What's Up With Homeschooling? (Part 2)
So to continue, previously I said that a lot of homeschooling strengths are also its weaknesses. There is a lot of freedom in how to use the time in homeschooling, and this is really what makes or breaks the system. See, you either (a) are able to use that time efficiently, or (b) everything falls flat.
Choosing good curriculum for courses is a part of being able to use the time well, but it is vital to not go overboard with all the options available. It's a jungle out there and the student needs a simple machete, not a chainsaw. Maybe that didn't make any sense, so let me try again.
The basics are math, language, science, history, and a few others. These are the framework of the education tower, but by choosing too constricting of a course, or by being overly controlling, that tower quickly turns into a pillar, full of coursework. A pillar is a whole lot less fun to climb. And when it's not fun, you might still do it, but you probably won't like it. If you don't like it, you're not going to learn as much.
When the tower is a framework, the curriculum is still there. The student simply has the freedom to swing around to different parts in the climb to the top, which really isn't the end, it's just a launch pad for their airplane.
Aagh. I've got to get away from the analogies way of explaining. The point is that students can often learn better when given the base subjects needed, and then allowed freedom in pursuing other interests. Public schooling can do this. But homeschooling, in my limited experience, is better situated to uniquely challenge each student. The weakness is that if no deadlines, or some sort of limiting factors are used, it is easy for homeschooling to become excessively relaxed. Don't get me wrong, a relaxed teaching environment can help build confidence in learning the beginnings. When there is no incentive, no reason to have the essay finished by Friday morning though, how easy would it be to simply look at the three-quarters done essay on Thursday night and say, "It's really late, and nothing unpleasant will really happen Friday morning anyway."
A benefit of public schooling is that you do get graded. I never have, personally. I've checked the answers to my math and wrote down, eighty-seven percent or whatever, but grading in my experience, is essentially not there. Because you get graded in public school, that paper needs to be finished before Friday morning, or else you'll get a horrid grade, or even flunk. This teaches perseverance, and the ability to finish things fast, even if not done to the best of their ability. In homeschooling you never flunk, you just fall behind.
This is one of the major differences between these two education options. In public school, the benefit is an incentive to do well because otherwise you'll suffer humiliation, low self-esteem, teasing, and a slew of negative results with failure. This is strong motivation. The danger is a good probability of growing to dislike, or hate school because of that, not a love for learning. I'm not saying there are no public school students motivated to learn because they love learning. What I'm saying is that the system doesn't exactly come across as encouraging in that way, at least to a lot of students, myself included of course.
In homeschool, the benefit is that when utilized correctly, students gain a love of learning. Ideally needing no outside urging or constricting threats of failure. They become like a dog without a leash, running off way faster than the teacher, and simply dashing back with the ball to show in triumph. It's easy for the teacher to praise then, and easier still for the dog to run even farther for a more difficult challenge thrown by the teacher.
Going back to using the education tower framework idea. The danger with homeschooling is that if the teacher doesn't help set up the framework at all, or even supply the materials for the student to start, the student will never learn a thing. Instead turning to the many much funner ways they see to squander their time. This is much worse, obviously, than public school.
So that's part two, and I feel like I've virtually talked myself out now.
Hopefully some of what's up with homeschooling is a little clearer now, or at least a little more intriguing. Thanks for reading :-)
Choosing good curriculum for courses is a part of being able to use the time well, but it is vital to not go overboard with all the options available. It's a jungle out there and the student needs a simple machete, not a chainsaw. Maybe that didn't make any sense, so let me try again.
The basics are math, language, science, history, and a few others. These are the framework of the education tower, but by choosing too constricting of a course, or by being overly controlling, that tower quickly turns into a pillar, full of coursework. A pillar is a whole lot less fun to climb. And when it's not fun, you might still do it, but you probably won't like it. If you don't like it, you're not going to learn as much.
When the tower is a framework, the curriculum is still there. The student simply has the freedom to swing around to different parts in the climb to the top, which really isn't the end, it's just a launch pad for their airplane.
Aagh. I've got to get away from the analogies way of explaining. The point is that students can often learn better when given the base subjects needed, and then allowed freedom in pursuing other interests. Public schooling can do this. But homeschooling, in my limited experience, is better situated to uniquely challenge each student. The weakness is that if no deadlines, or some sort of limiting factors are used, it is easy for homeschooling to become excessively relaxed. Don't get me wrong, a relaxed teaching environment can help build confidence in learning the beginnings. When there is no incentive, no reason to have the essay finished by Friday morning though, how easy would it be to simply look at the three-quarters done essay on Thursday night and say, "It's really late, and nothing unpleasant will really happen Friday morning anyway."
A benefit of public schooling is that you do get graded. I never have, personally. I've checked the answers to my math and wrote down, eighty-seven percent or whatever, but grading in my experience, is essentially not there. Because you get graded in public school, that paper needs to be finished before Friday morning, or else you'll get a horrid grade, or even flunk. This teaches perseverance, and the ability to finish things fast, even if not done to the best of their ability. In homeschooling you never flunk, you just fall behind.
This is one of the major differences between these two education options. In public school, the benefit is an incentive to do well because otherwise you'll suffer humiliation, low self-esteem, teasing, and a slew of negative results with failure. This is strong motivation. The danger is a good probability of growing to dislike, or hate school because of that, not a love for learning. I'm not saying there are no public school students motivated to learn because they love learning. What I'm saying is that the system doesn't exactly come across as encouraging in that way, at least to a lot of students, myself included of course.
In homeschool, the benefit is that when utilized correctly, students gain a love of learning. Ideally needing no outside urging or constricting threats of failure. They become like a dog without a leash, running off way faster than the teacher, and simply dashing back with the ball to show in triumph. It's easy for the teacher to praise then, and easier still for the dog to run even farther for a more difficult challenge thrown by the teacher.
Going back to using the education tower framework idea. The danger with homeschooling is that if the teacher doesn't help set up the framework at all, or even supply the materials for the student to start, the student will never learn a thing. Instead turning to the many much funner ways they see to squander their time. This is much worse, obviously, than public school.
So that's part two, and I feel like I've virtually talked myself out now.
Hopefully some of what's up with homeschooling is a little clearer now, or at least a little more intriguing. Thanks for reading :-)
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