Homeschool: Why What How

Welcome!

2009-03-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

"I wish I had had [Homeschool:Why What How] when I was homeschooling my (now grown) children!" Leigh Morton, Associate Minister, Bread of Life Christian Fellowship, Moundhouse, Nevada

Read Samples from the book...
Why do I homeschool?

What about Socialization?

Who Can Homeschool and How to Teach Art
Table of Contents for Homeschool: Why What How

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Why We Homeschool

2009-03-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.]
The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties. Noah Webster's Original 1828 Dictionary

There are many reasons we homeschool.

First and foremost, the Bible says that parents will be held accountable for what our children learn. We believe this means spiritual, moral, and emotional as well as academic education. We can give away our authority to teach, but never our responsibility for what our children learn. And if you want something done right it is best to do it yourself.

Second, we teach our own because we like our children and enjoy being with them. I would miss them if they were gone six or more hours per day. I want to keep it that way. Too many parents today, although loving their children very much, don't really like them nor enjoy their company. Modern society believes that a child is born perfect, or at least evolutionarily more advanced, and unless his parents ruin him, will grow to be an unselfish, productive adult. The Bible teaches that we are all born selfish foolish. God has ordained parents, fallible as we are, to mold our children into unselfish, productive adults, (Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6) It is not something that happens accidentally or by itself, but by careful training and attention from the parents. By homeschooling, we can institute this Godly training full time that will insure our continued enjoyment of our youngster's company.

Third, we believe God placed children in families for a reason. Society at large has acknowledged that orphanages are bad for children. They do far better in a family environment. Yet most of us send our babies to part time orphanages for thirty or more hours a week. The Bible says He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20) and Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. (Proverbs 22:15), and Be not fooled, bad company corrupts good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33) I can think of few things more filled with foolishness than a room with 30 eight year olds! Personally, I want my children to be wise, not destroyed.

The family unit is the perfect learning environment. If a child in traditional school has a problem in a subject, does the school send him to a room with fifty instead of thirty students so he can learn better? No, of course not. They send him to a tutor with one to four children in a class. Every one acknowledges that the smaller the teacher/student ratio the more efficient the learning process. Our children are not Fords. Assembly line education doesn't produce the best for each child, only a low average, at best. Each child needs an individual course of study in order to achieve their best. A home school parent has the freedom to tailor each child's education to that child's strengths and the world to draw from for resources. A traditional classroom teacher can only aim for the middle and hope to hit as many as she can; and then is restricted to materials approved by the local and state school boards.

Children are more mentally stable if they are not constantly changing major care givers/authority figures. The studies that have proven this were focusing on preschool ages. However, we do not believe that a child magically becomes able at the age of five to switch affection and respect frequently from one caregiver to another without harm. In fact, the only study I know of ever done to determine the best age for a child to begin to leave their home for long periods of time on a regular basis (go to school) concluded that a child should not begin before nine, and eleven is better! (Learning is different than going to school. Children are learning from birth and academics can start long before a child is ready to handle going to school.)

We also strongly disagree with the philosophies taught in public school today. There is no such thing as teaching without teaching religion and morals. The very act of teaching teaches that ignorance is bad, a moral statement (one most people agree with). Our public schools teach the religion of Secular Humanism (politically correct term for Atheism.) and situational ethics. Even if they have a Christian teacher, neither the teacher nor the child is allowed to speak of God or life's most important questions during class hours (Why are we here? What is the purpose of life?). Especially in History and Science, to teach without God is to teach there is no God. We want our Lambs taught Christianity and absolute, Biblical morals. The best place for them to learn this is in our own home.
From the most important to the least; Homeschooling provides our family with a great deal of flexibility. If we want to take a vacation, say in February, the children will not miss any school. We will take school with us, use the trip as a very long field trip, or count that as vacation time instead of the traditional vacation time. If my husband were to change jobs to one where he worked nights or weekends, we would simply adjust our school day to correspond to his workday. Our children would miss no Daddy Time.

From the book Homeschool: Why What How by Betty Tracy

What About Socialization?

2009-03-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

According to my dictionary socialization is,

The act of fitting for companionship with others. To make sociable in attitude or manners.

The fitting and sociable attitude I desire for my children is for them to know and use good manners, have a strong sense of self-worth, be able to resist peer pressure, and be capable of communicating well with a variety of age groups and personality types. Home schooled children usually score far better in all of these areas. And, I want them to be happy and involved in their communities.

Parents at home with their child can teach and model appropriate manners. Children in school only see other kids' ideas about manners, usually Do unto others before they do unto you or Who can be the grossest? Not my idea of very good manners. They will have to learn different when they reach the adult world.

A homeschooled child does not spend six or more hours a day being torn down, picked on, and teased by other children and even teachers; what would equal verbal, emotional and even physical abuse in the adult world. We, as a society, tell our children Well, that's part of life. Learn to deal with it while criminalizing this abuse in the adult world. I've got news for you. It doesn't have to be that way! A parent taught child receives a controlled, protected environment where they are encouraged to grow at their own rate, and are not belittled for the little differences that all human beings have from each other. Thus, most home taught children have a greater sense of self worth.

Since a home-educated child receives his daily approval from his parents he tends to form stronger bonds with his parents. He doesn't have to give in to peers to feel accepted. This prevents peer pressure and peer dependency (The need to be with and be approved by others your same age, outside of you family, in order to feel like you have any worth.)

A homeschooled child is communicating daily with a wide range of people; parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors, repairmen, store clerks, etc. A traditionally schooled child communicates with other children in their exact same age and socio-economic group (same income, same neighborhood, same school), when they are allowed to communicate at all. Most of their time is spent shutting up and sitting still so the teacher can talk. You certainly can't have thirty children socializing at the same time while the teacher is teaching. Pandemonium. Who do you think has better, more rounded communication skills?

Children learn how to handle, shall we say, difficult personalities by seeing their parents handle them. They really don't have to learn these skills from scratch. They can glean the accumulated knowledge of preceding generations; much the same way swimming is taught best, by example and careful instruction. Not by throwing them in and hopping they don't drown. Expecting them to learn how to handle difficult people by being with difficult people is like trying to teach a puppy how to protect sheep by letting it run with wolves.

A recent study of grown homeschool students asked them if they were happy, very happy, unhappy, or very unhappy with their lives. Homeschool graduates answered happy or very happy far more often then the general population. The same study also showed them to be far more involved in community and volunteer activities than the general population (and 75% of young homeschool graduate adults vote compared to 46% voters of the same age of the general population!). Colleges and employers are expressing a great deal of satisfaction at the quality of young adults coming out of homeschools. They are generally prompt, respectful and know how to think.

Parents can provide the right amount of time developing friendship skills that they feel are necessary for their child through Little League, dance classes, 4-H, etc. There is a greater danger of children being over extended and becoming peer dependent than under socialized. Different children need different amounts of outside activities. What might be unbearably too little for one child might be way over stimulating and exhausting for another.

The true test of homeschooling, especially its socialization, is whether homeschool graduates would homeschool their own children. The survey mentioned above also asked this question. The vast majority said yes they are or will homeschool their own children.

In summary, aren't all humans being socialized whenever they are in the company of other humans, regardless of age and relation? The question, then, is HOW you want your child socialized, not IF.

THE BIBLE SAYS :
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

In (Christ) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Psalms 127:3

And thou shalt teach (God's Words) diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:7

Fathers (Parents)… bring them (your children) up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

He that is not with Me (Jesus) is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth… Luke 11:23

...if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives liberally. James 1:5

I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Pray. God will guide. He loves you and your children and will provide for what you need in everyway if you will let Him.

From the book
Homeschool: Why What How
by Betty Tracy

2009-03-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Who Are You?
Why Do You Homeschool?
What Are Life's Most Important Questions?
What About Socialization?
What About A Diploma And College?
What About Handicapped or Gifted Children?
When Did Homeschooling Start?
Who Can Homeschool?
Can The Average Parent Possibly Teach The 3R's?
I can't afford to homeschool.
Shouldn't I Support Public School s By Sending My Child There?
Shouldn't I Send My Child To School To Be Light And Salt?
Wouldn't a Private School Better?
Does Homeschooling Cause Child Abuse?
How Do I Know They Are Learning What They Should?
How Would I Know What Grade Level To Teach Or What Grade To give My Child?
I Want To Homeschool But My Spouse Doesn't.
What is the Biggest Advantage of Homeschooling?
Can I Really Teach My Own Children All They Need To Know?
I've Decided To Homeschool. Now What?
At What Age Should I Begin to Teach My children?
How Will I Know What To Teach?
Where Do I Find Curriculum?
How Do I Start?
Can You Break Down Each Subject?
Prereading
Reading
Bible
History
Science
Composition
Grammar
Spelling
Penmanship
Math
Latin
Art
Music
Let's break this down by age group.
This Sounds Like a Lot of Work!
I don't have a school room. Where do I do my teaching?
How Do I Keep All These Books and Stuff Under Control?
I Have a Large Family. Can I Still do This?
Will My House Ever Be Clean Again?
When do I do everything?
How do I Get My Children to Do all of this?
THE BIBLE SAYS:

Who Can Homeschool?

2009-03-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

I believe all parents do teach their children, some just do it full time and some don't even realize they are teaching at all. Your child is watching you, and learning how to handle life from your example, whether you want them to or not.

I believe God has instructed all parents to be responsible for their children's education. My God would not tell someone to do something without giving them the skills and resources needed to do it.

I know not everyone can homeschool. Single parents, for example, need to do something with their young children while they work. But even then, they can and should be involved in the educational choices in their child's life. This is where extended family and churches should step in to help.

Most actual teaching is done by the mothers. You could argue that this is the more Biblical model. The book of Titus says for older women to teach younger women to be keepers at home while in another scripture Paul says that if a man provides not for his own, especially his own household he is worse than an infidel and has denied the faith. To this I answer that it is also the command of God that Fathers (from the Greek word pater meaning either father or parent) provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord. Legalistically speaking, both parents are supposed to do the teaching.

I actually believe that while it is generally easier for a woman to stay home (God made her to tolerate this life better than a man) and this may be the ideal, not all families are the same. Some situations require different arrangements. It is usually easier and financially better for Mom to be the one to stay home with the children. Some men do teach, though. I know of a couple of families where the father does all the teaching while the wife works. I also know of families where both parents work about the same number of hours so they split the teaching duties; Mom teaches Language arts, History and music, while Dad teaches math, Science and Bible, or Mom teaches Monday and Tuesday while Dad teaches Wednesday and Thursday with whoever is available taking Friday for example. In some families, the father just takes one or two subjects as his and mom teaches the rest. In my home, my husband is the Principle of our school. He sets the goals, provides over all guidance, and is my support (read that; shoulder to cry on and ear to bend. Oh, how many times I have agonized over a decision and he has found the answer in one clear piece of advice.) I take his goals and find a way to meet them that best uses my talents. I do the formal teaching, but he plans field trips on the weekends and conducts informal lessons and workshops. This works very well for us. We are all happy with it. Every family is different and must find their own combination that works for them. And as the children age, what works this year may very well not work at all next year; so stay flexible.

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

I believe that, next to a child's own parents, the greatest responsibility for their education lies with the grandparents. Thankfully, many grandparents take this seriously. Some do some or all of the teaching themselves. I think this is quite Biblical. If you fall in this category, then wherever I say parents in this book, just read it grandparents.

Others wholeheartedly support their children in their educational choices for their grandchildren. My own parents fall into this category. They have been a big help over the years aiding in my children's education whenever possible, whether through listening to my confused rantings as I tried to figure out the answer to a problem, letting me bounce philosophy and ideas off of them, enjoying curriculum shopping trips with me or taking over the music lessons when they saw I was too overwhelmed to do it right. Unfortunately, especially among homeschoolers, some grandparents are not so supportive. This is generally because they honestly love their grandchildren and want what is best for them. It is a scary thing to leave your grandchildren's future in the hands of amateurs instead of turning them over to the experts. Besides, they still remember the twelve inch, green spiked hair stage you went through not too long ago (relatively speaking). If you find yourself in this position, be as patient and pleasant as you can, explain your reasoning, and if necessary be prepared to change the subject any time education comes up, (I appreciate your concern, but this is what God has told us to do. How about some more bean dip?). If you can, sometimes it helps to let them help. Ask them too teach a course in their hobby or specialty, join you on field trips, or even wash your dishes for you occasionally, (odd as it sounds, I have heard of it working). Pray. God can and does change minds. I heard of one family where the grandmother hated the idea of homeschooling until a crisis caused her to need to care for her grandchildren, including schooling, exclusively for three weeks. Since then, she can't wait for the annual curriculum fair to go shopping with her daughter. A little experience went a long way.

The extended family (such as aunts, uncles, and cousins) and the church hold the next tier of responsibility. It is our job to make sure that the parents in our realm have the support they need to care for their children, physically, emotionally, spiritually and academically. We, as a church have failed if we have lots of fancy outreach programs, but the children in our own congregation can't read the Bible for themselves. This help could come in the form of housing allowances, homeschooler daycare (for single parents while they work or go to the grocery store), church sponsored libraries, consultants, and tutors, support groups, in some states private independent study schools, curriculum scholarships, co-ops, low cost private schools, and any thing else you could imagine that would help families fulfill their calling to make sure their children are properly educated. In the case of single moms, this is fulfilling the command to care for the fatherless.

Legally, there is some way to homeschool in every state. Contact Home School Legal Defense to get the latest information on the laws in your state and information on local support groups. You could also call local churches or newspapers to find the support groups.

How do I Teach Drawing?

2009-01-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

How do I teach art... Art is divided into two categories; skills and appreciation. I take care of appreciation with History. The library has many resources for studying famous Artists and their works. You don't have to study them in chronological order, though it may help your children to keep them in place historically better if you do. Then again, pursuing your and their interests may bring enough extra benefits to outweigh keeping everything in Historical prospective. As always, experiment and see what works best for you.

Most people have been taught in school and the media that art skills are things some people are born with and most people are hopeless at. This is not entirely true. Some lucky people are born with a natural knack for art, this much is true.

But art SKILLS are just that, skills. Just like any other skills they can be learned by anyone willing to take the time and effort to learn them. Can you write your own name? Then you can learn to draw.

I have used both Drawing With Children and the Drawing Textbook with my children. Drawing with Children teaches the Alphabet of drawing (lines; straight and curved and, circles; squashed or not) and how to look and really see how things look (not how they ARE, how they LOOK). For example, the top of a box is square, but it usually looks like a squished diamond; the top of a cake IS a circle, but it LOOKS like an oval (how flat depends on the angle you are looking at it from. This is called foreshortening.)

The Drawing Textbook (my favorite of the two) is a set of simple lessons teaching the rules of perspective, the Grammar of drawing, if you will. It begins with drawing a TV and progresses to a complex cityscape. Very simple and only $8.00. The library is likely to have the first book as well as other good resources to teach drawing with. I wouldn't expect the second book to be there. Check Farm Country or Sycamore Tree. The main key with drawing, though, is the same as with writing. If you want to be an author, write something everyday. If you want to be an artist, draw something everyday.

DRAWING RULES
Things smaller and/or higher look far away. Dark things look closer than light things. Overlap objects to make one look closer than the other. Shade the side of an object away from the light.

Painting is a different skill than drawing (you form shapes instead of outlining and you start in the back and work your way forward while in drawing you start in the front and work your way back), but it isn't really any harder. You can paint without knowing how to draw. Again most libraries have videos and books that teach painting, but the main thing to do in order to learn is to do it regularly.

I assume sculpting is the same, though I don't have nearly the experience with that medium.

Summary:
Learn to recognize the alphabet of drawing in everything.
Learn the Grammar of drawing (perspective).
Draw, draw, draw