Help
With Your Rule
Adapting School Methods to the Person
Dear Holly,
I really am intrigued by your format and insight on homeschooling. I am seriously thinking of adapting to your suggested methods. I've been homeschooling for @ 7yrs. I have always been involved in co-ops and such as support, except for this year & we stayed home totally. I have generally followed Laura Berquists classical curriculum and this year for the first time I've done my best at following her day by day syllabi. It has been HARD but very insightful and some awesomely blessed moments. Its not so much the content as the juggle of grades, ages, teacher, mom etc. Getting what is expected in the syllabi completed for all 3 children with all 3 each day was nearly impossible for me. I did lighten up but reading your postings on homeschooling I could do a lot more lightening up.
More specifically I'm undecided about my 11 almost 12 year old boy. He is my oldest and is in 6th grade. He is very bright, athletic or energetic. I don't think or I know he was not very challenged, not because of content, this year which made him easily distracted and a big distraction for me and the other children. Plus with the lack of accountability he just doesn't seem to care. (especially if at the end of the day mom doesn't either!!) We were involved in a 2 day week co-op which was based on Laura Berquist curriculum. He had different teachers small classes and very faith filled. I think he thrived and he actually would like to go back. But that commitment for him is a commitment for all of us and I do love teaching or as you say tutoring my children. I think part of the reason he thrived at the co-op is because of the peer motivation. He is not a pretender he is a creator; my other children seem to be both. So he does not always want to "play"/interact with his siblings, so this need is not being met. He has always wanted to interact with the adults or have them interact with him. Case in point we have a project fair coming up he said he wanted to do something for it. We are studying Egypt. So he and I talked about it and discussed some ideas. He was gung ho at first and when I am actually doing something hands on with him related to the project he is interested but other wise he doesn't seem to have the interest on his own.
So the reason for this long winded personification of my son is that I was wondering, if he was your son how would you apply your method of homeschooling, practically speaking. I would love to see him thrive and be happy and challenged and love learning right here at home but I'm not sure where or how to start putting together what would pull that out of him naturally. I'm not sure I can or should, but your opinion and insight maybe a good discernment tool.
Labels: 4th P Parent, Homeschooling
posted by Holly at 2:30 PM
4 Comments:
Hmmm- your son seems 'social'. I have a daughter like that - they find it hard to motivate themselves without others around doing it with them - sounds pretty sanguine. Have you read "The Temperament God Gave You" by Art & Laraine Bennett??? It might provide you with ideas.
But secondly, is there anyone - anyone close or nearby - who participates in that co-op - who would be able to take your son with them??? He is old enough, and it would not mean a committment for all of you, if you could arrange this. Perhaps you could pray to see how this could be worked out - even if he got dropped by Dad in the morning of those 2 days at another homeschooler's - and you
could even take one of their children on another day or something...
But if not, when my kids are all working on things independently, they all do it around the same large dining room table - and I do my projects there too - so there is always company - perhaps this would help? YOu would still be there to say 'Hey! Good show!" as he worked and maybe you would be able to slowly 'wean' him of his need of company by being close and yet not doing it all with him
directly... I thnk the crux is he wants to feel like he is a 'part of something going on'
Also - I would also say - allowing HIM to choose the format of study - because you know - he may have other things he wants to do = so if he prefers to read and answer questions so he can get to building that castle out of Lego, well,,, why not let him? See if you can accomodate him on HOW to study - or HOW to learn - and have something he must produce - like a project or presentation or test or report or whatever - that he must turn in at the end to prove he has learned something... This could be tried with an initial project on a topic of his choice , within your larger study subject-
So, say for example - he studies more formally Ancient Egypt from a text or book - but for his actual 'project'- he could have his OWN options about what to do creatively - like build a pyramid or make a geographical map 3-D of River Nile
or a model of Egyptian tools or internet research re famous Egyptians or WHATEVER HE CHOOSES... This way, your basic material is covered with the book
(and perhaps a couple of videos from the library) , but the hands-on is HIS CHOOSING and HIS favorite aspect of Egypt... you become an idea-provider to get him thinking on his own- do you see?
You have decided the topic is Egypt, but HOW he does it and what focus he puts on his project is HIS. And you know what - maybe he only wants to do a small one or none! And is this wrong? Because you are already assigning the text and an oral discussion or written test or something like that at the end anyway...
You need to be able to distinguish between core material (which is essential) and enrichment (which is for a deeper encounter with a topic, but not
essential). If he opts for core - well, thats' OK too.
You have just accurately described my 8yo son. I read Holly's comment with great interest and hope I can apply some of the suggestions immediately and, and for sure, next year. I have read "The Temperament God Gave You." It just so happens that my son and I are pretty much opposites on the temperament spectrum. This is, I'm sure, part of our struggle. And while I have been aware of our personality differences, it is always a challenge to remember and work through our problems with this in mind (ie. thank you for reminding me, once again!).
Dear Holly,
I too have sons that are unmotivated. For my 13 year old, I am considering Regina Coeli. It is a Catholic online, interactive college prep school that sounds great. Do you know anyone that has used this? As for my strong-willed 7 year old, I'm at my wits end. He balks at every assignment and, "Hates school!" I know I need to persevere in schooling him and in being firm. I am in year 14 of homeschooling and he has a lot more energy than I do.
I think it is important to distinguish between content and methodology once again - WHAT he learns is one thing, and HOW he learns is another. WHAT he learns ought to be essential and THIS we can assign formally or informally, sequentially or randomly...(and I don't mean memorization, but exposure and comprehension).
And here, for essential content at age 7, you are looking at basic faith facts and knowledge of the life of Jesus, phonics and reading instruction, basic math skills and sums/differences to 20 by the end of grade 1 or 2... All other subjects at this age are superfluous and icing on the cake, in my opinion.
So that is CONTENT. But HOW he learns this content can be directly related to his learning styles (visual, kinesthetic, auditory) and methods that a boy would find more palatable.
Once he begins to experience success and enjoyment in school work, you can begin to bring back the more 'traditional' school skills- but at this early age of 7 years old, don't set yourself up for failure and daily battles - alter your methodology to suit his maleness (for much of the typical school methodology is feminine in nature...),as well as his uniqueness as a person:
- use more hands on supplies
- limit his writing and printing work this year initially
- use phonics/math games to replace drill sheets
- let him do models and posters for projects in social studies, science and history and religion
- tune into videos from the library, song tapes for math facts, etc
These are only some ideas...
Remember "Success breeds success." With my sons, I have used this motto to , at least, initially get them interested in school work.
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