Comments on: “Back to School” Becomes “Leave to Learn”

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:22:36 +0000

Hi,
It’s fun to read your blog since we just returned from an eight-month trip in our VW van with our 7-year old. We even travelled with the Bodeswell family for a week, so I came to your site to read the interview with them.

Now our daughter is having some trouble integrating back into school, but that’s partly because school is in French and she spent the year learning to read in English. I’m still glad for all the amazing things she learned during our trip, things she will remember all her life.

By: Denise Meredith

Denise Meredith — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:46:03 +0000

Sarah, the best teachers don’t “dump information into their heads” anyway. We are not all-knowing. My philosophy is that teachers are guides. We provide the experiences in a variety of ways (written, oral, kinesthetic,musical…) and it’s the kids themselves who assimilate the information and construct their knowledge. I think you are right on track. I loved your reference to the museum incident. It’s so true that we try to control learning situations to work for our needs rather than our kids’. Keep me up to date!

By: Heidi

Heidi — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:59:26 +0000

Sarah-
Just wanted to say Hi! and give you support. Know that I’m following your blog and think it sounds terrific! We’re about to move back to New York, and talk about our “re-entry” all the time with the kids, especially Helena (9). They are excited to go back, and at the same time are realizing what an amazing time we’ve had together: so much new stuff that we’ve discovered as a family in just one year abroad. You have a more mobile plan than we had, but the journey is great, just to get away for a while. How lucky you are to have such a cooperative school, and great touchpoint every week! Fantastic resources available to you. We coordinated with our school in New York what classes the girls would be taking so that when they returned they would not be behind either, and I hope we did alright with that, but whatever they may not have learned exactly, they definitely learned other things which I couldn’t have planned or predicted. We are here for another 2 and a half weeks, and then it’s back home….I can’t believe it! All the best to you, Morgan and the kids!!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:47:49 +0000

Carolyn, thank you so much for your wonderful comment … I agree with what you say, and it strikes me how much you sound like my wise brother; that is, I think he would say we should fully homeschool as you describe, as opposed to the hybrid we’re doing under the school district’s independent study. But since we want the kids to re-enter the schools when we get back, we feel it’s best to do the independent study and cover the core material for their 6th and 3rd grades. That said, I think we can do it in a way that is pretty close to the style you describe and thus gives us many of the benefits of homeschooling for at least a year.
I definitely will follow a key piece of your advice (which also is a principle of Positive Discipline): to involve the kids in the planning and prioritizing of their learning, so that they can “own it” and have the responsibility and pride of it. On a practical level, this means Morgan and I will figure out on a month-by-month basis roughly what units/lessons/areas of study the kids should be covering to get through the bulk of material we all agreed to cover for the year; but we will have weekly family meetings to let them take the lead in planning what we’re going to do week to week. I really like what you wrote re working together to set a weekly agenda and leaving it to the boys to fulfill it. I also love the interdisciplinary nature of how your kids are learning, which we will try to emulate. Finally, I really appreciate the reminder that I am the kids’ “guide, advisor and facilitator,” not a teacher in the traditional classroom sense; I am there to help and guide when/if they need it, but I really need to step back and let them take the initiative in their learning. The value for me of doing this blog post and hearing from you and others is it has bolstered my confidence to have the flexibility, creativity, and trust in the kids and myself to do it.
We have so much to talk about … I can hardly wait until January to see you!

By: Carolyn Kirkpatrick

Carolyn Kirkpatrick — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:36:22 +0000

Hi Sarah,

As you know, our family is in our first year as homeschoolers. So many thoughts but first don’t try to re-create school, that is for the masses not individuals. Let Colly and Kyle plan participate and “own” the schooling plan.

Have you thought about doing a unit study type of curriculum where they get to choose a study topic that interests them and you can help them choose writing, literature, history even mathematics related to their topic of interest. In addition to the 3 traditional R’s, focus on research, reasoning and recording.

I develop an agenda with my boys for their projects and assignments for the week. We review their agenda and then it is their responsibility to stay on task and finish their work seeking assistance as needed. For my ten year old we review the agenda at the end of the week and both reflect on his progress. For my nine year old we review each day, as he needs a bit more guidance and structure. Sometimes we make a daily schedule of tasks. But I let both boys plan how long they think their agenda items will take. Very quickly they become astute planners of their day and work. When they are focused and
motivated, they will increase their free time for themselves.

Remember now that you are “out of the classroom” you have time and opportunity to get away from worksheets and do exploratory and reflective work in all disciplines. For example, while we traveled we read literature that linked to our locations. When we visit ruins we sometimes spend a good part of a day at one site drawing and imagining a long ago world. A worn pair of stairs stone steps alone with a few stones of a foundation can become the beginning of an drawing or a short story as we tried to piece the ancient world together in our imagination using facts we have researched. Right now we are studying the European colonization of NZ and Colin has just written a fictional story from a young Maori boy’s first encounter with European explorers. To make his fictional story authentic he is incorporating all his research from our trips to the Waitangi Treaty grounds, local museums as well as fiction and non-fiction we’ve read. We seek experts on his topic to consult. He has to be knowledgeable and prepared for his informational interviews of these experts.

I am rambling, but the take home point is to have fun, explore, and give Colly and Kyle choice, ownership and responsibility for their learning. Be a guide, advisor and facilitator this year.

On a “fieldtrip”, give the kids/students a task for the day. If they are doing a certain project can they do some research on their topic? Or can they do a “treasure hunt” searching for some interesting facts. By the end of the day, can they explain… can they find examples of…Do you remember Chuck Warren’s physic days at Magic Mountain?

By: Devin

Devin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:46:05 +0000

Simply exposing kids to a different culture is huge educational benefit. I learned more Spanish with one month in Mexico than three years of classes.

By: Suzanne Carrier

Suzanne Carrier — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:07:27 +0000

Another terrific post, Sarah. Your honesty just makes me smile. That thoughtfulness and willingness to admit when you’re getting it wrong make you a great parent *and* teacher. It’s going to be a great year. Lucky kids.

By: Martha Howard

Martha Howard — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:16:35 +0000

Hey Sar -

Merritt has strong feelings (mostly pro, only a few con) about her homeschooled high school experience. She is exclusively amongst homeschoolers now at this point in the conservatory/pre-pro level travels of her ballet world. I have to say from a parent’s perspective that her peers are some of the most well-spoken, confident, independent thinking young people I have encountered (as is Merritt!). Homeschooling can afford so many unique opportunities. Embrace this year and let go of the expected. Let your kids stretch. You get to go back to the traditional soon enough. The “Three Rs” will be fine. What you are supplementing their education with this year is immeasurable. You will be a great teacher so relax and enjoy. No worries!

Love you – Martha

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:35:54 +0000

Jasper, thank you so much for your vote of confidence and sage advice. What are you, a rocket scientist or somethin’?
FYI to others — talking to Jasper during a long run, and hearing about his homeschooling background, helped inspire our trip. This guy is a world-class ultrarunner and research physicist at Cal’s Space Science Lab.

By: Jasper Halekas

Jasper Halekas — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:44:34 +0000

Sarah,

Have faith that the experiences your children will have on this journey will stay with them all their life – unlike most rote schoolwork, which is forgotten in a few years at most.

Funny that you name-checked Helen Hegener. I grew up about fifteen miles from the Hegeners (where I was homeschooled completely up to age ~14).

-Jasper