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 Home Learning
Hi Home Learners,
Picture -
Us at our farm with our
oldest son and middle son (youngest son not
shown in the picture) holding some freshly
picked potatoes.
I decided to post my thinking about home
learning. Hopefully this will make it easier to
connect with those of you basically doing the
same thing. The decision to do Home Learning
with our kids was very easy. Please read the
following.
Return to the Home Learning main page |
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Why We are Home Learning?
The decision to Home Learn our kids was easy....for me
at least. My wife took awhile to get on board but now
realizes the many benefits home learning affords to our
kids.
Speaking of kids, allow me to
introduce them: |
- Shai - our oldest son (11 years old)
who loves to read and helps out a lot with his brothers
and around the house.
- Lael - our middle son (4 years old)
who asks tons of questions and is definitely the most
detail oriented of the three.
- Ethan - our youngest son (almost a
year old) who is discovering new things about his world
every day.
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Before I get into the reasons why we are Home Learning, let
me state the reasons not included in our decision: |
- We are not Home Learning for
religious reasons. We want our kids to be exposed to all
cultures and religions and be accepting of people who
are different.
- We are not Home Learning only
because of school issues.
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We are Home Learning because of the following (more details
follow): |
- To provide a continuous, warm, and
loving environment for our kids.
- To allow our kids the freedom to
learn.
- To allow our kids to do what they do
best....PLAY.
- To allow our kids the widest
possible range of socialization.
- To allow our kids to learn WHEN THEY
want to learn.
- To allow our kids to learn WHAT THEY
want to learn.
- To keep our kids from begin
constantly tested, judged, and ranked about their
ability to learn.
- To be sure our kids have tons of
quality time with family and friends.
- To be sure our kids are not being
subjected to negative influences such as being bullied
or to teachers who are not dedicated or who are biased.
- To be sure our kids receive good
nutrition which is incredibly important in their
formative years.
- To basically make sure our kids are
happy....EVERY SINGLE DAY.
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Warm and Loving Environment
Say all you want but there is no way a school, or a
classroom, can even come close to providing the love and
warmth of home. And could schools possibly ever equal
home?....in short, no way. A classroom with 30 or more
kids, all with different needs, and different learning
abilities, requires teachers to average and standardize
everything. This means a child cannot get
what they need on an individual basis. Home is best
place for our kids.
The Freedom to Learn
There is simply no freedom to learn in schools. The
materials taught are by design with a teacher subject to
a state or federally mandated curriculum stating what your
child is required to learn. Notice I did not say what
they need to learn. A typical school day has the
learning content already planned out. And if kids
want to learn more about something? Sorry....no time for
that today....we will be learning that in a lesson next
month. Waiting to learn? Oh my gosh, it should never be
that way. We let our kids explore their world on their
own. Of course we purchase books and all kinds of
learning toys, but we wait for them to show interest.
Our kids constantly ask questions and it is important
for us to be there with the answers. We never
pushed our oldest son to read but we became interested
on his own and we supplied the books. Now he can knock off a 200
page novel in no time.
The Importance of Play
Our kids love to play, of course. And it should be that
way. I am not a psychologist, but I read many studies
stating that kids, especially boys, are really not ready
to learn formally
until age ten. Although I agree with that to some level,
I am strictly against any curriculum, or form of
learning for that matter, which requires kids to learn
specific information at a specific age. Kids should
learn through play and through their daily interactions
with the world and the people in their world.
Socialization
This is the least important, and most widely pushed
reason for sending kids to school, outside of learning
of course. We are in Japan and were basically ostracized
for keeping our kids out of school. We were living in
Nara, a very old, historic, and traditional location in
Japan. The attitude towards us was almost one of child
abuse for not allowing our kids to attend public school.
Even the thought of our kids being stuck in a classroom
with the same age kids day in and day out was enough of
a reason on its own for keeping them home. I firmly
believe it is extremely important for kids to always be
around people of different ages and thoughts. Things
improved greatly after we moved to this small island.
There are many families here who are young and forward
thinking and are even considering Home Learning. Our
kids meet friends of many different ages and are
comfortable, and not shy, around adults. They are able
to communicate with older people and can still become
kids and play like crazy when they meet their friends.
They are also removed from the possibility of being
bullied or getting negative input from other kids or
even teachers. Really sucks to be the one kid in class
who, for whatever reason, the teacher does not like, or
the other kids decide to push around. Usually these
types of behavior go unnoticed or unreported.
Socialization in schools means possibly subjecting your
kids to physical harm or emotional stress. The argument
of socialization as an important aspect of school simply
does not sit well with us.
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When to Learn
Kids should learn when they are ready. Schools force
kids to learn on a schedule. Do they really need to
learn algebra today, or even at all for that matter? We
noticed our kids developing interest in certain topics
and at different times and that is the way it should be.
Forcing kids to learn materials when they are not
mentally or emotionally ready is the best way to keep
them from wanting to learn, not to mention increasing their
frustration and taking away their self confidence. Even
home learning parents we met over the years were way to
focused on curriculum and schedules. If our kids decide to
go into a profession that requires certain knowledge,
like algebra for example, they can always take it in
college as a preparation course.
What to Learn
For us, required learning means knowing how to
make it in this crazy and chaotic world. Our kids know
how to do simple math, enough to allow them to solve
real problems around the house. They are learning how to
cook and already know all about farming and sustainability. They know how to interact with people of
all ages and from different backgrounds. These are the
things that are most important.
Testing
This is very possibly one of the worst things about
school. It is a known fact that some kids are good test
takers and some are not. It is also a fact that some
kids are much better at rote memorization than others.
Simply put, tests are unfair. They put unnecessary
stress on kids and force them to learn and memorize
trivial information that they will not only forget, but
will often never use in the real world. I graduated
college with a business degree, worked and was self
employed as a real estate appraiser, and never once
found the need to use the Pythagorean Theorem. Multiple
choice tests are the worst and the concept of grading on a
curve is even worse. Why does there need to be a set
amount of A, B, C, and D grades. We want our kids to
learn concepts, not facts. We want them to be creative
and critical thinkers and problem solvers. There should
never be testing of any kind connected to learning.
Quality Time
When we returned to America for a few months....another
story....we invited friends to stay with us over a
weekend. All they did was complain about the amount of
homework their kids brought home and how it seemed like
they had no time for anything else. Homework is
unnecessary and simply another way to keep kids too busy
to enjoy life. Especially when kids are young, quality
time with their families and friends are super
important. This is the way they build close bonds and
gain the confidence they need to survive in this world.
My wife and I do not work and are able to be home with
our kids the whole day, every day. It helps that our
situation allows us to do this. We are there anytime
when they have questions, or need anything.
Keep it Positive
There is enough negativity in the world without forcing
your kids to be subjected to it on an almost daily
basis. Think about the fact that while your kids are in
school, they are subjected to the negative thoughts and
attitudes of teachers and classmates. Some teachers
simply should not be teaching. Many act in a very
authoritarian manner with more emphasis on obedience
than learning. And many teachers tend to favor some kids
over others. At home our kids get to be number one 24/7.
And many kids come to school with the biased views of
their parents. At least in some American families, many kids
are taught not to like others because of
differences in nationality, race, religion, color, etc.
This is simply wrong. Our kids are taught to accept and
respect everybody.
Nutrition
I guess this depends on the country but, at least in
America, the school lunches have been a point of public
scrutiny. We are growing close to 100% of our food needs
and everything is grown without fertilizers or
pesticides. This is much better than a school system,
again in America, that at one point called ketchup a
vegetable....wow. My wife is an excellent cook and
provides our kids with incredibly nutritious food every
day.
Be Happy
Happy kids means more of a chance your kids will want to
learn. Who wants to learn when sad and depressed? I find
it really surprising how little is required to make our
kids happy, but they are, every day. Because of this, they
are open to learning without needing to focus on
anything that might hold them back. Our goal is not
about what they are learning but more to provide an
environment, means happy, where they want to learn.
Instilling the desire to learn in your kids is the best
way to ensure they will actually learn.
Thanks to all of
you who made it to end of this very long explanation.
I threw this together really fast so please excuse any
mistakes.
Hopefully we can all work together to make the best
learning environments for our kids....OUR HOMES.
Return to the Home Learning main page |
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