tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post1728851550406874743..comments2023-09-08T02:39:21.112-07:00Comments on Jessica Snell's blog: homeschooling is school . . . but maybe school gets in the way, sometimesJessica Snellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17185831697537364088noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-35833071700140855902010-11-27T20:20:44.524-08:002010-11-27T20:20:44.524-08:00Queen of Carrots - thanks for the comment. Yes, I ...Queen of Carrots - thanks for the comment. Yes, I could see how you'd need to stop and address character issues that interfere with academics before you could, you know, go on with the academics. :) Thank you for another interpretation of what I'm hearing; I appreciate it.<br /><br />Amy, thanks for the encouragement and the observation that character and academics are intertwined. I think you're probably right, and I just need to think more about HOW they're intertwined, since what I'm hearing is so troubling to me. I'm trying to take the time to figure out what I think about this topic so that I'll be able to respond well to the views I disagree with, and not just be distressed by them!<br /><br />Amber - thanks for sharing your story; it feels like another piece of the puzzle to me.<br /><br />And thanks, Annie, for the encouragement.Jessica Snellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17185831697537364088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-74629120241920252192010-11-17T13:45:29.936-08:002010-11-17T13:45:29.936-08:00Thanks for thinking through this out loud.Thanks for thinking through this out loud.MomCO3https://www.blogger.com/profile/07231541513973893466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-74673928390875756452010-11-14T13:40:48.913-08:002010-11-14T13:40:48.913-08:00Something that comes to mind is what happened with...Something that comes to mind is what happened with my brother when he was in middle school. He had an absolutely horrible middle school experience where he was horrendously persecuted by a group of boys. The school was not willing to do much of about it, and one of the teachers was actually egging this group on. It was very, very bad and my brother started doing some self-destructive behaviors and finally my mom yanked him out of school and decided to homeschool him. She knew nothing about homeschooling as a movement or anything, so what they were essentially doing was school-at-home using the public school curriculum. They got absolutely nowhere in the first few months - my mom couldn't get him to do anything and he hated everything. After several months of this, my mom decided to back off on the academics a bit and give him different opportunities for learning experiences. In retrospect I think she could have gone a lot further than she did, but that would have entailed leaving the school district behind and she wasn't ready to do that. But still, even what she did helped and it started to reawaken his desire to learn.<br /><br />I know this isn't exactly what you're talking about here - the parents you are talking about are most likely not dealing with this sort of situation... but if character issues are getting in the way of being able to learn anything, then I am definitely in favor of jettisoning formal academics until the child is in a better place. Why spend huge amounts of time making school a battleground when instead the character issues could be improved and then formal academics could proceed with far more success and much less angst on everyone's part.<br /><br />And I think your second commenter has a good point - a lot of times learning something gets confused with checking off boxes and filling out worksheets... and any thought of fostering the desire to learn gets completely lost. And that is the real tragedy in any educational experience, no matter how much or how little knowledge manages to get crammed into a child's head!Amberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12689104216675201913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-8923303116430047952010-11-12T16:30:45.801-08:002010-11-12T16:30:45.801-08:00Lots of interesting comments!
Perhaps these women...Lots of interesting comments!<br /><br />Perhaps these women are heavily influenced by leaders in the early homeschooling movement - Dorothy and Raymond Moore. They believe in putting off formal education until 8-10 or even later.<br /><br />What is most important is that I think you have it right - offering a balanced environment. Academics are important. In order to see and know the truth, you do need a strong global foundation.<br /><br />One really cannot separate character development from academics. IMHO, an integrated and balanced approach will lead to a better integrated individual.<br /><br />BTW, this is one of my pet peeves too. I was appalled the other day when a fellow homeschooling mom was talking about college prep tests and how "our kids don't test well in math & science." Research shows differently and my daughter scored very well...and she loves the Lord with a maturity & passion that is deeply rooted. So, I think perhaps part of the problem is the veteran leadership. They preach the same thing in my area. <br /><br />As a veteran homeschooling mom I can say, listen to what the Lord is telling you and where He is leading. When we take the responsibility for the education of our children, the only accountability we have is to God. (I do know some have to show accountability to local officials.) I don't want to have to say, "but they said" when He looks at how I attempted to glorify Him in raising up my children.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954106861415671578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-30396788531490378172010-11-12T09:39:43.647-08:002010-11-12T09:39:43.647-08:00I think sometimes this concept is expressed in the...I think sometimes this concept is expressed in the context of a child whose poor character is affecting their academic work--i.e. the child who screams and whines over every new assignment. In those cases it may be better to focus on the character first in a different context to allow a more concerted effort and to keep schoolwork from getting a lot of negative emotional baggage.<br /><br />But I have seen it used as an excuse for not doing so hot academically. Honestly, though, most people who use it as such are not very academically inclined in the first place and tend to see academics as opposed not only to character, but to practical skills and the rest of life--anything beyond basic literacy tends to be seen as a set of meaningless hoops set by the state. I suspect their children probably wouldn't have a drastically better academic experience in most schools, either. But they will be far handier around the house than mine will ever be.Queen of Carrotshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03193758647591339890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-22992321396518747482010-11-11T15:30:27.321-08:002010-11-11T15:30:27.321-08:00Just because you're not talking about somethin...Just because you're not talking about something doesn't mean you're not talking about it...<br />But I could certainly still be wrong.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998777273465473514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-31947955879416249592010-11-10T08:47:46.575-08:002010-11-10T08:47:46.575-08:00Pamela - I like that idea! I think that aiming for...Pamela - I like that idea! I think that aiming for real learning as opposed to just checking items off of the list is a great goal. But these women were talking about ditching academics altogether when the need arose, so I don't think that's what they were getting at.Jessica Snellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17185831697537364088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-45961501178908264502010-11-10T08:46:36.906-08:002010-11-10T08:46:36.906-08:00Hi Matt - I've certainly seen that attitude, b...Hi Matt - I've certainly seen that attitude, but I don't think it's what's going on here, because these were moms who were already committed to homeschooling talking to moms who were already committed to homeschooling - in other words, they were talking about a danger that was particular to homeschooling, not to parenting in general.Jessica Snellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17185831697537364088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-67596956771684611882010-11-09T22:34:43.750-08:002010-11-09T22:34:43.750-08:00It seems to me the statement could be taken to emp...It seems to me the statement could be taken to emphasize the importance of actually learning the subject being studied instead of just doing the next workbook page because you need to check it off the list. Building a character of fortitude, perseverance and determination to learn well...that translates into the rest of life and character building in general. "The Core" by Leigh Bortins (CEO and founder of Classical Conversations) is an excellent book with a lot of food for thought for the homeschooling family on this topic.ooshelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174648073986115911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210913620206544383.post-70974268546080755712010-11-09T19:23:14.010-08:002010-11-09T19:23:14.010-08:00My first thought is that they see public schools a...My first thought is that they see public schools as offering no (or anti-) character development. The response tends to be to swing the pendulum to its opposite extreme...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998777273465473514noreply@blogger.com