How to make a curriculum work for you
Make a curriculum work for you
Following from my previous post about carving out me time, this post continues to consider what kind of lifestyle we would like for our children and for ourselves. Here I think about hopes and goals in relation to employing a homeschooling curriculum. The main key here being how to make a curriculum work for you.
https://thereisnoshouldbe.com/carve-out-me-time-in-homeschool/
Hopes and goals
What would you like for your child? There are the core subjects. They’re not really negotiable. After that the options are endless. There are wider subjects, endless languages, music, art, instruments, home skills, horticultural skills, wood working and science experiments. There are field trips and social trips. There are extra curricular opportunities, so many of them. How will they get sufficient grades. Will we use a credits system? There are so many educational routes we can take. Whatever we decide, it really has to be about how to make a curriculum work for you.
Unschooling
I know there is the unschooling approach. It sounds wonderful for children who are inspired to learn and seek knowledge. For me, I think we’d get through the day, week, term, year, and find we never quite put our head to the core basics.
Sense of agency
But truly, what we hope for for our children is well balanced, interested, invigorated children. We hope for children who know how to enjoy down time, and who know how to apply themselves and feel and respond to a sense of agency.
Working with a curriculum
Choosing a curriculum that teaches the core subjects, maths, English, spelling, writing, sciences and social studies needs also account for the fact that not all children will work the same. I have 3 very different children, and when we are using our chosen curriculum I have to take a different approach with each child.
Behaviour and attitude to learning
Have you noticed a correlation between behaviour, or misbehaviour perhaps, and attitude to learning. I have noticed this. It seems to stem from the same place. Where there has been a break down of trust, or an unwillingness to respect the authoritative figure, or an unbalance between adults expectations and the child’s willingness, the misbehaviour seems to stem from the same place as the unwillingness to focus and apply themselves to the education that we parents hope to provide for our children. The solution to the misbehaviour is always seeking to rebuild trust, become someone that the child can respect, and to marry our expectations with their capacity. Respect is not something that can be commanded. We’d maybe like it to be, but true respect comes from a place of willingness. I think there is a parallel with learning. Rather than be dictated by the chosen curriculum on how and when to implement it, the curriculum can be used as a resource. Make a curriculum work for the family and the individual. Us parents can use it in the best way that suits our child, and their present learning capacity, for the purpose and direction that we choose.
Motivation
Motivation is a transferable skill. Motivation to have a positive attitude, motivation to pursue activities of interest, and motivation to learn – they all come from the same place. If my child is motivated to pack for a trip by the loch, inflate a canoe, and dip a toe in the water, that is building a motivated character. There are so many things an adolescent could be motivated to do. So many of them, with the right support, can develop motivation.
What were your hopes for homeschooling
After all, homeschool is very much more than the core elements of education. It allows to choose a lifestyle and relationships that build up. It’s not a castle in the clouds, and there are always hurdles and challenges. But there is space and choice involved in the equation. What are my goals and hopes for homeschool? Well family is a major priority, with empathy and care and loyalty for one another. Faith is another. Opportunity to invest in talents and interests is a priority, as well as valuing and taking pride in their home space. We count animal care as important in home education, instilling a sense of purpose and agency in the child. And finding likeminded people to build relationships with is hugely important. Getting bogged down in a curriculum is not always going to bring out the best in children who thrive in a homeschool setting. Of course education is vital, a child’s right even. But I feel quite reassured that using a curriculum as a resource and working at the pace and ability of the individual, even be it far less than the curriculum prescribes, is still far more than they would be doing in school, in our case whilst still navigation threatening and toxic encounters with peers.
Goals for the future
What are you hoping for in your child’s future? There are so many various, far reaching career paths that our children aspire towards. How can we prepare for their future? There is so much unknown. Surely the main point is to raise competent individuals who are true to themselves. They must be able to navigate a well balanced life, and value the people around them. They must be able to recognise character traits in themselves and in others so they can navigate their relationships and work environment properly. They need to be able to say no to situations that compromise who they are. We must raise confident and determined individuals. All this cannot be achieved by rigidly adhering to a certain method or curriculum. Make the curriculum work for you and your family. Imagination and curiosity are the best teachers.
Pingback: Should you homeschool - My Blog