Freedom - by Doreen Blanding

Norman Rockwell painted a set of paintings called the Four Freedoms.  He painted these four paintings, Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship in just four months. As I look at these paintings I see four things that I want my children never to take for granted and to always treasure.

It is my duty to see to it that my children are protectors of the Land of Promise .  “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

I have the sacred duty of making sure my children are free from want, from fear and free to speak and worship as they will.  As I homeschool my children I instill in them these freedoms every day and in every lesson.  I have taught them that even if life gets tough we have Heavenly Father on our side and we shouldn’t fear.  I remember sitting around the television on September 11, 2001, and thinking to myself as well as expressing to my children that we shouldn’t be afraid.  We had been following the commandments of God and we will be protected and even if something were to happen to us we had been baptized and sealed together as a family.  I knew that we shouldn’t fear what happened or what will happen, as long as we are righteous and obey the commandments.  I still feel the same today and so do my children.  We are truly free from fear.

The freedom from want is one that I feel strongly obligated to teach my sons.  They will one day be the head of a household and have to provide for their family. I want them to be able to get and keep a good and honest job, to be good citizen, a wonderful father, a faithful husband and an obedient Priesthood holder.   I only have one daughter and I want her to be able to choose a young man like the ones I am raising. That means I need to educate my children so that they can be good family members, citizens and spouses. I want my children to always live free from want.

The founding fathers put “freedom of speech” as part of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. It is upon this principle that the gospel was able to reach my family and my husband’s family.  Thankfully both of these families join the Church and today practice the freedom of speech.  I can attest that my children are not afraid to speak their minds and do so regularly.  One day my sons will be able to practice their freedom of speech as they take the gospel message to others. We are free to speak.

Along with freedom of speech, the first Amendment also says that Congress can “…make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” As our family has been studying different cultures the past few years, our hearts are sadden when we read about governments who had or still have laws dictating to their citizens what and who they will call their gods and who and how they will worship.  As my family has studies our family history in our school we have found that our family has not always enjoyed the freedom of worship.

In the 1840’s Norwegians didn’t welcome the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our family suffered because of the persecution.  In the 1500’s our family was thrown out of two countries for their religious beliefs and that same family was thrown out of England in the 1600’s because they worshiped differently than the government told them to.  I never want my children to fear because of how they worship. We are free to worship.

As the United States of America celebrates its 232th birthday, think about the freedoms we enjoy.  Not just the four freedoms that Norman Rockwell painted about, but the freedoms we get because we live in the free country we do.  The freedom we get because we are serving the Lord and the freedoms we get because we are a Child of God.   My family, like those in Normal Rockwell’s paintings, is free from want and fear, free to speak and worship and we are free to choose life, love, happiness and righteousness.  My God always bless us with freedom forever.

Where Are Your Scriptures?

If I were a betting person, I’d wager that you, like all other LDS homeschoolers (and many LDS families who don’t homeschool) start the day with scripture study and/or some kind of devotional. That’s great!  Way to follow the prophet! Way to arm and teach your kids and invite the Spirit into your home and lives! I commend you! You are fantastic!

But what do you do with your scriptures after that? Do you then put them on a shelf or under the couch until the next day?

For the past several years I have taught a class on incorporating the scriptures into every school subject.  I bring a shoe box and a patchwork quilt to hold up at the front of the class. I then ask, “Do you compartmentalize the scriptures, putting them in a box, just for scripture time? Or are your scriptures more like patches of the quilt, together with other facets of education, the thread of the quilt being the gospel, which ties all things together, and the quilt being something that with beauty warms, protects, instructs, and comforts you always?” You see, I don’t believe the “other” subjects to be solely secular, but all parts of a great whole.

Galileo said, “Mathematics is the pen with which God has written the universe.” It’s evident when you look. God is the Supreme Scientist. I could go on and on with every “secular subject.” Education isn’t supposed to be a checklist, or the filling of a pail full of facts, but the training and molding of a being—an eternal being—and the process by which we become.

Education is also about coming to know the truth. It only makes sense to infuse every subject with all the truth that is available and see how it all goes together. It is truth that 1+1=2, and also truth that there is mathematical order to the structure of the Solar System. Additionally, the more you use the scriptures, the more you’ll have the Spirit, and the more your mind will be blessed to learn and retain.

In my homeschool, the scriptures are an essential part of our curriculum. It’s expected that along with pencils and notebooks and whatever other regular school supplies, everyone will have their scriptures “right there” ready to go.  I try my hardest to bring the gospel into everything. Sometimes it’s really easy, sometimes not as much. But I try. I use the Standard Works as well as the words of modern prophets and Church magazines. I have found that there is always a way if I seek it.

We don’t have any time or length or frequency quotas. Sometimes I have to really search and study, and sometimes, in the middle of a lesson, the Spirit reminds me of a scripture or article I read to insert at just that moment that I didn’t see coming. Often, while looking for one thing, I’m led to others things in addition to or instead of what I thought I needed, or that I’ll need in the future but don’t know it yet and feel prompted to bookmark it.

Now, when people come to my class, it isn’t difficult to convince anyone as to the merits of schooling with the scriptures. The hard part for most people is in the application. So, here is a very small assortment of ways to bring the scriptures into your everyday educational subjects.

History – It’s no secret that the scriptures are full of history.  I would hope that any time you study the times and places in world history for which we have scriptural accounts you will include them. In both history and science there are discrepancies between what we know from revelation and what the world accepts as fact based on limited physical evidence or ignorance or rejection of additional records.  A wise teacher will seek the guidance of the Spirit as she presents all the information and helps her children learn and discern truth.

In addition to straight historical information, attention to prophecies and warnings and comparisons of peoples, choices, actions, civilizations, governments, and events through all generations would be wise.  Who were the good leaders, who were the bad, and what made them so?

Science – The scriptures speak of all branches of science.  In the case of chemistry add these scriptures to your studies: Particles – Moses 1:27 and 7:30; Water Cycle – Genesis 1:6-7 and Ecclesiastes 3:7; Elements – D&C 93:33 and 3 Nephi 24:3.

As you learn of the miraculous wonders of the human body, what it’s made of, how it works, and what it needs, consider the following scriptures among many more: Moses 3:7, “Fall of Adam” entry in the Bible Dictionary, Moses 6:59, Leviticus 17:14, Psalm 104:29.

There is a multitude of scriptures on astronomy, including the order of the universe, celestial bodies, rotations, and seasons.  Long before the world accepted a heliocentric view, Alma and the Nephites knew what was true (see Abraham 1-3, Alma 30:44, and Helaman 12:15, among others).

The animal kingdom is chock full of gospel lessons and symbols.  Ants teach us of industry and preparedness (see Proverbs 6:6 and 30:25).  The life cycle of salmon symbolizes enduring to the end (see D&C 24:8 and 2 Nephi 31:20).  Polar bears humbly show humans what it takes to be a good mom:  sacrifice, teaching, playing, snuggling, defending, and an example (see the Proclamation on the Family and Topical Guide entry “Family, Children, Responsibilities toward”).  Creatures of the very deep sea have their own bioluminescence; they are lights in dark places—even when there doesn’t appear to be anyone there to see it (see Matthew 5:14-16 and 3 Nephi 15:12).  Of course, all animals show us we are here to fill the measure of our creation, encouraging us to do what we’re meant to do and become who we’re meant to become.

Math – Right and wrong get no clearer than in math! We’ve been given the formula and functions we need for eternal life. When there is an unknown, it’s all about problem solving—just “ask” the Brother of Jared.  A reluctant learner of algebra may need Proverbs 4:7, including the footnote, and a nervous test taker may need the end of D&C 38:30.

More than this, much math can be done with the scriptures. From simply learning numerical order by locating scriptures to introducing ratios with the rotations of Kolob:  Earth, the material is there to work with.  A Scripture Story Problem can begin each child’s math lesson and it’s not hard to do.  For example, read Proverbs 18:10 and then say, “If you have 4”x6” bricks and you need to build a tower with walls 100’ high and 7’ wide, how many bricks would you need for one wall?  How many for 4 walls?” Then emphasize that no towers built by man compare to the power of the Lord for protection.  Read Psalm 5:2 and then tell the children to count the number of syllables in the verse and create a division problem in which the quotient is the same number as the number of syllables.  Then you could discuss how the Lord hears every word of our prayers.  Read the story of Samuel the Lamanite and create fraction problems:  “If 100 arrows were shot, and ¾ of them hit the wall, how many arrows hit brick?  What fraction of them then missed Samuel in the air, and how many arrows was that?”  (You would, of course, need to establish that these numbers are hypothetical, as well as perhaps the arrow trajectory, as the scriptures aren’t that specific.)

Language – The most obvious way to use the scriptures is in reading. Because it’s obvious we may overlook its importance for the developing reader. I testify to you that the quickest way to make a strong reader is to immerse them in the scriptures, even when it seems too hard. I have had children who struggled with basic readers but took off with scripture reading. It made all the difference.

Many of the skills necessary to acquire can be learned and practiced in the scriptures:  alphabetical order, dictionary skills, reading a table of contents.  If you’re learning the parts of speech, it’s easy to read the story of Noah or Jonah or Daniel and have the children point out nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions and so forth. Vocabulary and word origins abound.  Practice penmanship with scripture passages.  Work on comprehension, application, and literary creation by turning scripture stories into newspapers, newscasts, plays, puppet shows, artwork, crossword puzzles, picture books, etc.

Bruce R. McConkie wrote in Mormon Doctrine,

“In the broad sense of the word, the process of living on earth, of seeking to work out one’s salvation with fear and trembling before God, is in itself a course of education; it is a system of training, study, and discipline whereby the mental and moral powers are schooled and prepared for graduation into the eternal realms.

“…the saints are under command to ‘teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom,’ to learn all expedient ‘things that pertain unto the kingdom of God,’ and to gain a knowledge of countries, kingdoms, sciences, arts, and every form of learning, so that they can both work out their own salvation and carry the message of salvation to the Lord’s other children. …

“Education is gained primarily from the Spirit of the Lord by revelation and secondarily from study, research and investigation….”

The Topical Guide of the LDS Standard Works and the search engine at lds.org have become the most oft-used of any tools available to me, because in the end, I homeschool my children not to prepare them for the ACT or the workforce—I homeschool my children to prepare them for exaltation.

Bookstore Mom

We were at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, in Cherry Creek, Colorado. It is a three story bookstore that sits on 1/2 a block. It was crowded, even for as big as it was...

That is when I spotted a mother and child sitting in the Children's area. You could tell it was a weekly outing for the two.  There they were snuggled up with a book.  They were not rushing around madly looking at the wide array of children’s books that filled a whole floor.  We were in awe at the thousands of books that filled just the children’s area.  But, there the two sat content with just reading 1 book.  Oh, yes, there was a small stack next to them.  Books that they would read and a small pile of books they had gone through.  They didn’t look like they were going to buy any of them, but they were thoroughly enjoying the ones they held at the moment.

The mother knew the store.  She had been there many times.  They knew where the chapter books were, where the new arrivals were, and they knew where their favorites sat on the shelves.  Many times, they were content.

I, on the other hand, was frantic.  Where to begin!  How in the world could we see everything today?  There were so many areas that I wanted to explore.  The kids just seemed to slow me down.  They wanted to stop and read, I was determined to cover acreage…I wanted to see what was behind every new nook and cranny.  It was like a candy store—colors, flavors, etc.  How in the world could I decide where to begin or be happy just looking at a few books?  I wanted to see all of the displays, fan through the fiction, rummage through the references, search through the sale items, and hunt through the histories.

This bookstore was like going to a museum.  You might as well buy the family membership because you will not see everything in one day.  Take your time to really enjoy where you are.  You will never be able to teach all of the curriculum that you bought and is gathering dust on the bookshelf.  Similarly, you will never be able to learn all there is to learn about Ancient Greece.  When your child’s interest begins to wane, take the hint!  And, smile that you had a taste, learned something, and then, let it go.  Promise yourself that you will come back another time, when you have more time to spend, or your child is older and ready for a larger in-depth meal.

Socialization Happens at Home - By Marisa Corless

(From 2007)

I recently was asked on an email list that I belong to the age-old question, "But what about socialization?" I have heard it many times when I mention that we homeschool. The question of concern is never “What about education?” The question is always about socialization. As I have reflected and continue to reflect on this question and what it means and why I am not worried about socialization, a few things have occurred to me.

My idea of socialization is the ability to interact and "socialize" with people of all races, ages, creeds, and industries as well as the ability to work out and resolve conflict. Thus, socialization occurs at the grocery store, at the library, at the restaurant, at church, in an enrichment class I might put my child in like art or music or drama or soccer, at homeschool group activities like park days and field trips, but most of all, socialization occurs at home.

Today I took my kids to Jump Planet, which is a large warehouse of bounce houses. There were many kids running around. I watched as my son, who is four and a half, herded, protected, and played with his almost three-year-old sister. He climbed to the tops of slides and waited for her, encouraging her, and cheering her progress. When they got to the top of the slide, he would take her hand, or in one instance he scooped her onto his lap (he is only about eight pounds heavier and eight inches taller than she is) before sliding down. As they walked around the place he talked to her, asking her where she wanted to go and making sure she was safe. My heart melted as I watched him put his arm around her and help her get to the next place they were going. In the parking lot as I carried library books and my four- month-old baby, my son grabbed his sister’s hand and made sure she got to the other side of the driveway safely. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for him to hold doors open for me, and after I have walked through to continue to hold the door open for anyone else that may be behind me waiting to enter the building. By being homeschooled, my son is learning manners, service, and courtesy. He is learning compassion for others.

My daughter is also becoming a socialized person. By being at home my daughter is learning how to be a mother and help her baby sister. She practices with her dolls and is frequently found carefully putting her baby in a sling, nursing, or borrowing her sister’s swing, into which she carefully buckles her doll. She learns how to ask her brother for the things she needs or wants. She learns how to use her words and to negotiate and compromise. Both of my older children are learning patience because I am not able to always attend to them when I am attending to the baby. On top of all this, my children learn to resolve conflicts, respect differing opinions, and are developing eternal relationships.

I have watched many homeschooled children at park days and field trips and other get-togethers. I have seen first hand that they exhibit the characteristics of a socialized person to a greater degree at a younger age than do their traditionally schooled peers. I have seen that rather than seeking out only same aged peers, these children seek out friends in the crowd. They look out for one another, they love one another, and they respect one another. As a result, I don't worry about socialization anymore and I strive to show people that socialization really isn’t a concern with homeschooling.

To Thine Own Self Be True

A long time ago, on a homeschool day far, far away, my husband was chatting online with the father of another homeschooling family, the two dads comparing notes on what their wives and kids were doing. My children and I were off on some field trip (the third one in less than two weeks) and our friend’s family was doing their regimented reading and assignments.  The fathers joked that my kids would turn out to be museum docents and the other family’s kids librarians.

Fast forward a few years to older kids with busier schedules, including sports and elective classes at the public high school. Fast forward to a mom with a few years more experience, but a few years more exposure to many other homeschool moms, curriculum, philosophies, and methods.  Fast forward to a frustrated homeschool far different from the one that day that was far, far away.

Why the frustration?  Shouldn’t those years have brought progress with all that experience and exposure?  Certainly—in some ways.  In others, however, I shamefacedly admit that as my children aged and I thought of course credits and transcripts and noticed what their peers were doing, I succumbed a bit to fearing the world and felt pressured to do more, educationally, like everyone else, and less, philosophically, like we’d always done.  In short, I panicked.

It didn’t feel right. I’m not saying everything was wrong; there were many good days and triumphant ways. But overall, something was missing. I felt trapped and confused and unhappy. I sensed that my children weren’t as happy as they had been. I felt that I was being forced and I was thus consequently forcing my children…but to do what? I wondered how something so right (homeschooling—I knew we were supposed to be doing it) could feel so miserably wrong.

Then came the happy accident. It was a week that we were behind, in many ways, the intended paperwork backing up. But by the by it felt like we’d done more with the week than usual, and we were happy and fulfilled.

 It started with “Temple Tuesday.” A new video came out that I wanted to show my kids and I had a strong impression that we should just go walk the Logan temple grounds that morning and talk about how we felt being outside, how nice it was inside, and how to prepare for the day when they could each go inside.  I knew it would take most of our time together in the morning, but I also knew that we should go. In the end we had a very lovely morning that seemed to really matter.

When we returned home, we found a flood from an upstairs bathroom leaking through the floor and thus the ceiling to the downstairs family room.  Ugh.  It pretty much halted things, including my enthusiasm for all things “home” related and “school” related.  I had a serious mess to deal with.  But the morning had been so good that even though we didn’t “get much done” the rest of the day, it felt like a good school day.

Meanwhile, the autumn colors were bursting in the nearby canyons and I was longing to be immersed in them. Perhaps it was running away, due to the new yuck in my house, but the next day I cancelled the afternoon reading and writing and we spontaneously headed up the canyon to hike and hunt fossils. It was glorious! We had good hunting, great learning, and we enjoyed every minute of it, even and perhaps especially waiting for my eight-year-old to pick up every fallen red maple leaf. She was giddy with fall and fossils.

Then, a few days later, the public schools were out for parent-teacher conferences. This meant that my older sons’ afternoon classes were cancelled and we had an entire day all together instead of just half. My oldest son had a class requirement to fulfill that involved visiting an art museum, so I planned an entire day of outings around it. It was a long day, lightly planned, but with lots of room to follow our noses.  We delighted in all we saw and did. We ended our adventure with a sunset hike up Ensign Peak, overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, and as we descended the mountain, feeling “full,” it hit me. This was a homeschool day from far, far away. This was what was missing. This was freedom and clarity. This was how it all began, how it was always meant to be.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius rightly advises Laertes,

This above all:  to thine own self be true,

And it must needs follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

It was gradual, but over the years, I had slowly moved away from my true self. In my panic I had fixed what wasn’t broken and been false to some of the ideals our homeschool was founded on. There was nothing inherently wrong with the things we were doing in our homeschool, but because it wasn’t true to what was right with our homeschool, it wasn’t what was right for us.

Now, I am not advocating field trips as the only way to homeschool. There is no one right way, and I would never suggest such a thing. I wouldn’t even suggest regularly taking three field trips a week, even for my family, who just really thrives on field trips. Too many would be irresponsible. What I am suggesting is that everyone has a homeschooling niche.  Maybe you know yours, maybe you haven’t discovered it quite yet, but find it and stick to it.

Before all of this happened, as I had tried to gear up for a new school year while wondering what was wrong with me, I closely observed the homeschools of two friends and compared theirs to mine. Their ways were very different from mine, and very different from each other.  I didn’t like their ways. There was nothing wrong with them, but every fiber of my being reared at the thought of copying them. Even one of my children commented that he would “hate to homeschool like they do.”  I marveled at it, especially since their children seemed to be thriving in their individual circumstances.

Every homeschool is different.  Every family has something that works for them.  No matter what else anyone else is doing; no matter how beautifully it seems to be working for them; and no matter who is telling you what you should do, to thine own self be true.

Fun Reading Ideas:

1. Read to them. JJ and I just finished reading Hatchet by Paulsen. Perfect for 10 year old boys--it's about a 13 year old boy who crashes in an airplane and must survive alone in the Canadian Wilderness. Try to make reading time a special time-not just torture! (For one book JJ and I played tag with the book. We read together and I always stopped at an exciting part then left the book. Often I would find him reading it. Then I would try and catch up by taking the book from his room...)

2. Let them see you reading. Example just can't be over stated! Make the time to read. (this is frustrating for me - I want to keep doing things!) When the kids see their father read it is 10 times more powerful. (This was an actual study!)

3. Talk about things you've read at the dinner table. We give book commercials - advertising works for TV, why not for reading - tell about a favorite book or article you read.

4. Kids go through phases! Each of our kids has gone through a comic book phase, where all they wanted to read was Garfield and Calvin and Hobbs books. I am enduring this phase but keep reading them books I want them to hear.

5. Get the whole family involved - have aunts, uncles and grandparents tell what they've been reading or ask them to encourage your kids to read. Is there someone in the ward or neighborhood your kids respect and admire - ask about what he or she likes to read.

6. Go to the library or bookstores. Our kids get Christmas money from grandparents - and we always use it for books.

7. Do activities that remind you of the book. After reading Hatchet, we watched Swiss Family Robinson. We also tried making a fire without matches. We talked about getting our son a pocketknife for Christmas, etc.

8. Use thought-provoking questions to make kids think more about what you are reading. Avoid the worksheet approach. This can pretty much kill any enthusiasm over reading (coming from an elementary teacher, I should know!)

9. Books on CD. We listen all the time. One of our favorites: Peter and the Star Catchers. - its very well read and a great story!

10. Tumble Books - kind of for the younger set, but we all stop and listen when they start reading a book. Most libraries have a subscription.

11. Brain Pop (ok, it's not a reading site, but it is a favorite of ours.

12. Buy them a bedside lamp. You’d be amazed at the reading that happens at night. They can turn off their own light.

13. Buy informative magazines for kids. There is a lot of them out there. Go to the library and check them out.

Don't expect your kids to jump right into reading. They sometimes don't do things just to spite you or irritate you. Just keep reading - they will follow suit!

The most important thing about reading for us is to learn to love it. Books can take you anywhere and teach you things, but only if you open them up! Encourage that love of reading and you've accomplished more than you know.

Need a great place to find good books? Read "The Read Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease (I think that this should be required reading for every parent. It lists great books to read aloud in the back.) Ask the librarian, or friends. Also, Book Adventure has a great way to look up books. Have your child look up the kind of books they like.

Book Review: Learning All the Time

Finally:  An educator who truly loves children.  John Holt was one of the original modern-day homeschooling standard-bearers.  At the beginning of his career in the 1950s, he taught in selective private schools, but as he learned more and more about how children actually learn, he began trying to refashion schools to better meet kids’ needs.  Eventually, he decided that schools were un-reformable, especially because the “compulsory” in “compulsory schooling” made any real change impossible.  So he became one of the first experts to recommend that children leave school completely, and in fact, the word he coined—unschooling—initially meant simply keeping your kids out of school.  Holt was in the process of writing Learning All the Time when he died in 1985. His editors finished the book with the help of his notes and some magazine articles he had written previously. I love the title! The phrase "learning all the time" epitomizes Holt's writing and theories.  Holt’s central point is determining how people actually acquire knowledge and the real meaning of “education,” NOT on how to get kids to do what we adults want them to do.

Learning All the Time isn’t my absolute favorite of Holt's books, but it’s a nice introduction for new homeschoolers, and it’s also full of inspiration for parents who admire his ideas but feel nervous about taking a leap into "unschooling."  How Children Fail, How Children Learn, Teach Your Own, and especially the powerful Escape From Childhood explain Holt's evolution of ideas more clearly if you want to learn more about his educational methods.

Learning All the Time focuses on young children. Chapter topics include reading and writing, numbers, children's natural research methods, music, parental example, and helping children explore. As in his other books, Holt includes lots of personal stories and examples from children he knows. These stories help to model his ideas so we can see what they look like in practice.

John Holt never had children of his own. Some parents use this fact as a reason (or an excuse?) to dismiss his ideas as impractical. I feel exactly the opposite way. Holt actually had a clearer perspective on children because he saw them from "the outside."  His outside perspective on his friends' children and his nieces and nephews was clearer and less tainted than if those children went home with him every night. Even though many of the children in his stories were his friends, he didn't have any stake in rationalizing or defending his own behavior towards them as a parent would.

He had a sharp eye for his own, and others', hypocrisy. And he was never afraid to learn from his mistakes. You've got to love his openness and vulnerability, even if it makes you question some of the habits you might have developed.  Personally, I appreciated the questions he raised.  They led me into firmer commitments to positive things:  to homeschooling itself, to meeting children’s true needs, and to learning for myself instead of just accepting what other educators said.

As an example of Holt's willingness to question established parenting and teaching habits, one of my favorite sections in this book is in the chapter called, "What Parents Can Do." Holt gives seven reasons why parents should NOT correct all their children's mistakes.  (I know this idea will probably be a shock to anyone who isn’t already familiar with Holt, but hold on a minute and see if any of his reasons ring true to you):

1. Correcting is rude.

2. Correcting does not recognize the child's intellectual accomplishments.

3. Correcting does not help a child learn better.

4. It is "better for a child to figure out something on his own than to be told." (He gives specific reasons why this is so.)

5. Correcting hurts people's feelings.

6. Children learn better when they aren't "worrying about learning."

7. Children do not want to be always told what to do.

See what I mean? Holt's ideas of how to treat children seem radical because they are so different from our culture's ideas of how to treat children. Yet when you read his writing, like this section on not correcting children, you have to admit that he's right. Correcting people is rude, we all learn faster when we are safe emotionally, and none of us like to be told what to do all the time.  But is there any other way to teach children?? This was, after all, the way most of us adults were taught, both at home and at school.

So just keep reading the book, because Holt showed better ways to facilitate kids’ learning that aren’t manipulative or rude.  He showed how to develop a learning environment, how to foster kids’ (and your own) curiosity, and how to smooth the way for creativity to flourish.

Not to be overly-dramatic, but for me, John Holt was one of those important people with beautiful feet “that bringeth good tidings” and “publisheth peace.”  He questioned the status quo of “making” kids perform certain tasks and looked for better teaching methods; by doing so, he transformed me, my kids, my family, my homeschool, and even helped me recognize ways the Lord teaches me.  He prompted me to freshly consider and open myself up to ways of teaching and learning that unlocked a new—and better--world.  For me, reading my first book by Holt was a partitioning time for my educational life:  before I met John Holt, and after I met John Holt.  He’s really that good!

As he said, “We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions—if they have any—and helping them explore the things they are most interested in.”

If you haven't yet read as many of his books as you can possibly get hold of, please do it. Put on your shoes and head to the library!  John Holt will change your life and your relationship with your kids in so many happy ways. Even if you don’t become a rabid unschooler, just exposing yourself to his unconventional attitude and incorporating a few of his ideas will change the way you view your kids and make your homeschooling more joyful and abundant.

Require or Not... ?

Ishel was putting the book, Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott back on the bookshelf.I asked, “How did you like it? Was it good?”

“Oh yes, very good.”

“What did you like about it.”

She told me a few things. I probed more, because I had not read the book… "who were the characters?" "Was there one that mirrored you—you found yourself in that person?" She went on telling me about certain characters and what she liked and identified with.

“Remember the papers you are working on about what makes a good mother for your personal progress? What did you learn about being a good mother from Jo?”

Thoughtfully she responded, As she was speaking, I stood up and found a yellow pad of paper and started talking notes—just jotting down main ideas that she was telling me.

Her face scrunched up. “Oh no, Mom, it’s Saturday! I don’t want to get sucked into a project!”

I immediately stopped, and said, “You’re lucky! I am already doing a project! We can talk about this another day!”

Require or Not?

I want my kids to do more than just read good books. I want them to think about them. I want them to take notes in the margins, ask questions, apply them to their life. I guess in short, I want them to walk around in their shoes for a while—see things differently, experience a new perspective and glean everything they can from that book.

Ok, ok, I don’t want them to analyze a book to death. That would destroy the fun and love of reading quickly! One of my favorite books I read as a child was A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy. I read it so often that the library let me pay for and keep the book because I had checked it out so many times. I never analyzed it. I never had to write in the margins or think about character development. I just loved it and took strength from its characters and the insurmountable courage that Peter showed. I just knew that I could count on the friend that I had made in that book, by reading it over and over again.

It was not until years later, in college, for a Children’s Literature class that I wrote about it, analyzed it. It brought tears to my eyes to write about what this short children’s book had meant to me as an awkward 14 year old in a new state and making changes to grow up. My typed paper was stained with tears in a few spots and only the professor read how that book had sustained me through hard growing up years.

I guess that I will not require that my children mark up their books, unless they choose to. Who knows what they are getting out of the book. I will still ask questions and probe deeper thought, but making kids analyze their books I’ll put on the shelf for another day. Something more significant may show up later in their life—I just hope that they share it with me!

You Might Be a Homeschooler If...

Round 3

Grocery Bag Kites

…You’ve learned to creatively improvise, making “kites” out of plastic grocery bags to test the strength of the wind.

Fizzy Soap

…You really soak up your lessons by taking chemistry with you to the bathroom, analyzing the ingredients of fizzy bath balls.

Butterfly Habitat

…You have the luxury of spending all day and night next to your butterfly habitat so as not to miss any revealing moments of metamorphosis.

Jack Spratt Bread

…You find a new brand of bread that you MUST try because it goes with your current studies (which in this case was Nursery Rhymes).

Baby Doll Party

…Some dolls and your friend’s new baby sister make for several important lessons and one of your very favorite days.

The World is Your Classroom

…The whole world is your classroom!

A Day in the Life...

I love fall. I love the cooler days, the return to routine and all the fresh new school supplies! I also love all the new homeschoolers. Families who are just starting on this homeschool journey are so full of enthusiasm and new ideas. They’re also full of questions! One of the most common questions I hear is, “what does your day look like?” People want to know the nitty gritty details. How exactly does someone go about implementing all those great homeschool ideas? Unfortunately, that’s a hard question to answer, because homeschooling is a uniquely personal experience, but I do have a few tips and ideas.

1. Be aware of the legal requirements. Each state has different homeschool laws, but they are all spelled out on HSLDA. Once the requirements are known, it’s important to realize that things aren’t always what they seem. For example, in the state of Utah, we are required to “do school” 6 hours a day, 180 days a year. That does not mean a homeschooler has to spend 6 hours a day sitting at the table doing workbooks. Any type of educational activity counts, for example: reading together, playing games, going on fieldtrips, art projects, watching documentaries, scouting, gymnastics, soccer, 4H, the list goes on and on. I’ve never yet met a homeschooler who wasn’t doing 6 hours a day of “school”.
2. Be realistic. The world is full of amazing things to do and fabulous books to read. It is not all going to happen this year. As painful as it is, the summer list of inspiring subjects and projects will have to be pared down to a manageable amount. Every year I have to think carefully about what subjects and activities are most important to our family, and I have to let the rest go.
3. Have fun. Homeschooling is about building families and creating a love of learning, so enjoy it! Relationships have to come first, so make the home a place where children love to be and where learning is fun! A wise friend of mine gave me some good advice this year, she said, “remember, a little goes a long ways.” And she’s right: we don’t have to spend hours every day torturing ourselves and our children with “education”. Life is full of learning opportunities—give everyone the time and the freedom to make the most of them.
4. Simplify. There are several subjects that can be studied together as a family. Doing so will simplify the day and create stronger family bonds. History, science, geography and literature are great subjects to do together. (Not that all those subjects need to be done every day or even every year, remember, prioritize!)
5. Guard school time. I’ve found over the years that if I don’t block out my mornings, we never seem to get any work done. It’s easy to let doctor’s appointments, visiting teaching, and errands crowd out our studies, so I have to be firm about protecting that time.
6. Put the Lord first. Always start the day with devotional. Even if it’s a simple song and prayer, the day goes much smoother when we ask for His help first. When you are trying to figure out what subjects to study and how to reach each of your children, ask Him! He loves them and He knows them, He will guide you as you strive to do what’s best for your family.

And now for the nitty, gritty. Like I said before, every homeschool family is different, and everyone has to find what works best for them, but just as an example, here’s a look at my “day in the life of a homeschooler”.

7:30 Everybody up, breakfast, dishes, get dressed.

8:30 Devotional

8:45 History

9:30 My high-schooler goes to release time seminary. My middle-schooler works independently on his math, typing, literature, and writing. I do math and language arts with my elementary kids.

11:00 My elementary kids are “done” for the day. They play while I help my middle-schooler with any questions. My high-schooler starts on his independent work; math, literature, typing, and writing.

12:00 Lunch. After lunch we work on a read aloud book together.

1:00 My middle-schooler moves on to his “elective subjects”: computer programming, building projects, reptile keeping. My high-schooler finishes his work and moves on to his “elective subjects”: art, origami, reading. I read out loud with my younger kids.

2:00 Time for lessons, sports, friends, scouts, and errands!

This is a typical day, but many days are far from typical. Sometimes we decide to blow off school for a day at the park, or if we’re all sick, we just lay around and watch movies all day. Successful homeschoolers need to plan and be flexible. So, take a deep breath and enjoy each day in this homeschool journey!