Oh, isn’t parenting fun? All the decisions. All the indecision. As a homeschooler, these lovely decisions continue. How will you school your child? What will that look like to your family? There are as many different styles of homeschooling as there are homeschooling families.
Homeschool philosophies vary widely. Some have tremendous details that answer all your questions. Some are free-spirited and provide a blank slate for your life. Below, I’ve outlined some well-known philosophies. I started with the extremes. Don’t be frightened off if they don’t resonate with your family. The middle ground is discussed as well. There is something here for everyone.
Some homeschool families choose to homeschool based on their faith. Others do not. Be aware that while some of these philosophies may be associated with a specific faith, they can easily be adapted to serve the needs of families with different belief systems.
Classical Education
A classical education is based on stringently training a child in self-discipline while following a “trivium” of learning. This “trivium” refers to the three stages of learning; grammar, logic and rhetoric stage. The grammar stage (roughly the elementary years) refers to the child’s inherent desire to acquire information. This stage is used to train the child to gather a vast amount of knowledge for use later in life. In the logic stage (roughly the middle school years) a child continues to acquire knowledge, but they begin to use logic and reasoning to categorize the knowledge. This is a time of analysis, of comparison. The rhetoric stage (roughly the high school) allows a child to take all of that knowledge and analysis and to apply it to the world. Communication and expression are key skills during the rhetoric stage. At this point, they are learning to speak with a voice that communicates, in an original manner, all they learned in the grammar stage and all they analyzed in the logic stage.
Classical education traces its roots to the ancient times. It is language-intensive, relying heavily on the reading of classic literature and original sources, rather than textbooks or videos. Families who choose this are seeking a superior education of mind and will.
Unschooling
A family who chooses to unschool believes that learning through life is the best education. The trappings of “school” are avoided. Children are encouraged and empowered to explore their own interests.
Unschooling is not about keeping children ignorant. Rather, it promotes the belief that children are supremely able to educate themselves. If a child doesn’t want to learn to read, they are not coerced. Unschoolers are confident that eventually the child will find a reason to read. A novel will draw their attention. A class the child desires will require their ability to read. Or, a letter from a dear friend will motivate the child to learn. Everything comes in its own time, in a natural manner, to the unschooled child.
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason wrote “Education is a discipline, an atmosphere, a life”. The Charlotte Mason style is often compared to Classical Education due to its discipline and extensive use of living books, or high quality literature. If is often compared to unschooling due to its emphasis on life, outdoors and delaying early childhood education.
When they do lessons, living books are used. Twaddle, or ‘junk food’ types of books, is avoided. Children are not tested. Rather they narrate (tell back) or do dictation (write down) what they have learned from a book. The appreciation of art, poetry and music is embraced by these families.
Families who school in the Charlotte Mason style enjoy much time in the great outdoors. They travel with nature sketch books and mom always has a field guide handy to identify whatever wonders the children find in their explorations.
Unit Studies
Unit studies involve gathering a wide variety of resources about a topic. The topics may be decided upon by the homeschooling parent or they may be suggested by the child. Then, resources are gathered and activities are planned. A unit study may include picture books, read-aloud books, non-fiction books, a relevant trip, an activity, a game, cooking, spelling words, math problems and anything else that can be found or created to relate to the topic.
Eclectic
Take a bit of classical, some Charlotte Mason, a pinch of unschooling. Throw in a unit study for good measure. Mix well. Enjoy.
This method is quite common. Since we all have our own opinions and lives, it only makes sense that our homeschool philosophy is a custom mix that serves our own family. After all, one of the greatest things about homeschooling is our ability to provide our children with an individualized education.
If you find the perfect philosophy, remember that just as your baby’s needs changed constantly, your children’s educational needs will continue to change and evolve. Use these philosophies as resources to draw from when you sense it is time for a change. They are simply other people’s ideas. Ultimately, you are in charge and get to decide how you will live and how you will school.
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