I am somewhat saddened to announce that we can no longer call ourselves homeschoolers. Our daughter started public school back in September, and some of you may know that our son has been back in school for two years now. It has been a good transition, and I am certain it is the right decision for our family at this time. I did have a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact that we are no longer part of this elite group of amazing, interesting, cultured, and forward-thinking families, but I’m okay now. :-)
Our daughter was excited about going to school, but at the same time a bit nervous. In her mind, we didn’t do geography, science, or history, so she was worried she was going to be “behind” academically.
It’s true that in the four and a half years we homeschooled, the only formal curriculums we followed were French and Math, and even those were not as consistent as I had hoped. However, I explained to her that it may not have looked like school, but we did cover everything they do in school and much more in our daily lives. We discussed current and historical events, we went on trips, visited museums, and turned our entire existence into a living classroom.
At the time of school registration our daughter was 10 years old and would normally have gone into grade 5. She’s very bright and we wanted her bumped up a grade, which required having her tested. She did extremely well. She scored at a grade 11 reading level and a grade 9.5 math level, so the school board had no issues with bumping her up to grade 6. She’s actually only the 3rd student in the entire school board history to skip a grade other than kindergarten. Since starting school, she’s done very well socially and academically; she is even holding her own in French, despite that being her most difficult subject.
Her brother also scored “extremely well” before entering Secondary 1, but I have not been able to get the official results from the school board, even though they promised to share them with me. I strongly suspect he scored at a college level, which may be why they are giving me a hard time about getting the results.
What my daughter did not understand is that once you make the decision to homeschool, something changes in your thought process. You realize that you are suddenly responsible for your child’s entire education (which can seem scary at first) so almost every conversation naturally evolves into learning moments. You can’t help but discuss why President Obama’s election was a historical moment, how oil spills affect wildlife, and where Uncle Jack lives and how far away that is.
Each of those moments is a lesson, even though there is no classroom, no teacher, no line-ups for corrections, and no after-school homework. Since the conversation is relevant and engaging – and often initiated by the child – he is eager to learn and absorb the information at hand. Since it’s an open dialogue that unfolds like a story, it keeps him focused. Since the child is receiving one-on-one attention from a parent or loved one, the child is being fed emotionally as well as intellectually. Once the conversation is over, the child typically has some free time to reflect on these new ideas and concepts, either solidifying the knowledge or prompting more questions so that the cycle can begin again. In my opinion, this is the ideal learning environment.
When you add all of these teaching moments together, the child is receiving hours and hours of instruction every week, and has no idea that she is being taught. She is living life and learning directly from it, absorbing everything like a sponge, instead of rebelling against it.
For us, homeschooling was not an easy lifestyle to choose. My husband and I were both raised in main stream families, so it seemed like such a big decision at the time. The biggest challenge was being so geographically isolated, but we found ways to work around that and make the best of what we had available to us.
I will always consider our homeschooling journey a successful one. Not because both of our children tested very high by traditional academic standards, but because our children are well-rounded, mature, confident, interesting, and passionate people. They have a strong foundation that will hold them up when they are facing difficult times. They know how to learn, they enjoy teaching and helping others, and they are able to think about the world outside of their own. They have taught me so much in the last four and a half years… mostly about myself, human nature, and the resilience of children… and I will never regret the extra time we spent together.
So, with that, I say so long. I will leave this blog up for others to read, but I will not be adding any new posts. Whether or not we decide to homeschool again in the future, I will always consider myself a homeschooler at heart.
I wish you all the best in your homeschooling journey and hope that you will find it as rewarding and fulfilling as I have.
Warm regards,
Kim, aka LadyBugAbode
Kim, aka LadyBugAbode
