www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
instruction,;I’m;here;to;tell;you,;that;isn’t
the case!
The;first;thing;you;need;to;do;is;to;stop,
breathe;in;and;out,;and;relax!;Then;you
need to spend some time with your chil-dren,;establishing;a;basic;routine,;going
to;the;library,;reading;together,;and;grad-ually making some decisions about what
you are going to study and how you are
going to go about doing that. If you have
just;started,;and;have;already;purchased
curriculum;materials,;be;prepared;to;go
through a learning curve. You may find
that what you purchased works very
well;with;one;child,;and;another;child;is
highly resistant to it. You may find that
the materials are boring, even to you!
You;may;find;that;you;like;the;material,
but;it;is;way;too;much;to;“cover”;in;a;rea-sonable amount of time. You may find
that;there;is;too;much;repetition,;or;not
enough. You may find it feels like busywork. These are all natural feelings for a
first-year;homeschooler,;so;don’t;worry.
The important thing is that you will start
to;notice;these;things,;and;realize;there;is
a constant need for adjustment and flexibility in the homeschool setting.
The most important thing for you to
do is to begin recognizing the assumptions you are carrying around from
your;days;in;the;public;school;system,
or;even;a;private;school;system,;and;to
start challenging them and asking yourself questions. One of the most typical
assumptions has to do with the concept
of grade level.
Just;remember,;the;whole;concept;of
grade level was thought up by educators
who needed to find ways to group children and assess their progress. When
my;mother-in-law,;a;third;grade;public
school;teacher,;went;into;her;class,;she
couldn’t;say,;“So,;what;are;you;all;into?”
She needed to know approximately
what level to expect out of a typical
third;grader,;so;she;could;identify;and
assist;those;who;were;“behind”,;and;give
more challenging work to those who
were advanced.
What does it matter what grade level
your;child;is;on,;really?;Just;start;from
where;you;are,;set;some;goals,;and;use
your mother’s instincts to know when
things are working and when they aren’t.
When things are going swimmingly,
there;is;no;need;to;shift;direction!;When
things;aren’t;going;so;well,;it;is;time;to
ask;questions,;like,;What;is;really;going
on here? Is it a question of readiness?
Does it have to do with learning style?
Are we trying too hard to look like an
institutional school? Have I included
my children sufficiently in the process of
planning and selecting materials? What
are;they;really;trying;to;tell;me?”
Another huge assumption we are car-
rying around from our public school
days;is;the;concept;of;what;a;“curricu-
lum”;is.;Most;people;think;of;a;curricu-
lum;as;something;that;comes;in;a;box,
covers;all;subjects,;and;will;work;for;all
children;in;a;family,;if;it;has;just;been
purchased with care.
That’s not necessarily true.
A curriculum is simply what you
teach, in what order, and using what
materials. A curriculum could be based
100%;on;the;use;of;the;library,;at;least;in
most areas. (Math is probably a bit tricky
to do using only library resources.) A
curriculum;is;also;based;on;a;“scope;and
sequence”.;.;.;again,;the;idea;of;what;you
want;the;children;to;learn,;and;in;what
order,;and;on;what;timetable.;The;best
scope and sequence would be one created by the individual family with individual children in mind.
Does that sound hard? It really isn’t.
All you need to do is simply start thinking through your own goals for your
children. What do you hope they will
be like by the time they turn 18 and are
ready;for;whatever;comes;next,;whether
it;is;college;or;a;trade,;or;the;military,;or
something else?
I think through goals in the follow-ing;areas:;values,;habits,;attitudes,;skills,
talents/interests,;and;knowledge.;That;is
roughly the priority I’ve always believed
in for my children. The development of
their;character;and;values,;and;the;de-velopment;of;good;attitudes;and;habits,
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A curriculum is
simply what you
teach,;in;what
order,;and;using
what materials.
