Tuesday 4 September 2012

How do you know what to teach them?

How many of you home educators recognise that question?  Hm, it's one that goes round a lot, isn't it?  I think a lot of the time when people ask this question they are really thinking something along the line of: I wouldn't know where to start.  I think most people who ask this question are asking for enlightenment because they haven't a clue and are not judging our capabilities as home educators at all.

I can't speak for every home educator out there but from my own experience home educating, I was terrified about how much there was to teach them, how I would fit it all in before they were 18 and whether I would miss anything important out and let the girls down.  It seemed like such a big step I had to breathe through the anxiety.  Why did I carry on with my plans to home educate then?  Because I knew that whatever this unknown journey of home education was going to give them, it would be more than school would be able too.  Caring that much about my child and their future was what was spurring me on. 

So how did I go about finding ways to teach the girls? 
for the main core subjects, English, Maths and Science, there are so many resources out there you can find on and off the internet.  If you want more structure you can work through something like Schofield and Sim's workbooks which my girls have always found fun or the galore books.  It all depends on the personality of the child. 


With HB we are literarally all over the place, she has workbooks of many different styles, she gets a lot of the computer and then will pick up so much from life itself.  She loves learning through art mostly and of course board games.

As I have now been a home educator for about 5 years.  I have realised that I have been educated just as much as my children have.  I have learnt that children have a insatiable curiousity for life and love for learning how everything works.  If they are left to discover what is out there without pressure their capabilities to learn is so much more.  If you listen carefully, your children will guide you on what you need to teach them.  I think that so long as a child learns to read; understands the basics of maths; is shown that science is in fact fun, that it is all around us and so important in all that we do; if you take your children to museums, to libraries, explore music, art, the world around them; if you show them ways of researching information - your child will learn all they need to and not just that they will have such a hunger and desire to learn that it will never stop.

I think the real point is something I read the other day:  if you are not willing to learn, no one can teach you.  If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.  The other point here, equally important is that everyone learns in different ways - finding your own way to learn might be the most important thing to discover, before anything else.

I have many links I'd like to add to this blog but I've written it up on my phone, so I'm not sure how it works on here.



4 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa,

    Great post, I completely agree.

    I would be very interested in a post giving us an insight in to your day. For example...
    Do you have a set routine? Do you do certain subjects on certain days? Do your girls have chores? What do your little ones do while you 'teach' the older two? If that's what you do, or are you autonomous?

    I love reading blog posts giving a glimpse into other people's daily lives. I think I am just nosy.

    Looking forward to the next Monday meet up.

    Hannah xx

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    1. Thanks Hannah! I will look to do a post to answer all those questions very soon. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday too :) xx

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    2. Hi Lisa,

      This is the first blog post I have read of yours and I find it totally insperational :)x

      Janine x

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    3. Thank you :) I'm so pleased you think so! It means a lot to hear positive feedback from my readers :D x

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