“Doing something so different can scare people, because it questions the assumptions on which they have built their lives. And when people get scared, they stereotype. Thus, the ever-present stereotype of the unsocialised and unworldly homeschooler.”
Blake Boles (Arment, 2019, p. 80)
Introduction
In this blog I will present you with some fantastic reasons to homeschool your child/children. Although I am aware that it isn’t for everyone, I also know that if you have been drawn to this part of my blog, you might be feeling compelled to give it a shot! Let’s just look at the next few minutes as me trying to convince you that homeschooling is the answer. Take it or leave it. Sound fair? Lets go!
Ainsley Arments’s book, ‘The Call of the Wild + Free, Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child’s Education.’ is one I have been loving and want to draw from today. She talks about starting with the reclamation of childhood and motherhood within homeschooling. Talking on socialisation and qualification myths, and discovering your homeschool style, curriculum and culture that best suits your family. She has further solidified my reasons for homeschooling, and I thought it might help inspire and encourage yours too.
If you are really feeling the grove in these quotes from her book, i highly recommend picking it up at your local book shop or the library. It’s a great read and one I’d encourage you to highlight!
1. Letting Children Be Children
Oh Childhood, Where Did You Go?
by Ainslet Arment (p. 58)
Oh childhood, where did you go?
We sped up the process, thinking that’s how you’d grow.
Gave up fort building and climbing trees.
To avoid muddy hands and skinned-up knees.
Enrolled you in things you were expected to do.
Not stopping to realize it was for us more than you.
Remind me—giving up daydreams was better for who?
When did we quit dreaming, to notice or care?
Stop looking at stars or remembering they’re there?
We put you on buses and shipped you away.
To preschools and programs and preceptors for pay.
Who said the experts know better than us, anyway?
You were made for summers that go on forever.
Getting lost in good books in inclement weather.
Making up stories and writing new songs.
Until long past your bedtime and the porch light comes on.
No need to rush childhood; it goes by too fast.
What you need is the time to make it all last.
You belong out in nature, staring up at the sky.
Blowing dandelion puffs and watching them fly.
Turning clouds into shapes that you want them to be.
Fending off dragons if that’s what you see.
If only there were a way to be wild + free.
We read the great books but ignore their wisdom.
Go our own way instead of trusting what’s in them.
Childhood is a treasure, a gift to behold.
I’m sorry to say you’ve been traded and sold.
Oh childhood, where did you go?
Oh childhood, say it ain’t so.
We’ll bring you back home if it’s the last thing we do.
We’ll reclaim the wonder; that’s my promise to you.
Childhood isn’t about getting ready for adulthood. It is a moment to be treasured and protected. In the future there will be plenty of career and recreational responsibilities for our children as they grow up, but they only have one childhood, and you might find in the end that, “the journey is the destination after all.” (Arment, 2019, p. 20)
As parents we must keep an eye on what they are consuming in their childhood years, or even better, take full responsibility for it. Homeschooling has made it easier for me to accept that my partner and I are the parents and that no one else has the authority to decide what our child should watch, learn, or consume. In other words, God has entrusted you with this responsibility, privilege and honour, to influence, teach and guide each of your children.
It may be time to review you’re situation and ask yourself a few questions. It can be as easy as asking yourself the classic who, what, when, where, why and how questions. Who is my child being influenced by? What am I letting my child consume? When does my child get to imagine, play and explore? Where does my child go during the day? Is it a safe place? Why are they not listening to me? How can I give them the childhood and education they deserve?
“So much of a modern-day childhood is designed to assist parents as they work longer hours to pay the bills and to allay their fears that they’re not doing everything possible to help their kids succeed in life. Every day there is a new app, toy, or curriculum to help our kids know more, do more, and be smarter. What used to exist abundantly in every childhood has now become a commodity, a product to be traded or sold for the sake of our technologically driven future or, worse, our own parental goals.” (Arment, 2019, p. 8)
Our children have the right to be children. They have a right to be safe, have positive influences where possible and be themselves. Homeschooling just might be the answer for your family, like it was for mine.
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child…”
1 Corinthian 13:11
2. The Reclamation Of Learning
The school system has the ability to destroy a child’s individualism, wonder and freedom. And, as Arment says, “What if we stopped treating children like robots, capable only of inputting and outputting information, and instead treated them like human beings consisting of beautiful dreams, diverse intelligence, and natural talents? ” and “Imagine education being driven by passion instead of pressure.” (Arment, 2019, p. 24 & 27)
Flexibility is also encouraged within a homeschooling environment. Children are then able to learn at their own pace, without constraints and pressures. However, in school classroom settings, they are given a set amount of time to master a topic and are never able to revisit it again. It’s unfair to the child who needs more time to understand the lesson or wants to learn more and dive deeper.
“Notice the difference: a child’s disability is the focus in traditional classroom settings, but his abilities are the focus in the homeschool environment.”
Sandra K. Cook, Author of Overcome Your Fear of Homeschooling with Insider Information (Arment, 2019, p. 29)
“My son went to school. Made friends. Got good grades. And our days became captive to the schedule and system assigned to us… And their lives [became] an endless race- to the bus stop, to the next reading level, to Christmas break, to the finish line. But [there was] a quiet voice calling out to us. Nudging us to see our children for who they really [were]. Inviting us to give them the freedom they truly desire. The freedom to learn and grow at their own pace, to follow their passions and see where they go, to explore the world without an agenda.” (Arment, 2019, pg. 32-33)
3. Rhythms In Homeschool
“Imagine not being held back by the pace of an entire class.”
(Arment, 2019. pg. 36)
When you first start homeschooling, you’ll notice you have a lot of time on your hands. It’ll be great for the first week or two but you’ll soon want to fight against it. It’s because it is so ingrained in us that if you’re not busy your not productive. We devote our lives scheduling our time away. It’s the way society has taught us to be – in constant stress! If we don’t finish our Maths lesson before 3pm we are complete failures! Why is a schedule required for everything in today’s society? What happened to following your child’s lead, or even better, going with the flow? The same can be said for childhood, Arment argues, “Since when has childhood become an indoor activity? Since when have we had to manufacture the environments for childhood?” (Arment, 2019, p. 53) What happened to playing with sticks, climbing trees, discovering in the rain, and simply, being bored? Children need the time and space to be bored. It is when they can be their most creative selves!
“It’s better to have a rhythm than a schedule. A rhythm is not the same thing as a schedule. A schedule is inflexible. It doesn’t breathe. A schedule dictates that you start at a particular time whether you’re ready or not. Rhythm, on the other hand, creates a predictable flow to the day. It’s driven not by the clock but by priorities.” (Arment, 2019, p. 189)
There is undoubtedly times when we should sit down and educate our kids with subjects that come out of a workbook. But it is homeschooling that encourages flexibility, a steady beat, and will promote adaptability in education, extracurricular activities, housework, running errands, and—most importantly—boredom.
“Dear friend, don’t let a busting culture determine the needs of your own children. You get to choose how they grow up. You can protect their time, energy, and imagination. You are the gatekeeper of the garden of their childhood.“
(Arment, 2019, p. 59)
4. Teach, and Learn, Without Ceasing
“There has never been a generation when children have so desperately needed their parents’ time, thoughtful creativity, and friendship.”
Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (Arment, 2019, p. 144)
I believe anyone can homeschool their children and that it is quite similar to parenting, better yet, an extension of parenting. Arment says, “Homeschooling is not only a right but also a responsibility. it takes intention and commitment to giving our children an individualised, quality education… As a parent, you already hold the highest form of responsibility. If you can parent, you can homeschool.” (Arment, 2019, p. 95)
Homeschooling doesn’t require you to be an expert; in fact, most of the time you learn with my child. You both end up learning together! Additionally, it facilitates the teaching process because you are already teaching as their parent and are familiar with their personality and tendencies. Don’t get me wrong, as they get older, their learning style may start to change. But as a parent, you have to figure out how to teach them in different ways for each season their in anyways. Think about it, if school wasn’t available, could you teach your child the basics? For almost every parent, the answer is yes!
“Homeschooling is controversial because it raises the question of how children learn. And it’s an important one. All parents want their kids to receive a quality education. So, is home the best place for learning? The controversial educational model insists learning happens in groups with one standardized system for everybody. Because of classroom restraints, there’s a lack of individualized attention. Every child is taught the same information and tested on the basis of their ability to retain and comprehend that data. Any failure to comply ends with that child being demoralized with a poor GPA at best and labeled as having a learning disability at worst.
“The homeschooling model says that children learn differently and thrive in an environment where they can go at their own pace, purse subjects that interest them, and have the time and space to experience the wonder of childhood. It asserts that learning is a natural process for children and that if we only guide and encourage them, they can fully become who they were meant to be.” (Arment, 2019, p. 107)
Ask the question, do I really know what is going on in my child’s classroom? Although your child will encounter things you are unaware of to some degree, as a parent, you ought to be aware of the majority of your child’s life simply because they are a child! They need you’re guidance and awareness!
“Most of what is taught in classroom settings is forgotten, and much of what is remembered is irrelevant.”
Russell Ackoff (Arment, 2019, p. 115)
Conclusion
Today’s blog post included arguments for homeschooling your children. We know that children should be free to be children, learning should be unrestricted, rhythm supports learning, and parents should feel confident that they can teach, and learn, alongside their children.
We looked at the journey, rather than the destination and how children desperately need freedom to play, explore and learn at their own pace. They are not adults, they are children and their childhood needs to be protected.
Homeschool really opens up opportunities that cultivate freedom in our child’s life and in our lives as parents. It allows the time and space to tweak the curriculum to our child’s interests, household rhythms and family culture. Errands and chores don’t need to be rushed anymore. They are learning opportunities for our children and can become apart of homeschooling. Same with dinner times and even our hobbies and work, our children can be involved.
Our children are apart of our lives. Let’s stop pushing them aside and onto a school bus. It’s time we accept them for who they are. Unique blessings from God.
“The world is your classroom. Your curiosity is the course. Get a degree in the life lessons that intrigue you, and print out your own diploma acknowledging the work that you’ve done. Wonder is waiting.”
(Arment, 2019, p. 310)
Reference
Arment, A. (2019). The Call of the Wild and Free. HarperCollins. pp. 20-310.