I’m resisting planning, because I want to follow [my child’s] lead as far as learning styles, structure, and areas of interest. But I don’t want to unschool, per se. The three R’s and civics are a must, I think, though I do hope to avoid curriculums for at least a little while and find those things more naturally in the world, if that makes any sense (the math of cooking, that sort of thing). But really, I think it’s about going with what works, like so much else of parenting.
That’s really why I’m resisting thinking too much about it. I’m waiting to see what works. And I’m trying to untangle my mind from school, like really assessing what of school is necessary and useful and how much of it is more for the institution’s sake than the students’.
Yes, to "find those things more naturally in the world" makes perfect sense. I agree. Making subject matter accessible and applicable to "real life" is a major gap in today's educational system. I hope that will change in time, but there seems to be a significant lag time between the pace of today's life, technology, science, etc. and how that is taught in school. Even just balancing a checkbook and budget escapes the curriculum of a student who may otherwise be taking Advanced Placement courses in economics.
It is vital to me (and them) that the children master the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic. You bet. Does that require a schedule of worksheets and testing? I'm not of the viewpoint it does, unless that's the style that serves them best, but I'm not anti-test either, as I mentioned earlier. As they go on to further their education or even simply apply for a job, it will serve them to have experience with the formats of institutionalized learning. As someone who "bucked the system" for years, I ultimately determined that path to be more of an impediment than anything and wish I had kowtowed to "the way things are" more than I did. I am now in the utterly institutionalized process of becoming an institutionalized nurse-practitioner in a federal position, so I stand humbled. :)
Two of my favorite activities of high school were Academic Decathlon and writing for the school newspaper. When I look back, what appealed to me was the high degree of freedom, personal responsibility, and creativity I had in those endeavors. Academic Decathlon was awesome...we spent 9 months studying a wide variety of subjects but with a high degree of independence and freedom. A general outline of subjects for the competition provided a framework for our studies, but the style and nature of that studying was completely on our shoulders. We also were encouraged to explore these areas as deeply as we wanted to, and the material itself (Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, for example, comes to mind) stimulated and excited me. An overriding theme would provide a context for studies in numerous areas, somewhat like a unit study in homeschooling where all different study areas are brought together into an overriding theme or context.
I feel comfortable planning a general direction for now but with the expectation that their interests will shine through and we can explore that direction from the perspective of their interests. While I want to ensure those "3 R's" are nailed, as you put it, I even more importantly want to create a context for current and future understanding. It is very important to me that the children learn history and geography but not simply as a set of facts and figures. I also want them to learn how to evaluate sources and determine what is worthy material in the first place. I want them to look at original sources, in addition to interpretations of those sources. My hope is to create a system so that the different events and developments can be seen as part of a larger whole, not just as a single piece of history, and so that these studies today and next year can be understood next to the studies of three and four years from now.
So, as a basic example, Wolfgang's interest in photography can be looked at historically, as in "the development of the camera in history;" sociologically, as in "what impact the camera had and has on our culture;" artistically as in "how photography has developed as an art form and also how it impacts our ability to appreciate art;" scientifically, as in "how does a camera work?", etc. This is certainly not revolutionary from a homeschooling perspective, just from the standpoint of standardized education.
I believe standardization is not the evil it is so often made out to be. I have my complaints about it, but mostly, I think it serves as a baseline to ensure that most children acquire a basic level of skills. What that standard consists of, however, is up for argument, and certainly from me. I don't think it's unreasonable that children be encouraged to think, rather than simply learn. When I look at Hirsch's suggested curriculum for each grade level, I see that it is very well-intended, but the idea of establishing a common body of knowledge for each and every child is so deflating!
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