The blog has been quiet because we have found a routine that works and we have literally just been getting on with homeschooling. We have found that piano music via YouTube helps to focus Ashlyn to get her lessons completed quicker. We have reduced the workload pressure which has mysteriously resulted in her getting through more work. We are slowly making friends within the homeschooling community. We are finally feeling quite settled but, of course, I should have known that wouldn't last long...
Half term <sigh> A time when I should normally be able to relax and not worry about people asking why Ashlyn isn't in school turned into a week where questions were asked almost everyday. So, here you have it. An answer to some of the questions that people have regarding homeschooling!
1. I am not teacher. I have never been a teacher but I am Ashlyn's mother. I have a determination in me to see her succeed in life. To see her reach her dreams. I strive for her to be everything she can be so I am committed to making sure she learns everyday! I am teaching her life skills as well as the National Curriculum requirements. It is tiresome prepping lessons, dissecting poetry to develop a love of it in her and working on ways to teach her Year 2 grammar when even I don't understand the rules of the English language. I do it nonetheless because anything less would not be good enough for her.
2. We are homeschooling in a semi - structured way. That means there are days when we stay home and work through workbooks or play Phonics and Maths games and then there are others when we are out of the house playing. We spend 2-3 hours a day on lessons apart from every other Wednesday or Thursday when we either go ice skating or to archery. These days are beneficial for creating an all round learning experience for Ashlyn and offering her the chance to socialise with other home schoolers. I came across this blog the other day and it boggled my mind her take on how little time is actually spent "learning" in a formal school environment. Whilst I celebrated that young children are allowed to just be children it also helps to raise an awareness of how our misconceptions of school can create even more around homeschooling.
3. Yes, I do believe homeschooling is better than formal education. I was guilty of believing it was a "hippy" thing where parents were just rejecting the middle class social system to allow their children to do their own thing. Wow! Was I wrong! It is so much more than I can put into words. It is something that you need to experience with your children. I never thought of homeschooling as something that was a good fit for us. Feeling forced into it was the best thing that could have ever happened to us as I have the freedom to explore our options. BUT I don't think it is for everyone! I struggle to see how Logan would get on in a homeschooling environment. He is so different in personality, weaknesses and strengths and his social needs are different too. It's not to say that I am not considering it but first and foremost, I am seeking what is best for my children.
4. Yes, I am still scared. Every morning I wake up with a sick feeling in my stomach and I worry about whether I am teaching Ashlyn enough, if I am allowing enough opportunities for her to be "Ash". I compare her to friends' children but then I hear her remember a snippet from a poetry lesson from weeks ago, I witness her making friends with strangers and I experience firsthand how so much more empathetic she is now and I know it isn't a coincidence but the fruits of her learning outside of a formal classroom. She may not read as well as others, she may struggle with maths but her creativity is being given the opportunity to bloom and that is worth more than any gold star in a Maths test or moving up a reading level.
5. Finally, I don't think homeschooling children are at a disadvantage to those in formal school. I don't think children in formal schooling are at a disadvantage to those who are home schooled. I think people get too caught up in comparing and judging. At the end of the day, my children learning and growing but still being able to be children is vital and what is most important to me. Regardless of where they are during the day, they are always learning, always absorbing things from their surroundings, from the people they interact with, through the mistakes they make and from their own cognitive processes linking up information with feelings and experiences. Life is about learning. Nothing is perfect. Children are constantly learning. Adults are constantly learning. We never stop learning. I have just become aware that learning shouldn't be limited to a building and certain hours during the day....
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