Monday, September 1, 2008

General Answers to Some Questions

For science, I use the Apologia series. You can find them at www.apologiaonline.com. They have a very complete program and the author is intimately involved with helping the students. There are multiple avenues for them to reach him for help: online, email, telephone,… The program is written in such a way that the Principle Approach method is easy to incorporate. And they have a fine support website for parents and students.

I use the Spalding method for spelling. You can find out more about that at www.spalding.org. I do not purchase grammar or spelling programs. I use this method for spelling and I teach reading and grammar through the Bible and literature. You can get a peek at the Bible as Reader (BAR) method in the Noah Plan lesson books which were written as an example of the Principle Approach method.

What you teach your individual children both in mathematics and science depends upon their individual gifts and aptitudes. Different school districts in the US vary in what they think is important. Whatever they feel is the most important is the plan for most students; however, that is not the best philosophy—even though they can’t avoid it since they have to plan for so many. My two sons are very different. We don’t plan their programs exactly alike. Michael has a more defined music program because he is musically oriented. Gabe is very athletic, so he has a more defined physical program. They haven’t shown their complete colors in math and science, but when they do, we will follow the same path with that. For example, if Michael shows a gifting in physics, we will allow him further study in that area. Our purpose is to fertilize the gifts that God has already planted in them. We work very individually with them.

Both your homeschooling and method choice questions are answerable in the same story. We started homeschooling because of the Principle Approach method. This is a method that is not found even among most private Christian schools—and definitely not around here. I started my education career in public schools. When we had children, I stayed home with them. When our youngest was old enough to start school, I was invited to work at a school that was ‘dabbling’ in the Principle Approach. Randy and I were convicted that God wanted our boys to be educated in this way for all their subjects. The only option was to school them at home since no one was teaching all subjects in this way here. It was a challenge because my background was as a high school teacher and my children were very young. I had to learn to teach reading as well as other subjects (my specialties were history and English).

We have all learned along the way. It has been an excellent journey for the whole family.

I know this sounds a bit crazy, but don’t worry so much about your children’s progress. The most important thing for them to learn is Christian Character. With Christian Character everything else will follow. They will advance beyond your wildest imagination when you place their Christian development first in their education. The people at RightStart are very good at leveling children; I would trust their judgment. And as far as finishing early—I don’t recommend it. Gifted children should work deeper—not stop sooner [my opinion].

How do I structure my day?...That has been a subject developed over time. With my background as a classroom teacher, I first thought that we needed to have a schedule just like one at a traditional school. That didn’t work too well. Family situations arise. My husband needs me to help him occasionally. We have other activities, like the coop on Wednesdays, Michael’s piano lesson, Gabe’s football practice,… And some days—like today—we just don’t have great days. The boys were tired and not as attentive. Some may think that they wouldn’t get away with that in a traditional school—yes, they would. When children are not as sharp as usual, they get passed over more. When you have 25 – 30 children in a classroom, you have no choice as a teacher. You work with the ones who are ready to learn. It’s more accurate to say they don’t get off the hook when they are working one on one at home. They may work more slowly, but they still at least accomplish something if the parent/teacher doesn’t give up. So what I’ve done is I have a schedule, but I don’t beat myself up on the days we don’t get to stick with it. Balance is the key—not legalism.