Educating your kids – Educating yourself: First homeschool discussion evening at KAN centre Feb 15th, 2011 + more resources from March meeting

When I first met Jean Reed, our discussion touched on education. “The school system came around along with the industrialization”, she remarked. Jean and her family escaped the system by deciding to homeschool all of their four kids, later on putting together a business selling books, kits, globes, and reviewing the most inspiring resources they could find specifically for homeschoolers. Her husband created the first catalogue just for homeschoolers.

Coming from a country where home schooling has till recently been extremely marginal or nonexistent, I was excited to meet such an experienced elder well weathered in the subject, and decided it would be very worthwhile to have a discussion group for sharing the knowledge in this rural area of motivated young parents.

Jean was eager to host such a meeting, so we arranged it to take place as an opening event for the brand new KAN extension space at the back of the main church building. In the soft candle light, accompanied by some delicious food, we shared ideas and questions between a small group of local mothers. Jean was well prepared with resource materials and a compact handout of knowledge, also available from her at jean@brookfarmbooks.com.

UNSTRUCTURED FOR YOUNGER KIDS - GOOD STRUCTURE WITH INSPIRING MATERIALS

“Better Late than Early”, Jean stated in the beginning of our discussion, spreading an atmosphere of relaxation. “When your kids are ready to learn something, they’ll let you know.” Most of Jean’s kids were reading by the age of 6, apart from her son who struggled with reading until finally succeeding at the age of 9. Then, suddenly, he quickly evolved to a speed reader with almost perfect retention and at high school level! The standardized school environment would have been a catastrophe for him.

Jean mentioned that many kids need to be “de-programmed” if they are taken out of public school. “One of our kids loved books since she was very young but after exposure to school suddenly didn’t even want to see a book!” According to Jean, there is also no need or hurry for structured learning for young children. “They are busy learning other things”, she states.
Jean advises parents to find mentors for their kids in the subjects they don’t feel comfortable teaching. This could be done, possibly, without expenses by e.g. attending meetings of a local amateur astronomy club and the like. In other words, reaching out into the community which in itself is a good lesson.

Yolande Clarke shares her experiences on more structured but easy-going reading lesson materials. Her mom used to teach kids with Down Syndrome, and used a book called “How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”. With one of her older kids, Yolande began to use the program despite her first doubts of a structured coursebook . “It worked miracles – at 3,5 years, he was reading! Now with my youngest son Horace (2,5 years) we read 25 books a day. He loves even books meant for older kids!

TALK ABOUT STUDY HOURS

Tegan suggested that in our small but growing community, each family could take a morning leading a program for all the kids in the KAN Centre or in people’s homes. This would allow time for other parents to take care of other activities, give them a break, and it would give the kids a chance to spend time together. The cooperation involved in such an effort would create a tight bond between families with the sharing of their mutual responsibilities.

Jean recalls that the most hours they ever did structured work with the kids was about four hours a day. “Sometimes we un-schooled and everybody was really busy doing and learning their own thing. Sometimes we took up a more formal structure for a while, working e.g. from 9 am to 1 pm.”

Tegan has run a semi-structured pre-school for her own two kids for a couple of years now. “With Leona we began pre-school when she was around four.” Now Michael, 3, and Leona, 7, are both in their own homeschool.

HOMESCHOOL STUDIES HAPPEN ALONGSIDE LIFE

Many homeschooling parents are farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, or other people who work at home. Structured learning time can be allotted but most learning happens simply alongside life itself while gardening or other activities self-inspired by the kids. With resource books many kids find it easy to study on their own. They soon reach the ability to do things and have the confidence to function self-directed manner. Jean says that living in more rural or isolated areas often helps kids develop their own inner resources so that they have a much better idea of who they are as individuals much sooner than kids going through the public schools.

In the 1970’s and early 80’s big movements of homeschooling families arose, and some of them bear fruit today. Someone in our group remembers the Farm, which inspired thousands of young people in the early 80’s to pass through their site in Tennessee. Today, around 180 residents continue to live at the site, and among other things they still host a thriving tempeh business. As they grew up many kids from the Farm escaped swearing they never want to go back. But now many of them are in their thirties and suddenly cherish their childhood home. Many have returned to raise their kids in the same, familiar surroundings.
***
Another homeschooling meeting was held on March 6th, and the next one will be held in May. Please see coming newsletters for more info or contact Yolande babycowlickedme@hotmail.com or Jean at jean@brookfarmbooks.com. See below for resources!

HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS:

*Jean recommends The Question is College, by Herbert Kohl as a great book for developing your own philosophy of learning based on your own goals and lifestyle. Kohl does not take college as a goal in itself but asks questions of the reader so that each reader can determine if college is necessary for their individual goals. Written for teens and parents, Jean still thinks this book will aid parents of young children to develop their own philosophy of learning and define their own goals. (see more recommendations from Jean below!

*Shannon Herbert tells about her encounter with Last Child Left in the Woods - a book coining the term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ present in the kids of the present time. The book was received by Shannon and her partner, wilderness educator Jeff Butler as a part of an outdoor education package put together by Thomas Elpel, and sold through his online store “Granny’s Country Store” http://www.grannysstore.com/Experiential_Education/index.html
Shannon praises Elpel and his books to be amazing references for all things nature and primitive skills related.

The package now in question is called Connecting Children with Nature, and it includes
- Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young
-Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
-Sharing Nature with Children and Sharing Nature with Children II by Joseph Cornell
-Rediscovery by Thom Henley
-Classroom in the Woods DVD with Thomas J. Elpel
-The Educator's Empowerment Pack Tools to Reconnect Kids with Nature!
-Nature's Playground by Danks and Scofield

*Tegan recommends books by Jean George Craighead, featuring animals in their natural environments and people’s adventures alongside them. In these books, one can truly learn about the animals and their real habits along with enjoying an exciting storyline. The writer has experience as a naturalist since youth and does not “cutify” the animals in order to make them human-like.
*Yolande mentions a school called Wondertree in Vancouver, BC as a place where many of her friends went and share good memories of.

BOOKS SUGGESTED BY JEAN (all of these now available in the KAN center library!):

The Home School Source Book by Jean and Donn Reed.- The original catalogue compiled Jean's husband.
What Really Matters by David H. Albert & Joyce Reed - Thought-provoking discussions between two exerienced homeschool parents
Living is Learning by Unschooler's Network- Gives grade by grade idea of where kids "should be" in comparison to ordinary school curriculum. Grade guidelines also exist on "World Book" on-line for a typical course of study.
Have Fun. Learn Stuff. Grow. By David H. Albert.- Quaker family homeschooler tells about what his extremely talented kids have learned and done during their home school time. Features e.g. Albert's daughter, master class pianist who was invited to famous concert halls in NYC but was only willing to play for charities or just for fun - never professionally.
Homeschooling: Patchwork of Days - Share a Day with 30 homeschooling families by Nancy Lande- Variety of experiences of homeschooling families, study logs etc, to give an idea of how differently home- or "un"-studies can be organized. A follow-up on the same families has also been made 5 years later (not in this book, but one called the "Homeschool Open House)
The Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith- Practical information to help create a fruitful learning environment
Homeschooling and the Voyage of Self-Discovery by David H. Albert- "David always makes you Think, he's good in that way" (Jean Reed)
Alternatives in Education by Mark and Helen Hegener- A tour of different pathways and schools of thought in alternative education.
Good Stuff - Learning Tools for All Ages by Rebecca Rupp- Selection of learning materials
The Lifetime Learning Companion by Jean and Donn Reed- The freshest distillation of the author's knowledge, giving a wide overview of the options available for the non-conventional learner.