Limitless Potential

A Collection of homeschool philosophies and methods, shared by the people who live them.

 There are many, many ways to educate your children outside the traditional brick and mortar public school in Idaho and even two families who share the same ideologies will implement them differently! While DHSA does not endorse any particular method or philosophy, we feel it is important for families to know what’s out there, explore the diversity of homeschooling options, and to find like-minded educators. If you would like to contribute to this column, please contact me at dhsa.news@gmail.com for submission guidelines.

Unschooling

by Dayna Baldwin

Hi.  I have 4 children ages 12, 9, 6, and 2.  I unschool.  

Unschooling is a way to educate children at home, within the family context. It does not ‘look’ like school.  It is an educational method and philosophy that rejects compulsory school as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, game play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, believing that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood and therefore useful it is to the child. While courses may occasionally be taken, unschooling questions the usefulness of standard curricula, conventional grading methods, and other features of traditional schooling in maximizing the education of each unique child.

 Unschooling is when the child takes the primary responsibility instead of a parent or teacher.  It is also called child-directed learning or self-learning. Under unschooling education, parents may act as “facilitators” and may provide a wide-range of resources to their children.

 Unschooling will look different in different families, and "radical unschooling" simply means extending the philosophy of unschooling (that children will learn what they need to know when they are ready and want to learn it) into every other aspect of life (i.e. children will go to sleep when they are tired, eat when they are hungry, and will learn to be a functioning, helpful member of a family/household without being forced/required to do things like chores, given punishments, limited on tv/videogames, etc.) Radical unschooling could also be called Mindful Parenting, or respectful parenting (although one could be parenting mindfully, and their children attend school).  

Unschooling is a term that the late John Holt coined in the late ‘70's to describe learning that is based on a child's interests and needs. Unschooling does not begin with a parent's notion of what is important to learn and then turn the choices of how to learn the content over to a child. Rather, it begins with the child's natural curiosity and expands from there. Unschooling is not "instruction free" learning. If a child wants to learn to read, an unschooling parent may offer instruction by providing help with decoding, reading to the child, and giving the child ample opportunity to encounter words. If the child is uninterested in these supports, the parent backs off until the child asks for help. The most important thing about the unschooling process is that the child is in charge of the learning, not the adult. Unschoolers often do no traditional school work, yet they do learn traditional subject matter. They learn it as a natural extension of exploring their own personal interests.

Idaho Virtual Academy

by Corrie Munson

The Idaho Virtual Academy (IDVA) http://www.k12.com/idva/home#.UVtyUTeNDdY is a tuition free public school that serves students in Idaho for grades K-12. IDVA uses the K¹² curriculum. All books, a computer, lesson plans and some supplies are provided.

We've been participating in IDVA for 9 years and using K¹² curriculum for 11 years. K¹² history, science and art have been their favorite subjects. We have had great success with the school. Three of my children are using/have used it. It works well for us. In the lower grades, when my children were young, we worked through all of the subjects every day together. They learned the program and the expectations.

As they got older, they could do most of it independently. By the time they got to high school, they were very independent and self-motivated. I served as a learning coach. IDVA has greatly impacted my children's life, their education, their confidence, their ability to finish things, their ability to compete, to test, to communicate in person and online, and to seek new areas that interest them and further their knowledge. It prepares them for the future. It hasn't been easy. They've had to work through tough courses and a couple of mediocre teachers. That's part of life. We didn't give up or switch when it got hard; we worked through it.

It is an online public school at home. In grades K-8, you have a contact teacher that you work with. Contact with them is minimal if you're doing what needs to be done. We talked to our teacher about twice a semester. If you need more help, the teachers are more than ready and willing to assist.

In high school, the students take state required courses and have many electives to choose from. They can also take AP and concurrent college courses. In high school, there is a teacher for every course. Students take required standardized tests. There are local outings and groups to participate in if wanted. Graduates receive a state diploma. Online learning is still new; the curriculum has changed over the years to better help students.

IDVA has given me peace of mind that they are prepared for higher academic pursuits, while at the same time, they were able to focus on personal interests and have more family time.

I-DEA

 by Janet Cox

(Idaho Distance Education Academy www.idahoidea.org) is a virtual charter school. Virtual charter schools are free public schools where the students complete their work at home. I-DEA gives you an allotment for each student ($600 for K, up to $1500 for high school). You spend 1/2 of that money (or more) in their curriculum catalog buying books, magazines, supplies, or renting an ipad or computer. Non-consumable books have to be returned to the school when you are finished, but you keep any workbooks, art supplies, science kits, etc. The other half of the allotment money can be used to pay for lessons or activities like music lessons, sports lessons, or admission to plays or museums. (You pay upfront for the lessons, then fill out their forms to get reimbursed.) They also offer optional classes/virtual field trips in Boise on Fridays. 

I have used I-DEA for 8 years. Each family is assigned a contact teacher that you send a monthly report to. This is just a summary of what we've been doing and usually takes me about 10-15 minutes per kids. My kids take the same tests as other public school children and twice per year, we meet with the teacher to show her a portfolio of work samples representing the different state standards. High school also requires monthly anchor assignments in each subject, some of which can be time consuming, but I felt most were valuable. Students earn regular high school credits and a traditional diploma. In their jr and senior years, I-DEA will also pay for college classes, I can also buy and use my own materials for subjects where they don't offer the curriculum I want to use, like Apologia Science. They also pay $35 per month toward our Internet.

I-DEA is generally pretty easy to work with if your children are at or above grade level. They give you a lot of freedom to teach how you want and allow you to buy higher level materials to best meet the needs of your child. If a child is struggling or has special needs, they offer lots of “interventions,” some of which are helpful, most of which we found to be a hassle. 

There are more hoops to jump through than independent homeschooling, but I have found the trade offs worth it. It makes homeschooling free to me and gives my kids additional opportunities I would struggle to afford. It is not the right option for everyone, because you do have to cover the state's standards, schedule tests, and submit work samples. If you have questions about I-DEA, you can visit their website or email me, Janet Cox, at janetcox123@gmail.com

Why We Use the TJEd Model for Our Family’s Education 

by Emma Beck

As a high school senior I became disillusioned about the fidelity of the school system I was graduating from.   I distinctly remember feeling that I had become GOOD at a lot of things, but I was not truly GREAT at anything.  I started college feeling lost and unsure.  What I needed was a mentor; someone who could guide me through the world personally by introducing me to the classics.  Someone who could help me to become GREAT!

Oliver DeMille started a movement in education almost two decades ago.  He named his philosophy the Leadership Education Model or Thomas Jefferson Education.  Five years ago, he spoke at a seminar I attended.  He challenged us as we left, to go home and read classics books, find like-minded people, and get together regularly to discuss our thoughts.  Plunging into the unknown, I started a book group called “Mothers Who Know” that meets once a month.

 

Studying the classics regularly brings you face-to-face with the greatest minds in history.  This process will change and inspire you to become better.  If I am going to mentor my children in the classics, I need to know them intimately myself.  For instance, when I studied Les Miserables this last fall I read the book, watched the movie, listened to the CD of the musical driving around town, attended a live performance of the musical, and discussed it with my book group.  My children now have a great love of Les Mis, because I exemplified a great love of this story.

Studying great classic works can be hard work.  If the home is filled with distracting media, it may be difficult or impossible to study.  Thus, my family has opted to not have a television or any videogames in our home for the last four years.  Our children are allowed to be “bored” on purpose.  They have to find their own fun.  Without distracting media in our home, I am able to fill that space with great things.  Memorizing and reciting poetry, studying the Suzuki method for violin,  Spelling to Write and Read, The Life of Fred math series, gardening, swimming, reading and listening to classical stories for children, canning, and serving others in our community keeps us plenty busy.

The Thomas Jefferson Education model does not offer a specific curriculum. It is a philosophy and a way of life.  DeMille identifies different phases that children go through as they develop.  Each of the phases has specific goals that help our children to become the best individuals they can be.  Young children need to learn a set of core values.  Older children should establish a wonderful love of learning with different strategies of how to approach studying classics. Teen and young adults dig deep into great works and learn to keep commitments as scholars.  Through succumbing to a mentor and exposure to the classics, children can’t help but become not only GOOD, but GREAT!

 Emma Beck  

e-mail:  richemma26@yahoo.com

web page: motherswhoknowread.blogspot.com