share with you my personal decision and reasons why.

I have looked into The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, Traditional, Classical, Montessori, Waldorf, Unschool, Unit Studies, and Charlotte Mason.

"These children must be given a good training from their earliest childhood. They must be given a systematic training..." -`Abdu'l-Baha
"It followeth that the children's school must be a place of utmost discipline and order, that instruction must be thorough..." -`Abdu'l-Baha
"Be thou a teacher of love..." -`Abdu'l-Baha

I believe that there has to be a balance between discipline and fun within an educational curriculum. On the one hand, a child must learn that we have many responsibilities in life and that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do (This is the reason why I have not chosen unschooling - I feel that it lacks a sense of discipline, order, responsibility and duty). On the other hand, to create a lifelong learner - to motivate a child to want to learn - learning must be fun, enjoyable, and associated with pleasure rather than pain.

I have chosen to begin my son's formal education using the Classical Education curriculum based on the book "The Well-Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. This method is systematic, well-ordered, requires a certain level of discipline, yet encourages fun and joy, provides a strong foundation in basic skills, and thoroughly trains the child in skills required to acquire information, analyze information critically, and express independent ideas clearly and logically.

The process of learning is divided into three stages (known as the trivium): the grammer stage (Grades 1-4: acquiring factual information and developing the skills of reading, writing, spelling, and grammer - the tools with which we acquire information and communicate our understanding), the logic stage (Grades 5-8: learning to analyze information, think abstractly about ideas, form relationships between different facts, and think logically), and the rhetoric stage (Grades 9-12: learning to write and speak with force and originality). I believe that this process thoroughly trains the child in the skills necessary to become a competant and intelligent human being.

All the subjects are taught along a chronological continuum so that information is well-organized, meaningful, interrelated, and retrievable. The history of humankind (from the ancients to modern times) is taught from beginning to end in each of the stages of the trivium for a total of three repetitions - each time delving more deeply into the subject. During the grammer stage, there is a focus on simple facts to create an outline of history. During the logic stage, there is a focus on more details and the how's and why's of certain events. During the rhetoric stage, there is a focus on expressing personal thought and ideas clearly and logically. Everything you learn is categorized within this timeline of history. For example, when you are beginning with the ancients, you practice your reading, writing and grammar using literature from that time period and you study the type of science which was discovered during that time period. So you study biology when your learning about the ancients and you study physics when your learning about modern times.

This method also teaches the student to be disciplined in learning each subject for a certain amount of time everyday (not whatever subject whenever you feel like it as with more relaxed homeschooling methods). And teaches the student the discipline and organization of well-kept notebooks recording all that they have learned and how it all connects to each other on this great historical timeline. The notebooks are organized in such a way that in the future the child can quickly refer back and find their notes to review specific topics they've learned in the past.