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
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