Have you ever had an eye-opening moment from a source where you least expected it? (I guess that is why the “ah-ha” feels more amazing than it should in my situation….but I digress.) You see, I was talking with a public school teacher (here is where most homeschool bloggers grab their pitchforks, but I am not most homeschool bloggers….) because she is a friend of mine, teaches high school science (hello…someone get the lady a latte and a gold star right now!), and is a huge cheerleader for homeschool parents. I love sharing my heart with this particular friend because she seems to have a well-grounded outlook on education options without all the hang-ups of the “should’s, could’s and would’s”.
We were chatting about, how in my home, I am becoming aware of our arrival at a time in my kids’ education, where I need to begin to take into account their goals, dreams, talents, and interests. Up until now, there was no veering off to the left or right of my goals for us as a homeschool family. Their lessons have been based on topics they need to know as a foundation for all of the other wonderful things they will learn about later. Our topics of learning were set in stone and essential.
However, my oldest kids are maturing enough where I can begin to see their strengths more clearly and they are able to verbalize their own hopes and dreams. It’s extremely obvious to me that I have one super creative, artist-of-all-kinds type of kid and one logical, math and science type kid. They learn from the same textbooks and take the same tests, but are like oil and water when it comes to how they express their passions and interests.
So here is where my teacher-friend comes into play. Our conversation was about math specifically but could be applied to so many areas of education. It was one of those moments where I was processing aloud about our projected path of math courses between now and graduation. She reminded me that, if my kids were in any other schooling situation, they would likely be on different course sequences for subjects like math and science when they hit the high school years. There is no such thing as 9th-grade math (duh, me) or science, but rather kids just take the courses in the order and speed at which their educational goals require. Some kids will take calculus as high school sophomores whereas other kids either won’t take it at all or might have it in college. All of this depends on their own educational goals and desired career choices. She reminded me how beneficial homeschooling is to the parents that want to tailor their child’s education and to capitalize on the options to do that for my kids.
Don’t misunderstand me, please. My kids will all finish their time at our school table knowing how to write a persuasive essay, how to draw an atom from reading the periodic table, how to measure angles and divide fractions, how to be financially fit, and other essential components to a strong education. But when it comes to how fast and far they progress on their paths to higher-level math, it will be personalized.
It comes at different times for each child, I’m sure. But now that my kids are big enough to help make their own educational goals for themselves, I need to begin to take those opinions into consideration as we plan out the next few years of #homeschoolgoals.
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother to three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.lindsaybanton.com.