School planning can get quite messy!
That's right! School planning can get quite messy; especially when you get on the topic of curriculum choices and teaching methods.
It's a subject that can quickly divide a room full of confident homeschool moms and weaken the knees of those just starting to make those decisions.
But, one of the great and wonderful benefits of teaching our kids at home is that we always have the freedom to make changes for the better.
So, in continuing the topic of using the
Textbook Method in your homeschool, we need to look at the alternative methods that have become so prevalent today.
This is a difficult topic, for sure, because my intent is not to make anyone feel they are doing "it" wrong; but to simply give food for thought, especially for those who are teaching middle school through highschool.
Ok, let's just jump in here......and let me warn you:
this is a long post!
A large part of the homeschool community will say that learning should be fun and I agree with parts of this statement.
You see, as parents, we don't want to see our kids leaning over a "boring" textbook, brow sweating, eyes getting sleepy, whining and moaning about how they don't understand what they're reading.
So, as an alternative we have taken the basic content of what we're trying to teach them, and added all the fun elements we can think of.
In small amounts, in order to get a concept across to a struggling child, adding fun elements is great. I can remember making up tricks to remembering vocabulary words, when I was young. Or singing a song to remember history facts and dates (Columbus sailed the ocean blue.........).
But, we've taken it to the extreme now.
We look for curriculum that has masked the idea of learning; for fear that little Johnny won't want to learn, unless he's being entertained.
In essence, we've created little entertainment mongers!
In
Managers of Their Schools, there are many, many great statements pertaining to this idea that we try to make learning fun, but obviously I can't quote the entire book here, so I will share a few that really illustrate what I'm trying to say and you might consider buying the book to read the rest.
Learning is fun!
"Our concern is that if we make all learning seem like play because we think that will cause our children to love to learn, we may then produce children who will learn only if it is fun." "Will he not want to read the Bible because it isn't fun and entertaining?" (p.123)
Do you really want to teach your child that
all learning is fun? Because that's not actually true, is it?
As our children get older and the subjects get more intense, they will need to realize that sometimes you have to actually
read a text or a manual in order to get the information you need. They also need to understand that discipline and hard work are a part of growing and maturing. (Obviously this applies to the upper grades and not the elementary years. Although, self control and discipline can never start too early!).
What about
Learning Styles?
This is another area that has taken on a life of it's own. We have poured great time into creating and seeking out methods that cater to our child's style of learning. On a small scale and again, at needed times, I think this is a great element to add. But, are we really benefiting our child by NOT teaching him to persevere through other ways of learning?
Believe me......I've been a huge advocate of using certain learning styles when I hear a parent say that their child is "just not getting it." I think sometimes we have to look for that certain element that will make a concept clear. For instance, if a child has struggled in a particular area and just can't seem to grasp the concept, then consider using a video or song or game, etc. Whatever it takes to make the information clear and understandable. But, these alternatives should be in
addition to good, old fashioned learning; not in place of.
Can you relate to this statement?
"Having to discover a child's learning style and then have materials and time to teach that way presents a sometimes overwhelming burden to the homeschool mom and keeps the students dependent upon Mom as the teacher. She feels guilty if she doesn't take time to teach her child according to his learning style."(p. 30)
I don't know about
you, but I've been right there - guilt and all!
"Is it possible that learning styles facilitate a child's thinking that if something is difficult he shouldn't put forth the effort to accomplish it?" (p. 30)
Isn't this kind of like handicapping your child? If we continually cater to their preference of style, are we really teaching them with the broadest stroke and enlarging their ability to learn? I think we might be doing just the opposite.
One mom that the Maxwells quote in their book (p. 32) rejoices over the success she is having since switching to the Textbook Method:
"This was not the case in the past, which is why I would always change my curriculum and approach to homeschooling throughout the year - because I would want her to love school and be happy with what we were doing. I listened to those who would tell me that traditional curricula stifles my children's education and will make them hate school."
How many times have you thrown out a year's worth of curriculum (or shelved it) because it just wasn't working? I have wasted so much money and time, trying to find that perfect fit for my kids. (It's something you don't want to think about for too long, or you'll be sick!)
What I wish I would have done instead of catering to my kid's groaning and complaining, is this:
"When our children face challenging schoolwork, we can begin the discipleship process of teaching them to cry out to the Lord Jesus for help." (p.122)
Isn't that our job as Christian parents - to point our kids to Christ in all areas of struggle and need?
Our nurturing instinct, as moms, is to make things easier; more enjoyable, and not see our precious children struggle. I'm as guilty as can be!
But, where is the value in this? Will they grow and learn to turn to Christ, if we cater to their every whim and whine? No, they won't.
But, turning our eyes away from the kids for a moment, let's think about ourselves:
Let's get real - MOM's!
As I mentioned in Part 1, taking a more administrative role in our homeschools, allows us to be all the other things God has called us to be.
How many hours have you spent searching, researching, trying new things, creating the perfect activity, combing the library for the right book, or worse.......scrapping school for the day because you forgot to get the craft supplies? This is what happens when we try to re-invent the wheel! This is what we spend our time on when we are trying to create the perfect learning environment for our little angels!
And the stress! Let's be honest.....it's alot of work and time, to sit there and do the 15th page of cutouts, in that cute little lapbbook, when the rest of the chores are going to pot, because you don't have time.
The truth is - school is just ONE part of what we've been called to do. It's not the whole or even 90% of what should be taking up our time.
God gave us a man, a marriage, a home, AND kids, and it's our responsibility to find the balance between all of these areas.
So, before I go to preaching here, let me finish this post by giving a few reasons why you might want to think (and pray) about getting back to the basics of teaching:
*Go back to Part 1 and remind yourself that The Textbook Method is anything that is already put together, beginning to end, in simple format, that can be learned independently by your child.
*Remember that the goal is for your child to not only learn information, but to learn discipline as well. Watching your child read, learn, accomplish, and reach the end of something, will bring great joy to you and him.
*You will quit wasting time and money.
*You will be able to complete your other tasks as a mom and wife.
*Your kids will not have to wait to do school because mom didn't get to the store or library. They will know where their books are and they can pick up where they left off the day before.
*And, I don't know about you, but here's something I've often worried about: what would happen if I wasn't around (I hate that thought) to teach them anymore? Would my husband be able to buy what they need? Would grandma or your best friend know what to teach them? If our choices are so complicated that your husband wouldn't even know how to take over, is this really the best choice for our family? It's something to think about when your are customizing school to a ridiculous extent. It's not a pleasant thought; but a realistic one.
Here are my final thoughts on this:
Over the years, I've always been the one (out of a few key friends) who struggled the most with curriculum choices. While my "textbook using friends" were plugging along in the traditional methods, I was trying to create, invent, customize, etc., and I was always the one changing mid-stream.
The sad thing is, my boys wanted structure and routine. They voiced that to me in several ways, but in trying to keep learning fun and interesting, I would end up spending countless time and money doing just the opposite.
Well, I'm a slow learner, I guess.
But, what I've realized is that the CORE subjects need to be taught with consistency and the ELECTIVES and extras can be taught with fun.
Every day I need to expect diligence, effort, and learning from my child. And, when he comes upon a stumbling block, I'll point him to the ONE that can help him in all things.
And, at the end of the day, we will all know that we've done our best and we overcame challenges that we faced and we'll be better equipped to face the next.
It's something to consider......
Thanks for reading! I know it's been long:)
